3.7 sGPA 3.77 cGPA--apply now or wait?

[Goblue9897]

Hello all,

I'm a current junior at a large reputable state school considering applying to med schools this spring. I'm really torn between taking a gap year or not. I feel like my stats are competitive but not really "stellar" and my EC's seem kind of cookie-cutter. If I choose to take the MCAT in the spring, I'd like to fully commit and start studying next month probably. I've always been a good test taker/studier so I'm fairly confident that with the right preparation I can score well enough. I also never went to office hours so my letters of rec will be from my research PI, and some profs who probably won't really know me too well. I'm really trying to decide whether or not I'll be competitive to decent MD or MD/PhD programs without a gap year. If some of you who are more experienced could take a look at my stats to see what you think, that would be great! Thanks so much in advance!

--major: Neuroscience and public health
--cGPA: 3.77 (slight downward trend)
--sGPA: 3.7 (A's or A-'s in everything but B's in all 3 semesters of O Chem)

--Hospital CNA for a summer
--Nursing home CNA for a year
--Administrative Assistant for a year at a different hospital

--1.5 years in research lab by the time I apply (work 15hr/week, presented at a conference, probably will be on one paper)

--Shadowed in a few different specialties (about 60 hours)

--Philanthropy director for sorority (1 year)
--Leadership role in another service organization (3 years)
--Legal advocate at access clinic (8hrs/week, 1 year)
--Small group leader for Christian ministry group (do I even put this on an app?)
--Volunteer at Children's Hospital (1 semester)
--Volunteer swimming with kids with CP (3 years)
--Spring Break service trip
--"Study abroad"/public health trip to Asia
--Math tutor for underserved kids (1 semester)

--I also founded a Bingo program my Senior Year of HS at a nursing home that still exists today. I think that's kind of unique but unsure whether to include it on an app bc it was HS.

For my gap year, I'm unsure if I should focus more on research or do something like Americorps. Both seem very intriguing to me but I'm not sure which will boost my application in particular more.

Thanks again!!

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[MyOdyssey]

If you favor MD/PhD programs, you should take a gap year to do research but if MD is your preferred route, then you should go with Americorps (though isn't that somewhat of a mixed bag)?

I think I know your undergrad and the associated medical school accepts a lot of your fellow undergrads, does it not?

Dedicating study time to the MCAT will have a downward effect on your GPA. Have you taken all your prerequisites including biochemistry and some psychology/sociology courses? You probably want to take them all before taking the MCAT.