Application Deficiencies in the final stretch (What Gap Year Jobs should I apply for??)

[masnerj]

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DON'T QUOTE! (thanks).

So here's the deal:
I am a senior graduating spring 2018 and will be applying this coming cycle for the Fall 2019 Admission. This post is about getting feedback on my *basically set* application and to identify any deficiencies that I can/should address in my last semester and/or my gap year. Advice regarding my current state, what I should do my last semester, and what kinds of gap year jobs I should look for would be much appreciated it!

My application as of right now:

• ORM, senior, top 20 school known for very tough sciences
• cGPA, sGPA: 3.75/3.7 (both slightly inflated due to high school college classes, huge upward trend in university years)
• MCAT: Taking in March, scored 512-514 on practice test recently, aiming for 520
• Clinical Volunteering: ~150 hours hospital volunteering over 2 years in undergrad (stopped volunteering last year due to crazy schedule and travel issues)
• Shadowing: ~75 hours (PCP, 2-3 specialities)
• Nonclinical volunteering: ~50 hours working with inner-city kids (trying to add ~50 more hours in my last semester). ~100 hours volunteering at my local religious organization spread out over breaks, vacations home from school
• Research: 2.5 yrs + 1 full-time summer in the same undergrad lab (1000+ hours). Name on a few posters/presentations. Goo chance at a middle authorship on an upcoming paper in a 15+ IF journal.
• Other ECs: club sports (captain for a year), worked part-time all four years of college (<10 hrs/week), exec board of a few clubs, usual club memberships, etc
• Unique backstory

My questions:
1) Is there anything glaring in my application that I should address in my time left at school prior to primary application? I am worried about my low clinical and nonclinical volunteering.
2) With my low clinical hours, am I restricted to a clinical gap year job like scribing or clinical research? I enjoy research and want to apply to a few 1 year research jobs but don't know if that is pointless and won't help my app at all when compared to full-time scribing or clinical research. My thought is that with a clinical gap year job, I could talk about it in secondaries and it could potentially come up in interviews (hopeful ones).
3) General thoughts on my application. Do I have a chance for top research powerhouses? I know my GPA isn't great (had a pretty bad first year but recovered nicely and have a huge trend in my undergrad years) and obviously don't have my MCAT score to base anything off of. Hoping that the publication pulls through but don't know how that will help, if much at all.

 

[masnerj]

Bump. Any thoughts with how adcoms see the single gap year activities during the application cycle? @Goro


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Goro]

Bump. Any thoughts with how adcoms see the single gap year activities during the application cycle? @Goro


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

We like them if they helping you improve your app. Your EC hours are actually average. So you're helping yourself.

 

[mellie0]

You’ve pretty much said it yourself. Your volunteer hours are lacking. That’s the only thing I can think of, really. Apply early and broadly. Good luck!