Advice During Gap Years

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MrFixIt

Somewhere around Barstow...
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Hey! I am in need of some opinions and advice. I have roughly a 3.4 GPA (I haven't calculated since taking some classes) with an upward trend in grades and a sGPA higher than my cumulative.
I graduated in 2014 with a bac in bio and have since worked in a pharmacy (from which I recently resigned to be a stay-at-home parent), volunteered at an organization that helps needy pregnant women, and started a family of my own. I have opportunities after the summer to shadow a pediatrician and potentially a cardiologist. I haven't taken the MCAT yet but have an above-average GRE without a lick of studying or practice for it.

Here's where I need the advice:

A) I can go back to university and finish a few classes to get a second degree in Spanish which I think would look good as they are an underrepresented community around here.
B) I can go back to get a masters in bio (or Spanish even).
C) I can take a certificate class in American Sign Language (not to be confused with interpreter certification). I hopefully can do this alongside one of the other choices to address another underrepresented community especially since the DO school I'm interested in most is in a city that's the only one within hundreds of miles of me to have a deaf and blind school.
D) Skip additional schooling and just find a job as a scribe or something medical-related for more experience.
E) Any other options or advice you think might look better or help me more?

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A. As someone with a Spanish degree, I don't think it is going to add much to your application. What (I believe) would have an impact on your application is becoming fluent in Spanish and working in an environment when you must use your Spanish language skills. Being able to demonstrate mastery of a language and cultural competency will be more valuable than a second degree.
B. Graduate degrees make for an interesting EC at best but will not help with a 3.4 GPA.
C. Language skills are always beneficial. See above.
D. Medical related is fine. Non-medical is fine as well. The important thing is your do something that you enjoy and can excel at.
E. Study, study, study for the MCAT. GRE and MCAT are not comparable tests. Make sure you continue to volunteer and shadow.

Hey! I am in need of some opinions and advice. I have roughly a 3.4 GPA (I haven't calculated since taking some classes) with an upward trend in grades and a sGPA higher than my cumulative.
I graduated in 2014 with a bac in bio and have since worked in a pharmacy (from which I recently resigned to be a stay-at-home parent), volunteered at an organization that helps needy pregnant women, and started a family of my own. I have opportunities after the summer to shadow a pediatrician and potentially a cardiologist. I haven't taken the MCAT yet but have an above-average GRE without a lick of studying or practice for it.

Here's where I need the advice:

A) I can go back to university and finish a few classes to get a second degree in Spanish which I think would look good as they are an underrepresented community around here.
B) I can go back to get a masters in bio (or Spanish even).
C) I can take a certificate class in American Sign Language (not to be confused with interpreter certification). I hopefully can do this alongside one of the other choices to address another underrepresented community especially since the DO school I'm interested in most is in a city that's the only one within hundreds of miles of me to have a deaf and blind school.
D) Skip additional schooling and just find a job as a scribe or something medical-related for more experience.
E) Any other options or advice you think might look better or help me more?
 
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I haven't taken the MCAT yet but have an above-average GRE without a lick of studying or practice for it.

Possibly the worst thing you could do is let this make you overconfident, and go into the MCAT unprepared. Make sure to dedicate enough time and effort to it so you don't kill your chances before you even really start.

Also, don't get caught up in the idea of having more degrees. If you are using grade replacement, do what you need to do to get your GPA up- that's what will help you, not the extra degree.
 
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A. As someone with a Spanish degree, I don't think it is going to add much to your application. What (I believe) would have an impact on your application is becoming fluent in Spanish and working in an environment when you must use your Spanish language skills. Being able to demonstrate mastery of a language and cultural competency will be more valuable than a second degree.
B. Graduate degrees make for an interesting EC at best but will not help with a 3.4 GPA.
C. Language skills are always beneficial. See above.
D. Medical related is fine. Non-medical is fine as well. The important thing is your do something that you enjoy and can excel at.
E. Study, study, study for the MCAT. GRE and MCAT are not comparable tests. Make sure you continue to volunteer and shadow.

Thanks! I'm not really sure how else to demonstrate fluency without having an added degree? I don't have the opportunity to travel to a Spanish-speaking country.
What makes you say a grad degree wouldn't help?
And lastly, I know the MCAT is worlds beyond the GRE! I just put them in the same sentence because they were related topics, but I meant it more as I'd stand a great chance of getting into a Master's program vs comparing it to the MCAT. And I needed to note that I've only taken the one exam.
 
Possibly the worst thing you could do is let this make you overconfident, and go into the MCAT unprepared. Make sure to dedicate enough time and effort to it so you don't kill your chances before you even really start.

Also, don't get caught up in the idea of having more degrees. If you are using grade replacement, do what you need to do to get your GPA up- that's what will help you, not the extra degree.

Absolutely! See above reply.

I've retaken 2 science classes I did poorly in but the rest were Bs or above so I'm not sure retaking would help, that's why I thought an added or continuing ed degree would be better???
 
Thanks! I'm not really sure how else to demonstrate fluency without having an added degree? I don't have the opportunity to travel to a Spanish-speaking country.
What makes you say a grad degree wouldn't help?

Graduate GPAs are viewed separately from undergrad GPAs. Some DO schools take that GPA into account but a lot of med schools generally take it as an extracurricular and it doesn't factor in nearly as importantly as your cumulative uGPA, MCAT, and clinical experience. There are a number of reasons for this dichotomy that you can look up and debate the logic of, but generally your grad GPA won't make your uGPA look better, so it doesn't quite help in that sense.

The masters that do have major significance are SMPs, and those are basically ones where you're taking med school classes alongside matriculated students. An audition by taking med school classes to show you can handle med school.

If you have time and money to do do another degree in ASL or Spanish that'd be great for your personal development but as to how useful that is to adcoms is debatable. If you want to demonstrate your proficiency in Spanish and how that can be a benefit, I would suggest using that time to volunteer in a Spanish-speaking clinic or helping the underserved Spanish-speaking community in your area. That to me speaks much higher volumes to your character than sitting in a classroom getting a degree in Spanish that makes me wonder if you did that just because you were personally interested, had money to burn through, etc.
 
Graduate GPAs are viewed separately from undergrad GPAs. Some DO schools take that GPA into account but a lot of med schools generally take it as an extracurricular and it doesn't factor in nearly as importantly as your cumulative uGPA, MCAT, and clinical experience. There are a number of reasons for this dichotomy that you can look up and debate the logic of, but generally your grad GPA won't make your uGPA look better, so it doesn't quite help in that sense.

The masters that do have major significance are SMPs, and those are basically ones where you're taking med school classes alongside matriculated students. An audition by taking med school classes to show you can handle med school.

If you have time and money to do do another degree in ASL or Spanish that'd be great for your personal development but as to how useful that is to adcoms is debatable. If you want to demonstrate your proficiency in Spanish and how that can be a benefit, I would suggest using that time to volunteer in a Spanish-speaking clinic or helping the underserved Spanish-speaking community in your area. That to me speaks much higher volumes to your character than sitting in a classroom getting a degree in Spanish that makes me wonder if you did that just because you were personally interested, had money to burn through, etc.

That makes sense. I didn't think about it that way but it's plenty logical. ****ty for me, but logical still.

One of my preferred schools has an SMP that guarantees admittance with certain stipulations. I've thought about doing that but it's just a cert vs a higher degree and I'm not totally sure the $16K+ is worth it? Obviously yes at this school but not sure if it will matter for others I want to apply to.

I will look into some of those around here--thanks for the idea.
 
Thanks! I'm not really sure how else to demonstrate fluency without having an added degree? I don't have the opportunity to travel to a Spanish-speaking country.
What makes you say a grad degree wouldn't help?
And lastly, I know the MCAT is worlds beyond the GRE! I just put them in the same sentence because they were related topics, but I meant it more as I'd stand a great chance of getting into a Master's program vs comparing it to the MCAT. And I needed to note that I've only taken the one exam.

A degree in Spanish, in and of itself, does not guarantee fluency. I graduated with honors and a near 4.0 major GPA but I am definitely not fluent in Spanish. You can demonstrate fluency by working/volunteering in a setting where you use the language frequently. If you do mark down that you are fluent in Spanish, be prepared to demonstrate that you are fluent in the moment (i.e. an adcom start speaking to you in Spanish). I cannot tell you how often it comes up on hiring committees that I have been on that an applicant will state fluency in a language only for it be revealed that they can barely understand a word.
 
That makes sense. I didn't think about it that way but it's plenty logical. ****ty for me, but logical still.

One of my preferred schools has an SMP that guarantees admittance with certain stipulations. I've thought about doing that but it's just a cert vs a higher degree and I'm not totally sure the $16K+ is worth it? Obviously yes at this school but not sure if it will matter for others I want to apply to.

I will look into some of those around here--thanks for the idea.

I wouldn't do an SMP until you have an unsuccessful app cycle.
 
A degree in Spanish, in and of itself, does not guarantee fluency. I graduated with honors and a near 4.0 major GPA but I am definitely not fluent in Spanish. You can demonstrate fluency by working/volunteering in a setting where you use the language frequently. If you do mark down that you are fluent in Spanish, be prepared to demonstrate that you are fluent in the moment (i.e. an adcom start speaking to you in Spanish). I cannot tell you how often it comes up on hiring committees that I have been on that an applicant will state fluency in a language only for it be revealed that they can barely understand a word.
Agreed. I'd never say I was more than conversational. I'd really like to learn more medical terminology though. But that's something I'd gain through immersion.

I wouldn't do an SMP until you have an unsuccessful app cycle.
Thank you for the reassurance. I definitely would rather apply to the regular cycle although their SMP is tempting.
 
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