2 gap years- advice?

[medstudentloading]

What's the best thing to do for a 2-year gap year if you already have strong clinical (900+ hrs) and research (1,200+) hours? I know continuity in experiences is important, so with that said:
Should I continue with research to work towards a potential publication, which would help with residency applications down the line?
Or, do something else that I'd like equally as much but will also pay more (to save $$ up for med school) but is not be related to medicine? i.e. consulting

Of course, I will do some volunteering/ clinical stuff part-time on the side. But for a full-time job, which would be better? Curious what other people who took 2 gap years have done. TIA!

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[YoungMoneyMint]

I personally turned down three pretty lucrative job offers (two in consulting and a less lucrative one as an MCAT tutor) and one in a lab at a T5 med school to serve with AmeriCorps. For my second gap year (during the cycle), I am probably going to continue the foundation I laid with AmeriCorps by piloting an education program in the community I served in while also working in a lab to pay for living expenses.

I absolutely adore the families I serve and my AmeriCorps colleagues, so I have 0 regrets. I think the key is filling in any gaps you might have in your app while still making sure the work aligns with your passion. Otherwise, you’re in for a pretty miserable couple of years.

 

[jinjames0]

Personally, I think research experience is really valuable because it can be hard to get into a lab years after you graduate. They will question your ability because they see gaps in your research. I would say it is better to work full time as a research technician or coordinator and do volunteering on weekends/early morning just because of research has stricter qualifications than volunteering or scribing/MA. That being said, if you are passionate about serving community, I think showing commitment to that via Americorps could be regarded very highly since not many people do that.

As for me, after undergrad research was suspended in Spring 2020 and my pi started fighting cancer + passing in Fall 2020 really made it hard for me to find a new lab bc well professors were looking for freshman and sophomores, not seniors. Plus the bigger hole in my app was lack of clinical. So i just worked as a MA, but you seem to have a good number of clinical hours. I did see a lot of Adcoms on SDN suggest doing something to show some commitment to medicine… maybe part time clinical job can do this in your situation?

 

[Proudfather94]

What's the best thing to do for a 2-year gap year if you already have strong clinical (900+ hrs) and research (1,200+) hours? I know continuity in experiences is important, so with that said:
Should I continue with research to work towards a potential publication, which would help with residency applications down the line?
Or, do something else that I'd like equally as much but will also pay more (to save $$ up for med school) but is not be related to medicine? i.e. consulting

Of course, I will do some volunteering/ clinical stuff part-time on the side. But for a full-time job, which would be better? Curious what other people who took 2 gap years have done. TIA!

Are you applying MD/PHD? If so I would focus on the research as that will be very important to getting into one of those programs.

 

[ddawk_]

I personally turned down three pretty lucrative job offers (two in consulting and a less lucrative one as an MCAT tutor) and one in a lab at a T5 med school to serve with AmeriCorps. For my second gap year (during the cycle), I am probably going to continue the foundation I laid with AmeriCorps by piloting an education program in the community I served in while also working in a lab to pay for living expenses.

I absolutely adore the families I serve and my AmeriCorps colleagues, so I have 0 regrets. I think the key is filling in any gaps you might have in your app while still making sure the work aligns with your passion. Otherwise, you’re in for a pretty miserable couple of years.

Hey, I'm interested in doing Americorps during my second gap year. How hard was it to get time off for interviews?

 

[YoungMoneyMint]

Hey, I'm interested in doing Americorps during my second gap year. How hard was it to get time off for interviews?

No idea yet, as I’m applying in this current cycle. But everybody at my host site is very amenable to me taking time off to work on apps, as long as I get all my work done first. As long as you let ‘em know a week or so in advance, it should be pretty easy.