MD 3.75 GPA, 524 MCAT, should I take a gap year?

[elkjello]

Currently a junior. c/sGPA is a 3.75 with upward trend. My EC's are fairly average/mediocre... By this May, I intend to have:

• 100 hours of hospital volunteering
• 100 hours of nonclinical volunteering
• 300 hours of other clinical work
• 100 hours of shadowing
• 550 hours of research
• little to no experience with clubs

Should I take a gap year and try to get more experience? I'd like to be competitive at top tiers but it's not a deal breaker, and I'd be happy with whatever I could get into.

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[shopsteward]

Keep the upward trend going if you can - where you are now won't stop you getting into med school but an upward trend always helps. The MCAT is great.

Your ECs are fine but not exceptional. Some leadership roles would look good.

You are on track to get into med school straight after senior year if that's what you want. Which school is a bit of a lottery for anyone, so even a gap year with amazing experiences might not get you into top tier. So I would say that whether you take a gap year is more about who you are as a person and what you would do in that year. Would it be a year of ticking boxes for an application form or would it be doing something which challenges you in some way and which you will look back on in future years and say "I'm glad I did that"?

 

[elkjello]

Keep the upward trend going if you can - where you are now won't stop you getting into med school but an upward trend always helps. The MCAT is great.

Your ECs are fine but not exceptional. Some leadership roles would look good.

You are on track to get into med school straight after senior year if that's what you want. Which school is a bit of a lottery for anyone, so even a gap year with amazing experiences might not get you into top tier. So I would say that whether you take a gap year is more about who you are as a person and what you would do in that year. Would it be a year of ticking boxes for an application form or would it be doing something which challenges you in some way and which you will look back on in future years and say "I'm glad I did that"?

Thanks. I would try to get a clinical research job and volunteer on the side during the gap year, so there's a pretty big box checking component there. I don't really have a compelling reason to take a gap year, so if I can still get in despite my EC's, I'll probably apply this cycle.

 

[Admissions to Medicine]

Top tier schools will want leaders, social leaders. Having little to no experience with clubs, personal passion groups will be a huge red flag. Med school students rely heavily upon each other to get through the process. You cannot be an ivory tower unto yourself. You need to get involved in the softer interpersonal skills between now and when you submit your applications in order to be really competitive at the top schools. - Admissions Track