Medical Advice About Gap Year Options

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Goro

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I'm a graduating senior and I just heard back from my last medical school that I applied to this year and this confirmed that I'm going to need to take at least two gap years to beef up my extracurriculars. I had considered taking a gap year or two before applying this cycle, but I figured that my grades/MCAT would compensate for my weak extracurriculars and weak LORS(one science professor, one intro spanish professor, one nursing unit manager at the hospital where I volunteered), but I have learned that this isn't the case.

I talked to a pre-health advisor that was formerly on my university's SOM admissions board and she said I needed to address the two areas of exposure to medicine and dedication to service. I came up with an initial plan to work as an EMT and volunteer on the side for my gap years. I asked her about if I should try research, but she said not to if I'm not interested. I am in an EMT-B class right now and expect to receive all my certifications/etc. after testing in May or June of this year.

I'm conflicted about if I should change my initial plan based on the tier of medical schools I should apply to.
Based on LizzyM's score calculator, I think I should apply to some top-tier medical schools. However, I know my ECs are super weak and I don't think I would be able to strengthen them enough in my two gap years to get them to the super strong level needed for these schools. My reason for taking specifically two gap years is that if I took 3 gap years, I would have have to retake the MCAT.

Here are my options that I am considering and my thoughts: I am considering research because I know its valued more in top and mid-tier medical schools and because I never actually tried it in undergrad(and I'm not sure if I like/dislike it). However, I'm not sure if it's worthwhile to try for the NIH IRTA program or research technician/assistant jobs considering I have no prior research experience and I'm not sure if I would be able to get enough out of it in my gap time/even be able to get a job or get accepted to the NIH IRTA program.
I do have a lot of in-class lab experience and theoretical exposure to research techniques though(two semesters of general chemistry lab, two semester of organic chemistry lab, intro biology lab and 3 other biology labs-anatomy/physiology, animal behavior, comparative physiology, cell biology class, molecular biology class, development biology class that spent a ton of time going over understanding research). I've already applied to 3 research tech/assistant jobs, but it seems like I won't be likely to get one of these jobs since I don't have prior research experience(also, if I do manage to land one of these jobs, it seems unlikely that I would even get to contribute to the publications/etc.)
  1. as stated before: EMT as a job, volunteering somewhere on the side
  2. Research technician or assistant as a job, volunteering as an EMT on the side
  3. NIH IRTA program, volunteering as an EMT on the side
I need some advice on getting strong LORs as well. I waited until it was way too late to start thinking about LORs for the current cycle. I felt my only strong LOR came from my ecology/evolution professor(a biol class). I went to her office hours regularly so she would get to know me and got a TA from her recitation to give input by commenting on my performance in recitation. The professor said she would keep her LOR she wrote on file for me, so that's at least one LOR for application. I'm currently in a comparative physiology course that is paired with a lab, so I'm planning on going to this professor's office hours to get to know him(he just started teaching this class for this semester because it's a course split between two professors) and asking his PHD student(who is my lab TA) to give input on my performance. I want at least one more LOR and I'm thinking of getting it from an EMT supervisor or PI/whoever is over me in a lab job if I get one.

Stats:
  • Major: Biology(B.S.)
  • Minor: Chemistry
  • Cumulative GPA: 3.879
  • Science GPA: ~3.87
  • MCAT Score: 524(130/131/132/131)
  • State of Residence: NC
  • Primary App Submission Date: 7-19-2018, submitted to ~13 MD schools
  • Received secondaries from all schools I submitted my primary to, but realized I didn't have enough LORs from science professors for a few schools.
  • Secondary App Submission Dates: ~September 20th to October 5th
  • Number of Secondaries Completed: ~10
  • Received 2 IIs: one from small in-state only school, other from UVA
  • Outcome: Denied from small in-state school, alternate list at UVA
  • Research/pubs: none
  • Clinical Experience: 100 hours of hospital volunteering(~1/2 is delivering flowers/gifts, other half is volunteering on a nursing unit)
  • Physician Shadowing: 8 hours with a pediatrician
  • Non-clinical volunteering: ~250 hours in a place I stopped volunteering with during my freshman year of college(started in high school), planning to have ~30 hours in a reading tutoring program I'm doing this semester
  • Extracurricular Activities: weightlifting, Full Member of Tri-Beta, Eagle Scout
  • Specialty of interest: not sure, but maybe family medicine
  • URM: I think yes because my family has used public assistance programs on and off
Summarized questions:
  • What is your opinion on each of my plans?
  • Do these proposed LORs seem sufficient?
You're not URM because of the public assistance. That's probably disadvantaged, which is a different box to check.

Frankly, I consider EMT to be a glorified bus driver. Get some patient contact experience inside walls.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, wounded veterans, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

Your stats merit the Really Top Schools, most of which are research ******, so I suggest your options 2 or 3.

For any LOR, you need to ask the potential writer "Do you know me well enough to write a good letter for my app to med school?"

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