gap year

I'm currently a psychology and neuroscience major, philosophy minor, set to graduate soon with a 4.0 GPA at a large good state school. I have not taken the MCAT yet. I currently have ~1000 hours working in an inpatient psych facility as a mental health counselor/tech working with eating disorder...

Hello everyone, I'm a 27 year old nontraditional ORM, and I'm currently on my 4th year of DIY post-bacc. I was born and raised on Guam, and I currently reside in southern California (specifically the Inland Empire). I started my undergrad back in 2015. I previously had a 3.0 science gpa, so I...

Hi all, I’m currently wondering which of these two choices might be best for me. I decided to take a gap year after graduation because I wanted more clinical experience, and thought to apply to full-time jobs to get it. But I also need to increase my volunteering hours (currently have around...

I know it's definitely possible to get into med schools by doing the first 2 years at a CC and then transferring, however I read that most premeds start applying for med school junior year. Is it even possible to apply to med school without any gap years when you did the first 2 at a CC? I've...

Hello! I'm a graduating senior planning on applying this cycle and have two job offers for my upcoming gap year. One option is to work as a research assistant in my undergraduate school's dermatology department, while the other is a medical assistant position (not certified) at a dermatology...

Most students (44.8%) who took gap years did so for one to two years, 15.2% did so for three to four years, and 8.5% did so for five or more years. Clearly, the takeaway from this study is that more medical students who were accepted for 2021 admission took gap years than those who did not, and...

Hi everyone, I'm currently a graduating senior deciding between enlisting for 5 years, commissioning for 3 years, or going directly to medical school after 1-2 gap years. I will be graduating from a T20 undergrad with 3 majors and a first author publication, as well as a unique extracurricular...

Hi everyone! So, I recently started considering taking a gap year before applying to medical school. I was thinking that maybe this was the right move because this could be an opportunity for me to build up on relevant research and clinical experiences. I also feel like this would be a way for...

Hey everyone, so as a gap year applicant, I have a few questions if y'all don't mind answering: What kinds of medical jobs did you have to prepare yourself for medical school? What was the latest interview invite you've gotten in your cycle? How long until you got your first interview? If I...

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...

Hi, Explanation after WAMC Template: Overall GPA: 3.55 Science GPA: 3.52 Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.71 (triple-checked, somehow this is right) DAT score (include AA and all sections): Haven't taken State of Residence: IL Undergrad Attended: UIUC Major: BIOE Minority? Yes Reapplicant? No Nontrad...

.

I’m a 4th year undergrad graduating this May with double STEM majors (Biochem, Neuro) hailing from a large state school in the Southeastern US. My GPA is a 3.9 (probably will either stay or go up slightly at the end of this year) and my MCAT is a 518. I’m ORM, but from a rural area. I’m new...

Hi there! I'm a current senior very interested in med school, but definitely need to prepare before I even apply. For context: I am a male, Asian international Bio major at a T20 with a current cGPA 3.63 and sGPA: 3.4 and will likely remain so (kind of a weird trend neither up or down, kind of...

Hi I’m an accepted MD student starting in 2024. I’m looking for advice if there’s something I could be doing during my current gap year that might help on a residency application. I am interested in surgery specialties, would it make sense to get more research? If research before med school is...

Essentially, I want to go abroad to Spain for a few weeks in October with family to do a Spanish immersion program (one of my big goals for my gap year is learning some Spanish). My only school that interviews in person is Jefferson and I should be able to do remote interviews from Spain. My...

(Please don't quote) Hello all, I'll (try) to keep it short. Here's the numbers: ORM white guy at top 50 school. 3.896 cgpa / 3.87 sgpa, no MCAT Activities [CURRENT]: 309 hours of clinical volunteering in hospital 1 104 hours of clinical volunteering at hospital 2 72 hours as an EMT...

I am a current TY resident, I went unmatched in radiology last year but matched into an advanced radiology position this year which will start July 2024, leaving me with a gap year. I'm unsure of what opportunities would be available for me following my 1 year of TY training. My main goal is to...

I graduate next Spring 2024 and am at a crossroads right now. I’m in desperate need of advice so that I know what next steps I should take. I’m a psyc major. My current GPA is 3.4 and I’m hoping that after grinding my courses this year, I will be able to get at least a 3.5. My plan for now is...

I'm deferring for an additional gap year before starting medical school in 2024. This is my second gap year and aside from scribing, which I have learned a ton from, I have been able to travel a bit and enjoy some time with friends/family ect. I do get the importance of not rushing into this...

Hello, I'm a graduating senior who was initially planning on taking only 1 gap year and applying this current 2023-2024 cycle. That being said, I've come to the decision to take an additional (2nd) gap year which means I will apply next cycle. Granted that I initially wanted to apply this...

Thanks for looking at my post :) GPA: cGPA=3.91, sGPA=3.9 (To this day, I facepalm at how I don't have an "upward trend" in GPA because of a B I got in my last semester LOL) MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 518 (C/P: 130, CARS: 126, B/B: 130, P/S: 132) State of residence or country of citizenship...

I initially went into this process thinking I’m gonna work so hard to get into med school straight through, but then I realized that taking a gap year or years would take a lot off my shoulders and actually be a benefit. Such as: 1. Easier studying for MCAT after taking all pre-reqs 2. Being...

hi, i am wondering if anyone could offer some ideas on (ideally one year long) gap year programs related to: 1) research on history of medicine, health policy, medical humanities, or anything along these lines 2) community health centered jobs i am having trouble finding ones with decent pay 😅

"Why did you not take a gap year?" was a question posed to me by an interviewer at a T5 school about a month ago. She did acknowledge that the question was "perhaps unfair". I looked around at fellow interviewees—partially looking for inspiration and partially gauging whether I would even have...

I'm in the middle of my gap year and I'm feeling stuck as to what I should be doing. I'm currently doing non-clinical volunteering at about 6 hours a week and working as a scribe 25 hours a week. I was initially planning on doing these at least until the app opened, but I feel like it wont be...

Hello everyone, I am a M2 at a new US MD school in the NE who is interested in ophtho. Being that it's so new and there is no home program, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to let me PM them and ask some questions :) Specifically seeking some feedback on whether to take a research year...

Hello! I've been hoping to get some advice on my current standings and what to do before I apply for the 2023-2024 cycle. I was actually planning to apply this year but a family problem came up so I'm hoping to use another gap year to help build my EC. Just as reference, my GPA is about 3.73...

.

Hi everyone. I recently took 1 AAMC practice test and it was a 498 (123/123/126/126). I’m on the AAMC financial assistance package so the only FLs I have are those. I know they’re super important and have been trying to not use them until the last month, but I don’t want to waste anymore with a...

Hi everyone, Currently deciding what job to take in my gap year. I'm deciding between working as a: 1) Case Manager, where I would help homeless clients keep their housing, address their substance use and behavioral health needs, and do a lot of trauma-informed care, help them with a variety of...

Hi everyone, I am a current 4th year premed student at Duke. I have always planned on pursuing an MD/PhD but after a fruitful research abroad experience last year I have been offered a (funded) 3-year PhD spot in a lab at Oxford. In terms of my background, I have a 3.99cGPA, 3.97 sGPA...

Hi all, I'm looking for some advice -- unfortunately, this might be long so I apologize in advance. I graduated earlier this month with a BS in chemistry. I thought I had a job lined up as a CRC at a major research university which is an hour commute from home (not ideal), and HR was merely...

Hey everyone! I did three years of biochemistry research during undergrad (1000+ hours), gave a poster presentation, and wrote a thesis. I would receive a very strong LOR from this PI. That being said, I'm taking two gap years between undergrad and med school matriculation (applying in 2023-24...

In undergrad, I majored in biomedical engineering. During the year during which I will be interviewing at medical schools, I am considering doing a masters in Computer Science. Will medical schools view this as a lack of commitment to medicine? CS is becoming more and more important in medicine...

Hi all! So to start… Stats and Background • TX, ORM, graduated from T10 state school • cGPA=3.97 sGPA=3.94 • MCAT: The only thing really “missing” from my app • Not sure if I am applying MD-PhD or MD Only Clinical Experience Paid • ER Tech = 2100 hours...

Hi you all very nice people, I am taking 2 years off and applying during the 2023-2024 cycle! I would like to know if there is anything else I can do to improve my application during this year, especially about the leadership part. My plan wasn't for MD until my Junior year, so everything...

Two roads diverged in yellow wood............. After about 350 applications to be a clinical research coordinator (NYC) I finally got 2 job offers at the same time. I am having a tough time deciding which one to choose, I would appreciate any input! Option 1: Clinical research coordinator 2...

Hello, I am currently a sophomore, and am planning to apply for 2024 matriculation, meaning I would not take a gap year. I don't currently have any clinical experience, however I will soon start volunteering in a hospice, and I plan on spending this summer volunteering in a hospital and...

Hi everyone- I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to submit an application this cycle or wait until next year. I never thought that I would be in a position where I wouldn't be prepared to apply right after college, but unfortunately after the toll of losing a parent my right before...