CS postbac program vs. NIH IRTA for gap year?

[secretje]

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[Stumpyman]

"Maximize my chances of getting into medical school"

Probably the research. Take a look at your app thus far and see what needs improving, then pursue something in that area.

 

[cactus8910]

It won't matter as much if you're just doing 1 gap year, but it will come up on secondaries and in interviews. If you aren't planning to apply to research-focused schools, I'd say just go for what you want to do. This is probably your last chance to learn CS, but how do you plan to use that down the road? Are you interested in pursuing research, or would you just be doing it to impress med schools?

 

[deleted436726]

Do the CS postbac only if you're interested in it and can do reasonably well (CS is not known for being a GPA-friendly subject, especially for people who are just going through the motions.) On the other hand, CS is a field with huge applications in medicine (health IT, medical informatics, bioinformatics, genomics) and you'll stand out in interviews if you're able to eloquently describe your reasons for doing CS.

 

[VlLLVGE]

Hi all,

I'm debating what to do for my gap year. I am a senior studying chemistry. I've realized recently that I regret not taking CS during college so I was wondering if it would be advisable to learn CS for my gap year or research at the NIH? I'm trying to maximize my chances getting into med school, but does it matter what I do for my gap year?

Thanks

I can say with a high degree of certainty if you dig deep enough you can find a CS-based postbac position at the NIH.