An effective gap year

[becausepremedlife]

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Hello everyone! I am currently a week from graduating college and will be taking my MCAT for the first time this fall and applying next cycle. I have done research all of my undergraduate carrier and keep being encouraged to pursue a research post-bac or some similar position for the mean time by my professor for income. But I feel like I have enough research experience but no clinical experience at all. Is it ideal to keep it safe and stick to what I know, or find different opportunities to have a more diverse application? I was wondering how everyone else is using their gap year?

 

[eteshoe]

So you have no clinical volunteering? Or shadowing?

 

[becausepremedlife]

So you have no clinical volunteering? Or shadowing?

I managed to squeeze in a semester of ER volunteering my Sophmore year, but have not had any other opportunities due to my schedules since then.

 

[eteshoe]

I managed to squeeze in a semester of ER volunteering my Sophmore year, but have not had any other opportunities due to my schedules since then.

Then your best bet would be to get a full-time job (research or otherwise) and start building up those volunteer & shadowing hrs on the weekends. Oh yea, and study for that MCAT.

 

[GreenDuck12]

I agree with the post above: get a job (if it is in research, great, if not, great) and volunteer. A lack of volunteer/clinical experience is a red flag in any application. Make sure you get those hours up to a reasonable level by the time you apply.

 

[becausepremedlife]

@eteshoe @GreenDuck12 Thank you both for your input! I think these options are what I am actually considering. I also feel a little burnt out from school and finishing my research projects, some time to work, volunteer, and study MCAT on my own time sound liberating.