Should I take one or two gap years?

[cerejabonbon]

Hello all,

I am a senior right now at a T14 university with hopes of applying this cycle (URM, only to Texas schools). Originally, I wanted to take one gap year. However, I’ve been having some doubts and am considering taking two.

Demographics:

• Science GPA : ~3.7 Overall GPA: ~3.8
• Major: BA in Public Health, Spanish Minor
• Clinical volunteering: Around 200 hours
• Shadowing: 20 hours (one doctor)
• Non-clinical volunteering: ~100 hours
• Leadership: 2+ years in two positions (VP of public health club, Co-chair for club that plans student activities). TA for one semester in public health class
• Research: 3 semesters of biology research (no pub), 2 semesters of nutrition research (will have two poster presentations)
• MCAT: Studying right now. Taking in April. Aiming for 512+
• Hooks: Very strong Spanish/working with hispanic immigrant population focused (I volunteered at a FQHC, and I currently do patient intake at a clinic for low income patients who speak Spanish. I also do ESL volunteering, and am a semi-finalist for Fulbright ETA (spain)).

Now onto my dilemma:

• I feel like my app isn't super impressive. I haven’t gotten much out of my clinical experiences, so I can’t speak super passionately about them. However, for my non-clinical volunteering, I do not have trouble speaking passionately about them. But I think I could get into a least one medical school.
• I am having trouble with LORs. I do not have a for certain science LOR that will be strong. I am working on creating with a relationship with two science professors right now which will hopefully result in a LOR. Other than that, I have my major advisor and the professor who taught my study abroad program (will be strong).
• I switched to pre-med my junior year, so my experiences are only 3+ semesters.
• Lastly, I am studying for the MCAT right now. It is going fine, but I am also taking orgo ii and want to participate in senior events since it’s my last time with my close friends.

Pros of two gap years:

• Get more clinical and non-clinical experience
• Can earn money to put towards med school
• Potentially get better LORs
• If I get Fulbright ETA, I could talk more in depth about my experience
• More time to study for MCAT (I still plan on taking it in April if I feel ready by then, but I could push it back by a month or two if I take two gap years)

Cons of two gap years

• Would be behind my friends who are only taking one
• Would have to delay family planning (I really want to have children, so my fertility would go down the longer I wait)
• Losing one year’s salary
• Maybe would not even need an extra gap year (i feel like my current app could get me into one school given I don’t bomb the MCAT)
• What if I end up losing motivation for med school?

Thank you guys for reading!

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[Mr.Smile12]

• Clinical volunteering: Around 200 hours
• Shadowing: 20 hours (one doctor)
• Non-clinical volunteering: ~100 hours
  
  
  ... I haven’t gotten much out of my clinical experiences, so I can’t speak super passionately about them. However, for my non-clinical volunteering, I do not have trouble speaking passionately about them. But I think I could get into a least one medical school.

To the question at hand, take however many gap years you need to be able to speak super passionately about your clinical experiences. You don't have much there from what I can tell. You don't have a lot of non-clinical volunteering experiences, so I do not share your confidence that you can get into at least one medical school without some additional X-factor that points to mission fit with your Texas schools.

If you believe that in two years you will lose motivation to go to medical school, then what happens if you lose that motivation once you are in medical school? That happens.

Go for the Fulbright if you want to. Medical school will wait for you.

Wait to take the MCAT until you have finished your prerequisites. If you rush a bad application, you will be chasing your mistake as a reapplicant and must show significant improvement, as opposed to having applied once with a very strong application. Same thing holds with chasing a bad MCAT result.

I think your concerns are conflated. Losing one year's salary versus getting started with having children and a family... I don't know if you have the right focus here. If you have other family concerns, they will still be there whether you go to medical school or take a job.

It sounds like you really value the time you have left with your friends before graduation. Focus on that. Medical schools aren't going anywhere, but your time as an undergraduate is fleeting, and you'll never get that time back.

 

[Styrene]

Only considering the list of pros and cons you include, which presumable represent your values well, the pros outweigh the cons.

 

[cehapp]

This isn't exactly related to your reasoning, but as someone in the middle of their gap year who had a successful cycle and will be attending school (yay), I have really enjoyed my gap year and kind of wish time was slowing down! It went by so fast, I moved to a new city and it took a while to really get settled here with friends and a routine and now I actually wish I had more time. I don't regret not taking more gap years by any means and am thrilled to start school, but I do think that the time went by really fast and after my experience, if I were in your shoes and was already debating taking a second one, I would take it. I'm working as an MA with 4, 10 hour days and a flexible time off allowance, and who knows the next time I can take time off work to Ski when the weather is nice or visit friends from college who are scattered in different cities now.

TLDR; if you are already debating taking a second gap year I would do it because time flies and it can't hurt!

 

[onequark]

Very anecdotal as well, but incoming M1 w 2 gap years and I loved/am loving my second gap year. Like everyone, I was also an MA, but my second year gave me time to quit that job and focus on my other passions before I start med school. Plus on Mr. Smiles note about speaking on passion for clinical work, I talked a lot about professional experience (MA and work in other fields actually) and didn't really mention my degree much/at all in my interview, so having unique real world experiences was instrumental to my own personal interview success.
Also, if you really do end up losing motivation w an extra year then thats a good thing to know, bc it means med school might not be your path. This year made me so much more excited to go back to school and most people I know who took time off share that sentiment, so if that happens it may be a good moment for some reflection.
I do feel the family planning being a con, but the flip side is (personally) I think this year also give me more time to grow, and I feel a lot more ready to be a med student and a doctor now. I don't know if that was something I appreciated back when I graduated college and set up my timeline (I think 22 year old me thought I was plenty mature haha) but I am grateful for it now in retrospect.
EDIT: Also not taking the MCAT during college was one of the best parts about the extra gap year! That sounded terrible to me.

 

[DestinyRoseAndrews]

This isn't exactly related to your reasoning, but as someone in the middle of their gap year who had a successful cycle and will be attending school (yay), I have really enjoyed my gap year and kind of wish time was slowing down! It went by so fast, I moved to a new city and it took a while to really get settled here with friends and a routine and now I actually wish I had more time. I don't regret not taking more gap years by any means and am thrilled to start school, but I do think that the time went by really fast and after my experience, if I were in your shoes and was already debating taking a second one, I would take it. I'm working as an MA with 4, 10 hour days and a flexible time off allowance, and who knows the next time I can take time off work to Ski when the weather is nice or visit friends from college who are scattered in different cities now.

TLDR; if you are already debating taking a second gap year I would do it because time flies and it can't hurt!

What were your stats before you decided to take a gap year?

 

[cehapp]

What were your stats before you decided to take a gap year?

Stat wise I think I could have made the choice to apply the previous cycle and go straight in, but I just didn't want to do that. This is what was on my AMCAS, not including anything anticipated.
3.9 GPA
3.86 science GPA
518 MCAT
650 research hours with 2 posters
300 paid clinical hours
400 volunteer hours (120 of those clinical)
Some unique summer jobs
Like 70 shadowing hours
TA 2 semesters