delaying a year to pick up more volunteer hours + possible research experience?

[orangeblossom]

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for the upcoming year, there is a chance I may be able to get some research experience (nothing significant, but i have no research whatsoever so it seems exciting to me). i will also be able to rack up more clinical volunteer hours. i currently have ~50 clinical volunteer hours and ~40 shadowing hours. My non-clinical volunteer hours are in the hundreds, so not worried about that.

also if i delay to apply next cycle, I will be able to take the mcat in August 2012 or perhaps later. If i apply this cycle, I have to take the mcat in July, there's a big possibility my score will be in the low low 30's, and i'll have so few clinical hours. 🙁 And i'll rush my application (personal statement, entering work & activities, etc). i know I'm already late for this cycle according to SDN, but i really really don't want to wait a year, even though there are many benefits. the main reason is that i'm a nontrad and i feel like im an oldie.

🙁
thoughts? advice? someone kill me. gah.

stats: 3.9 sgpa, 3.8 ugpa

 

[Arbor Vitae]

for the upcoming year, there is a chance I may be able to get some research experience (nothing significant, but i have no research whatsoever so it seems exciting to me). i will also be able to rack up more clinical volunteer hours. i currently have ~50 clinical volunteer hours and ~40 shadowing hours. My non-clinical volunteer hours are in the hundreds, so not worried about that.

also if i delay to apply next cycle, I will be able to take the mcat in August 2012 or perhaps later. If i apply this cycle, I have to take the mcat in July, there's a big possibility my score will be in the low low 30's, and i'll have so few clinical hours. 🙁 And i'll rush my application (personal statement, entering work & activities, etc). i know I'm already late for this cycle according to SDN, but i really really don't want to wait a year, even though there are many benefits. the main reason is that i'm a nontrad and i feel like im an oldie.

🙁
thoughts? advice? someone kill me. gah.

stats: 3.9 sgpa, 3.8 ugpa

I think it can only help you to wait, and it could hurt you to do it now. It's such an expensive process too. As someone who is a late 20s non-trad, I would say enjoy that year of your life and make your app stronger. Time will give you more experience and maturity.

Edit: missed the part about you being non-trad. Changes things slightly but might still be worth to wait, and money is probably even more of a factor. How old are you if you don't mind me asking?

 

[orangeblossom]

i'm 26, female. something about being 28 y/o and starting my first year of med school scares the heck out of me. 27 sounds okay 🙂 i'm being irrational, i know

i'm a career-changer of sorts, so i feel my lack of clinical volunteer hours will be even more of a red flag. i also feel pressured to apply this year b/c everyone else in my post-bacc group is applying this summer.

 

[Wubbles]

I'd take the year to gain more experience - there's no good reason to rush through applying for this app cycle. Starting at 28 instead of 27 is no big deal!
You'll have a chance to learn more, have better experiences to draw from, and will be a better overall applicant. 👍

 

[Arbor Vitae]

i'm 26, female. something about being 28 y/o and starting my first year of med school scares the heck out of me. 27 sounds okay 🙂 i'm being irrational, i know

i'm a career-changer of sorts, so i feel my lack of clinical volunteer hours will be even more of a red flag. i also feel pressured to apply this year b/c everyone else in my post-bacc group is applying this summer.

28 is not old. It'll only help to have more time for MCAT and everything else. Expenses too unless that doesn't matter.

 

[orangeblossom]

thanks guys, your replies make me feel better. can anyone give me a reason i shouldn't delay? (just want to make sure im not hearing what i want to hear.)

have lots of thinking to do.

 

[ronathan]

i'm 26, female. something about being 28 y/o and starting my first year of med school scares the heck out of me. 27 sounds okay 🙂 i'm being irrational, i know

i'm a career-changer of sorts, so i feel my lack of clinical volunteer hours will be even more of a red flag. i also feel pressured to apply this year b/c everyone else in my post-bacc group is applying this summer.

Well goddamn, now I feel freaking ancient. I'm starting in the fall, and I'm 33. 😱

 

[mr chievous]

With your GPA, even a 28 could land you some acceptances. It's up to you.

 

[armybound]

if I were you I'd knock out the PS right now (shouldn't take you more than a couple of days if you focus on it) and get your stuff in order. even with a "low low 30s" MCAT, you'll be quite competitive. get your application in, take the MCAT, and work on those volunteer experiences in the meantime.

you have a decent shot of being accepted this year. if the cost of applying and going to a few interviews isn't overwhelming for you, why not give it a shot? the worst that could happen is you have to do it all over again next year, which you were planning on doing anyway.

you only have no chance if you don't apply.

 

[mr chievous]

if I were you I'd knock out the PS right now (shouldn't take you more than a couple of days if you focus on it) and get your stuff in order. even with a "low low 30s" MCAT, you'll be quite competitive. get your application in, take the MCAT, and work on those volunteer experiences in the meantime.

you have a decent shot of being accepted this year. if the cost of applying and going to a few interviews isn't overwhelming for you, why not give it a shot? the worst that could happen is you have to do it all over again next year, which you were planning on doing anyway.

you only have no chance if you don't apply.

I agree. I think you should go for it!

Contrary to what SDN says, applying for the second time isn't all that horrible. I know plenty of people that have done this. I think the majority of the people that get rejected the second time they apply are those that apply and assume they're going to get accepted, so they do absolutely nothing in their year off. Make sure you keep yourself busy with volunteering or shadowing during your year off, along with some work or classes if you want. That way, if things don't go your way, you'll be a much stronger applicant next cycle!

 

[theseeker4]

thanks guys, your replies make me feel better. can anyone give me a reason i shouldn't delay? (just want to make sure im not hearing what i want to hear.)

have lots of thinking to do.

To give you a reason why you shouldn't delay, short answer is you could be a doctor one year sooner than you would be waiting. If you think you can do well on the MCAT in July, you could be accepted this cycle and be starting in just over a year, instead of two years. If the opportunities in the two years you will have before you start med school (if you wait) are worth the extra year out of school, then wait. If not, apply this cycle and hope for the best.

ETA: I applied last cycle with virtually NO ECs to a single school EDP (i.e. did everything wrong by SDN standards) with the expectation that I would have to apply more broadly with a year's worth of ECs this current cycle, but got in and will be starting in August. As long as you understand the risks, you don't HAVE to always follow conventional wisdom on SDN. Sometimes, not doing so works out, and if you can afford to not be successful your first try, there is no reason not to go for it.

 

[NYCMS2]

I did it, and would do it again.

I had similar stats - 3.9 gpa, but not a significant amount of volunteer or shadowing hours (less than 40 hrs in either).

So I deferred applying for one year, took the MCAT the following January, and during that year I boosted my EC hours significantly. I was able to write a more compelling PS based on my volunteer experiences (free clinic aide, surgery suite escort).

I wouldn't worry too much about research - that is overrated on SDN - but if you can land a gig, go for it. And shadowing is overrated, too - I think that 50 hours or so is more than enough - you definitely want to do some, but there is no need to do hundreds of hours. I recommend focusing on clinical volunteering - this is the one to go whole hog on.

Good luck.

 

[BigBlueBear]

The only real downside that I can see for applying this year is the $$. But if you have a few thousand to spend and are confident in a low-30s MCAT (which is actually pretty darn good) you'd probably get accepted. Not for sure, but you'd have a good shot imo. I'd say go for it, and then if you don't get accepted then just do what you were going to do anyway 😀

 

[notbobtrustme]

90 hours is enough to get your foot in the door. That's combining your volunteering and shadowing. You don't need hundreds of hours, you need to show you know what you are getting yourself into.

A decent MCAT will net you some interviews and then it's up to you to seal the deal.

 

[USCTrojan11]

Worst advice ever above. Disregard.

Take the MCAT and go to med school. Your GPA is very solid. I've sat on ADCOM, they don't care about 25 vs. 200 hours, just have to have something going for you. Research won't make or break your app either unless it's extremely high impact factor (think NEJM rush publication status extremely unlikely).

Focus on the MCAT, while its being scored write your PS, pre write your secondaries. Submitted many if not most of my secondaries in October, ended up at top 15 (some say top 10).

 

[NYCMS2]

Worst advice ever above. Disregard.

Take the MCAT and go to med school. Your GPA is very solid. I've sat on ADCOM, they don't care about 25 vs. 200 hours, just have to have something going for you. Research won't make or break your app either unless it's extremely high impact factor (think NEJM rush publication status extremely unlikely).

Focus on the MCAT, while its being scored write your PS, pre write your secondaries. Submitted many if not most of my secondaries in October, ended up at top 15 (some say top 10).

No, THIS is the worst advice ever.