Apply or Gap Year

[mahalopele]

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Hi everyone, I want your opinions on something. I'm a junior at the University of Findlay and am currently trying to decide whether to take a gap year to improve my application. Here's what I've got so far:
GPA : 3.55
science GPA: 3.0
Activities: JV dressage equestrian team (all 3 years), varsity hunt seat team (2 years, one of the top teams in the country - ya know...not to brag or anything...), horse club, premed club, work 15 hours per week (non-science related job)
Research experience: 2 research projects, neither of which were published
Ethnicity: Native American (Cherokee)/White

I also haven't taken physics II yet and would need to take the MCAT this summer to apply this year. I don't have any shadowing hours yet, but can get those fairly quickly and could probably get 150-200 by the time I applied. I'm also working at an assisted living facility this summer, as well as performing research. I also started volunteering at a therapeutic riding center this past march, too. I've volunteered as a tutor since freshman year as well.

My goal medical schools are Ohio State (in-state), Case Western, UNC @ Chapel Hill, UC @ San Diego, Emory, University of Washington, and Wake Forest.

IF I waited another year to apply, however, I'd have at least one publication that I know of, lots more research experience, a higher GPA (around 3.75-3.8), more volunteer experience, and I'd have started a chapter of an organization dedicated to solving hunger on my campus (still in progress). What are your opinions on this? Do I stand a chance at my target schools if I applied this year, or should I wait another year?

 

[vrk710]

Every state school you listed besides Ohio is going to be pointless for you to apply to. Especially UWash.

 

[21Rush12]

Do you have any service or involvement with the Native American community? That could help you as it’s a very underrepresented group.

I think a gap year and maybe some science postbacc plus volunteer/clinical work could help.

This is all meaningless conjecture without an MCAT score though, that’s your #1 focus right now.

 

[HomeSkool]

You stand no chance as you are right now. None at all. Your cGPA and especially your sGPA are really subpar for any of those institutions. So here's the scoop:

1. You need a better GPA. Do a post-bacc.
2. You don't have any idea where you'll be competitive without an MCAT score.
3. I don't see any mention of clinical work/volunteering unless that's what you're doing at the assisted living place.
4. 150-200 hours of shadowing is seriously overkill. Go for 50 hours and use the rest of your time getting your other stats and ECs squared away.
5. Research doesn't mean much without publications. Get your name on something. But also remember that research is far less important to adcoms than your other ECs, and allocate your time accordingly.
6. Your school list is, quite frankly, insane. UCSD had 4,291 in-state applicants last year, interviewed 549 (12.8%), and had 119 matriculate (2.8%). Compare that with 3,632 out-of-state applicants, of whom 193 were interviewed (5.3%) and 15 matriculated (0.4%). UNC-CH had 1,026 in-state applicants, interviewed 503 (49.0%), and had 147 matriculate (14.3%), versus 5,180, 138 (2.7%), and 33 (0.6%) for out-of-state. UW's numbers were 936, 433 (47.3%), and 142 (15.2%) versus 7,625, 367 (4.8%), and 128 (1.7%). Emory's were 768, 158 (20.6%), and 37 (4.8%) versus 7,702, 480 (10.1%), and 98 (1.3%).

My advice is to get your application in competitive shape, then consider where to apply.

 

[mahalopele]

Are there any M.D. programs within the United States that I AM competitive for?

 

[HomeSkool]

Are there any M.D. programs within the United States that I AM competitive for?

Not with an sGPA of 3.0.

 

[SangriaSalsa]

Gap year and apply DO and MD

 

[mwsapphire]

For MD programs, you need a 3.4+ Sci GPA, and maybe 3.2+ for DO ( not sure if that's totally accurate but that seems to be how it is, I may be wrong though). You have a 3.0 Sci GPA. Do a DIY post bacc with a 9-12 stem credits a semester for 4 ish semesters, prep for the MCAT and score as high as you can, then we can help you.

 

[Goro]

Are there any M.D. programs within the United States that I AM competitive for?

With ZERO hours of clinical exposure, there aren't even any DO programs that you're competitive for.

What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

I can't sugar coat this: this is not the application of a person who dearly wants to be a physician. It is the application of someone who wants to be a doctor as long as it is convenient. My own student interviewers would eat you alive.

This may sound a little harsh, but I would not call your equestrian career an explanation for your sGPA or your lack of service and clinical exposure . I would call it evidence that you chose to prioritize the short-term over the long-term, which is not a particularly appealing characteristic in a potential physician. You will simply get crowded out by applicants with stronger academic records.

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

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, 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.

Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

For starters, read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

Lastly, do you have a tribal card? If not, don't bother checking off your Native American ancestry on the app forms. Too many unethical whites suddenly discover their NA ancestry upon applying to med school, and have poisoned the well for real NA applicants. Get in some service to NA or other minority communities as well.

 

[Chlorophyll Oracle]

I thought you wrote you were on the "hunt seal" team, I am very glad that this doesn't exist

 

[mwsapphire]

I thought you wrote you were on the "hunt seal" team, I am very glad that this doesn't exist

The thing is, seal hunting is actually integral to the Inuit.

Inuit Defend Canada’s Seal Hunt

 

[Deleted member 737595]

With ZERO hours of clinical exposure, there aren't even any DO programs that you're competitive for.

What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

I can't sugar coat this: this is not the application of a person who dearly wants to be a physician. It is the application of someone who wants to be a doctor as long as it is convenient. My own student interviewers would eat you alive.

This may sound a little harsh, but I would not call your equestrian career an explanation for your sGPA or your lack of service and clinical exposure . I would call it evidence that you chose to prioritize the short-term over the long-term, which is not a particularly appealing characteristic in a potential physician. You will simply get crowded out by applicants with stronger academic records.

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

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, 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.

Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

For starters, read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

Lastly, do you have a tribal card? If not, don't bother checking off your Native American ancestry on the app forms. Too many unethical whites suddenly discover their NA ancestry upon applying to med school, and have poisoned the well for real NA applicants. Get in some service to NA or other minority communities as well.

Goro, I just started volunteering myself and have a little over a year before applying. It is commonly said that the amount of hours is not important: its about how well you can write about the effect of the experience on your decision to pursue medicine. However, hours are still a visible sign of how much you have committed to an activity. Can you give a quick overview on whether the amount of hours "appears" a certain way? Can the same exact applicant with 100 hours of clinical in a hospital be more competitive than the one with 500 hours in the same hospital but writes poorly on it?

Sometimes it seems that the criteria for admissions are vague. You are expected to have these experiences, but how much is enough? I have an idea for this but it may also help the OP.

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

If you have to ask, the answer is almost certainly gap year.

 

[Goro]

Goro, I just started volunteering myself and have a little over a year before applying. It is commonly said that the amount of hours is not important: its about how well you can write about the effect of the experience on your decision to pursue medicine. However, hours are still a visible sign of how much you have committed to an activity. Can you give a quick overview on whether the amount of hours "appears" a certain way? Can the same exact applicant with 100 hours of clinical in a hospital be more competitive than the one with 500 hours in the same hospital but writes poorly on it?

Sometimes it seems that the criteria for admissions are vague. You are expected to have these experiences, but how much is enough? I have an idea for this but it may also help the OP.

DO what you love and love what you do. That will come through. Quality > quantity, but there still is a minimum we expect.

DO not obsess over single metrics either

 

[doc05]

Hi everyone, I want your opinions on something. I'm a junior at the University of Findlay and am currently trying to decide whether to take a gap year to improve my application. Here's what I've got so far:
GPA : 3.55
science GPA: 3.0
Activities: JV dressage equestrian team (all 3 years), varsity hunt seat team (2 years, one of the top teams in the country - ya know...not to brag or anything...), horse club, premed club, work 15 hours per week (non-science related job)
Research experience: 2 research projects, neither of which were published
Ethnicity: Native American (Cherokee)/White

I also haven't taken physics II yet and would need to take the MCAT this summer to apply this year. I don't have any shadowing hours yet, but can get those fairly quickly and could probably get 150-200 by the time I applied. I'm also working at an assisted living facility this summer, as well as performing research. I also started volunteering at a therapeutic riding center this past march, too. I've volunteered as a tutor since freshman year as well.

My goal medical schools are Ohio State (in-state), Case Western, UNC @ Chapel Hill, UC @ San Diego, Emory, University of Washington, and Wake Forest.

IF I waited another year to apply, however, I'd have at least one publication that I know of, lots more research experience, a higher GPA (around 3.75-3.8), more volunteer experience, and I'd have started a chapter of an organization dedicated to solving hunger on my campus (still in progress). What are your opinions on this? Do I stand a chance at my target schools if I applied this year, or should I wait another year?

Are you applying to med school or veterinary school?

 

[mahalopele]

Are you applying to med school or veterinary school?

Med school. I know UF is extremely well-known for their pre-vet program and is a rising university in regards to their sciences and pharmacy program, but I decided to study medicine here instead. Because pre-veterinary medicine and pre-medicine share much of the same coursework and because I liked the smaller school setting, I decided to attend UF instead of another university like OSU. And I enjoy riding horses as a de-stressor, hence all the equine-related horses 😉

Gap year and post-bac, it is. Another question, for which I've heard many different answers: Does volunteering at a therapeutic riding center with mentally and physically handicapped patients count as clinical experience? Have we come to a general consensus on this, yet? Judging from the threads on here, I've heard both ways...

 

[doc05]

Med school. I know UF is extremely well-known for their pre-vet program and is a rising university in regards to their sciences and pharmacy program, but I decided to study medicine here instead. Because pre-veterinary medicine and pre-medicine share much of the same coursework and because I liked the smaller school setting, I decided to attend UF instead of another university like OSU. And I enjoy riding horses as a de-stressor, hence all the equine-related horses 😉

Gap year and post-bac, it is. Another question, for which I've heard many different answers: Does volunteering at a therapeutic riding center with mentally and physically handicapped patients count as clinical experience? Have we come to a general consensus on this, yet? Judging from the threads on here, I've heard both ways...

I recommend more people-oriented activities. You're too animal-oriented.