Crazy pre-med situation

[ProffesorOakDO]

Hello, I am resident, and I actually I’m posting this for a friend.

He actually finished undergrad with me He has actually been studying on and off for the MCAT for the last six years.We graduated in 2017. He actually had a decent GPA at 3.6 and now he thinks he can score very well on the MCAT. He has a massive gap in education and employment, he worked as a medical assistant but stopped 3 years ago. Had ECs, but mostly back in college. His parents support him (rich).

Reasons for the gap years: depression, sick family, lacking motivation to study, inability to stick to his MCAT study plan, and other personal things. It’s a sad case. There are no drug, alcohol, or criminal issues.

That being said, how much of a red flag will this gap be? The gap years have not been productive at all. is this something that be overcome? Let’s say he does score very high on the MCAT and with a decent GPA, can he get into DO? General thoughts? Success stories? If he cannot, what are some options after he takes the MCAT and doesn’t get in. Oh, and he is DEAD SET on trying.

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[Drythagoras]

I'm a non-trad, and I can speak a bit from an industry perspective. Large gaps in education or employment are a red flag. Any kind of employment, even in the retail service sector, is better than no employment. In my eyes, if we were hiring a candidate, this would be a huge red flag for 3 years of doing nothing, because we'd wonder what those issues were, and whether they could come back fully while they work the new job.

I feel like how bad of a red flag would depend on the adcom in question, but it is a mark against him, and he'll have to crush the MCAT.

It may be good not to tell him too much about this, so that he can focus on killing the MCAT. Then with a phenomenal MCAT score in hand he will have more options. Counsel him to ask rich mommy and daddy for a thorough prep course if he's having trouble organizing his study.

The NEET years will have to be explained, and it's best not to talk about the depression, lack of motivation, and personal things. Sick family is a good explanation for a year or two maybe, but they will need to find a way to explain the other 2 years.

 

[polymerization]

The world isn't fair. You can be a moral degenerate, do some things, and get into medical school systematically. Easier with money.

You just do the things: take the MCAT, collect the necessary experiences, collapse into a coherent narrative and vision for the future, be able to hold a conversation in a way that doesn't immediately set off psychopath alarms.

For these people, the existential crisis happens in transition, when they're already in too deep to get out, but find themselves in way more personal investment than they ever intended to make. Sometimes, they become influencers and make YouTube videos.

But hey, we all make decisions. Maybe this one will be very expensive, time-consuming, and unfulfilling one for him. Maybe the responsibility transforms him. Maybe you caught him in the midst of turning over a new leaf. Either way, let's hope for the general public's sake that the people we are elevating to the profession are actually worthy of its social capital.

 

[ProffesorOakDO]

@Faha @Goro

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hello, I am resident, and I actually I’m posting this for a friend.

He actually finished undergrad with me, and well our pre-health friend group kinda all moved on to medical school and want not. He has actually been studying on and off for the MCAT for the last SIX years. SIX! We graduated in 2017. He actually had a decent GPA at 3.6 and now he thinks she can score very well on the MCAT. He has a massive gap in education and employment, he worked as a medical assistant but stopped 3 years ago. Had ECs, but mostly back in college. His parents support him (rich).

Reasons for the gap years: depression, sick family, lacking motivation to study, inability to stick to his MCAT study plan, and other personal things. It’s quite sad actually. There are no drug, alcohol, or criminal issues.

That being said, how much of a red flag will this gap be? The gap years have not been productive at all. is this something that be overcome? Let’s say he does score very high on the MCAT and with a decent GPA, can he get into DO? General thoughts? Success stories? If he cannot, what are some options after he takes the MCAT and doesn’t get in. Oh, and he is DEAD SET on trying.

No work/school/contribution for 3 years is a red flag. Let him focus on the MCAT if he's close to test date, but if he isn't, I'd recommend he focus on getting some valuable experience that shows he wants to contribute and serve others and that he is NOW serious about becoming a physician. Specifically he needs clinical exposure and community service. At this stage of his life, I think he should get a job even if he doesn't financially need one. It can be in a clinical setting and get him that clinical experience, but it should be something where he has to show up at a specific time of day and work for X hours and has real responsibility.

He has to show that the mental health, family, and motivational issues are behind him. And frankly, a good MCAT alone won't do it.

Once he has that recent experience, then, if he doesn't take the MCAT now, he should focus on the MCAT and getting the highest score he can.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'd like to know how your friend will answer questions about the gap in activities. Why not another career like physician assistant/associate or anesthesiologist/surgical/pathologists assistant?

 

[esob]

Call me a pragmatist, but with a fantastic MCAT score and a few new updates on hours (shadowing, volunteering, etc.), I think your friend will be just fine. My point is that MCAT and GPA are far bigger hurdles than gap years. My med school class was chock-full of high-achievers who had done little else other than ride their rich parents' coattails.

 

[Goro]

Hello, I am resident, and I actually I’m posting this for a friend.

He actually finished undergrad with me, and well our pre-health friend group kinda all moved on to medical school and want not. He has actually been studying on and off for the MCAT for the last SIX years. SIX! We graduated in 2017. He actually had a decent GPA at 3.6 and now he thinks she can score very well on the MCAT. He has a massive gap in education and employment, he worked as a medical assistant but stopped 3 years ago. Had ECs, but mostly back in college. His parents support him (rich).

Reasons for the gap years: depression, sick family, lacking motivation to study, inability to stick to his MCAT study plan, and other personal things. It’s quite sad actually. There are no drug, alcohol, or criminal issues.

That being said, how much of a red flag will this gap be? The gap years have not been productive at all. is this something that be overcome? Let’s say he does score very high on the MCAT and with a decent GPA, can he get into DO? General thoughts? Success stories? If he cannot, what are some options after he takes the MCAT and doesn’t get in. Oh, and he is DEAD SET on trying.

It will look like he doesn't want to be a doctor.

If he does, tell your friend wishful thinking is not a strategy for success, and he needs to get his mental health issues under 100% control or the blast furnace of medical school will crush him. I've seen it break even healthy students.

 

[Goro]

Also recommend to your friend that he get an account on sdn

 

[Anthodite]

Hello, I am resident, and I actually I’m posting this for a friend.

He actually finished undergrad with me, and well our pre-health friend group kinda all moved on to medical school and want not. He has actually been studying on and off for the MCAT for the last SIX years. SIX! We graduated in 2017. He actually had a decent GPA at 3.6 and now he thinks she can score very well on the MCAT. He has a massive gap in education and employment, he worked as a medical assistant but stopped 3 years ago. Had ECs, but mostly back in college. His parents support him (rich).

Reasons for the gap years: depression, sick family, lacking motivation to study, inability to stick to his MCAT study plan, and other personal things. It’s quite sad actually. There are no drug, alcohol, or criminal issues.

That being said, how much of a red flag will this gap be? The gap years have not been productive at all. is this something that be overcome? Let’s say he does score very high on the MCAT and with a decent GPA, can he get into DO? General thoughts? Success stories? If he cannot, what are some options after he takes the MCAT and doesn’t get in. Oh, and he is DEAD SET on trying.

I am not an admissions officer but there's an "other impactful experiences section" on the application for a reason. I would listen to the other people here instead. I don't exactly know the details of they were through or what they've done (not like I'm qualified to assess) but if that's what their heart wants than thats what it wants. Plus its not like they are hurting anyone by trying over and over. Some people go to med school like 10 years after graduating their bachelors for so many different reasons, because life got in the way.

I can't see why your friend can't flip the script on the MCAT or any education gap by starting with some sort of structured program if he wanted to. Especially since he is rich, there are so many amazing ones out there. There's so many pre-health master programs, certifications, post-bachs, healthcare jobs..... that can improve his application if he needs it to.

That being said if for whatever reason he cant seem to get in but still wants to work in the healthcare there are sooooo many programs out there that no has heard of before but absolutely love. There's a reason why so many people in X-ray school or perfusion school were once premed. They eventually found their true calling, something healthcare that they enjoy learning about and doing. My friends are radiation therapists, MRI techs, sonographers....and they are so happy with their jobs. Your friend can always find something to love. Mayo has this great list if they ever wanna look at it. The only caveat to this is that they have to do a year of new prereqs to get in to these schools most of the time. The MA experience makes him competitive, he just needs decent grades.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I'm gonna lock this thread, as if the person who this advice would apply to cares to hear the advice, they are welcome to register their own account and ask. Suffice to say that a 3 year gap looks bad, so if they actually want advice they should come ask.