(dilemma)Questions about gap year

[bauhinia123]

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I know that there are posts asking similar questions but I would like to have opinion on my specific situation. Thanks =)

 

[Tots]

I'm applying for the 2014 cycle and I recently received two offers for my gap year. I have ~2 years of research experience (1 senior thesis and a hopeful paper by May if everything goes well), 4 years of hospital volunteering experience, and 2 years of on-and-off tutoring experience (tutoring underprivileged elementary students and college students). Aside from volunteering and research, I have shadowed 3 physicians each for 3-4 months.

For my gap year, I can either 1. participate in AmeriCorps City Year Washington D.C. (mentoring underprivileged elementary students; very meaningful and will enhance my leadership skips but this program only allows for 10 days of leave, which might not be sufficient for interviews, and the stipend is very modest) or 2. continue doing research in my current lab (will have a chance to work on different projects, potential for another paper; the schedule is very flexible for interviews but the potential for self-growth is not as much as the City Year program).

Given the fact that I do not have much leadership experience (aside from tutoring college students), should I pick the City Year program over doing research? In terms of medical school application, which program/activity would be better?

I know that there are posts asking similar questions but I would like to have opinion on my specific situation. Thanks =)

I would go with the more flexible option(the research job in this case). Having an employer that was flexible with my interview schedule reduced the interview season stress immensely. The flexibility is also nice after you get accepted and decide there are things you want to do before your life is sucked away in medical school. I imagine the pay in the lab is better than the americorps stipend which can help since interviewing is expensive.

While medical schools will probably ask what you are doing during your year off(you applying to start in 2014 right?) remember that it won't be on your application. I don't think city year would look any better(or worse) than continuing research. For the most part you really won't be able to elaborate on the meaningfulness of your gap year experience since if you apply early your interviews could begin as early August. All that being said - if you really want to do something like americorps(and it sounds like you do) this could be your last real chance.

 

[commander1]

I'm applying for the 2014 cycle and I recently received two offers for my gap year. I have ~2 years of research experience (1 senior thesis and a hopeful paper by May if everything goes well), 4 years of hospital volunteering experience, and 2 years of on-and-off tutoring experience (tutoring underprivileged elementary students and college students). Aside from volunteering and research, I have shadowed 3 physicians each for 3-4 months.

For my gap year, I can either 1. participate in AmeriCorps City Year Washington D.C. (mentoring underprivileged elementary students; very meaningful and will enhance my leadership skills but this program only allows for 10 days of leave, which might not be sufficient for interviews, and the stipend is very modest) or 2. continue doing research in my current lab (will have a chance to work on different projects, potential for another paper; the schedule is very flexible for interviews but the potential for self-growth is not as much as the City Year program).

Given the fact that I do not have much leadership experience (aside from tutoring college students), should I pick the City Year program over doing research? In terms of medical school application, which program/activity would be better?

I know that there are posts asking similar questions but I would like to have opinion on my specific situation. Thanks =)

I am currently a teacher in an inner-city school; do not take the opportunity lightly. I would recommend that over research, thought, as -- from my experience in all of my interviews -- having shown an ongoing, full-time commitment to serving the undeserved is highly respected by adcoms and proof of your compassion and maturity. I think those qualities are difficult to truly highlight elsewhere. Research is great, but I think all doctors would benefit if they worked in the sort of communities we do before med school. Logistically, city year pays pittance... Be aware of that if finances are an issue. If you are interested in Teach For America (another AmeriCorp program I bet you have considered) , you are welcome to ask me about it.

That said, I return to my first sentence... Do not take it lightly or think AmeriCorps is simply a good way to bolster your application. All of their programs are tough, but if you are the right fit with the right intentions, they can be amazingly transformative.

 

[HealthHare]

I also got accepted to City Year. I'm trying to decide between doing that and working in a health clinic.

 

[LizzyM]

If you have a very strong academic record and are hoping for admission to a top tier academic center, you might get more traction by continuing with the research lab and having plenty of days for interviews will be important.

If you are not interested in a career in academic medicine and hoping to get into any medical school, and you prefer service over research, then go ahead & do the tutoring thing.

Frankly, I don't consider tutoring k-12 kids to be "leadership". Generally, I think of leadership as leader of peers, not grade school & HS kids.

 

[Wait For It]

Just noticed LizzyM's new tag "evil queen of numbers". Is that new xD?

Anyway, I second everything that Tots has said and would like to add only one thing. You should only do Americorps if that is something you really, really want to do. Having flexible time off to go on interviews and not being forced to make a decision between classes/ work time (normally important) and interviews (VERY important now) would be alot better for you.

 

[LizzyM]

Just noticed LizzyM's new tag "evil queen of numbers". Is that new xD?

It goes with my avatar, M, from James Bond. Tanner, her Chief of Staff, refers to her in the film Golden Eye as "the Evil Queen of Numbers", given her reputationfor relying on statistics and analysis.

 

[bigbird23]

If you have a very strong academic record and are hoping for admission to a top tier academic center, you might get more traction by continuing with the research lab and having plenty of days for interviews will be important.

If you are not interested in a career in academic medicine and hoping to get into any medical school, and you prefer service over research, then go ahead & do the tutoring thing.

Frankly, I don't consider tutoring k-12 kids to be "leadership". Generally, I think of leadership as leader of peers, not grade school & HS kids.

As a City Year alum, I beg to differ. Its not merely "tutoring", in fact, that is probably only 1/3 of a corps members job description. I would NOT listen to this advice here if I were OP, at all, sorry LizzyM.

You already have enough research, if you desire to be a competent, well rounded person that can appreciate working with people with vastly different skills sets in an extremely strenuous environment, doing something you believe will benefit not only yourself but also the kids, then do CY. Honestly, I learned more about myself as a CM than I ever did doing research, or even volunteering in college for 4 years. However, everyone is different. If you want more advice on what your year will be like, PM me.

I will give you a fair warning though, you will be overworked (i spent on average 60 hrs/week, you will be working on many weekends), underpaid (as in living off food stamps and waiting for hours to get one every month), stressed 24/7, must learn to deal with others who may not be as passionate or driven as you while managing crazy parents. I never took a day off, but I was not applying to schools at this time. It really depends on who your supervisor will be and your classroom teacher, but if you mention med school, they will love you and grant you as many days off as you want. CY places huge importance on your future after city year (it has its own acronym, LACY- Life After City Year, the will mention it on Day 1 onwards) so you should be fine, if your supervisor gives you problems just go one step higher and your issues will be resolved, trust me. You must be prepared to leave your problems at the door when you enter the school (probably around 7:30 AM) till you leave after the last kid has been picked up (probably around 6:00 PM, yes the hours are brutal). The winter time is the worst, I went to school when it was still dark and returned when it was even darker haha.

Its not some cheap way to boost your resume so if your going into it with that attitude you will not survive. There are also a lot of CY culture things they will make you do, which may remind you of an army, which is an overarching theme you will see in terms how things are structured (we have PT drills, a pledge that must be recited every Friday, rules/regulations in wearing the CY jacket). I turned me off in the beginning, but it really inspires you and helps you mature when you complete the 1,700 hours. CY will open your eyes to the world around you, it will make you embrace the diversity of the united states and witness some of the hardships regular people face in a scope that you will never again experience, but in doing so, you will probably not have a life outside of CY.

Do CY if you feel motivated about the dropout crisis and want to be one of the few positive role models in an at-risk student's life, dont do it for the resume. It will drain you, but it helped me stay motivated to be a physician in an underserved community. It is probably the only reason why I have not become depressed from having a bad cycle this year.


i will also add that you will not only be a "leader of kids" as lizzyM mentioned, you are expected to start new initiatives at the school, that means working with teachers, the principal, your CY supervisor and getting your own CM's involved in your project. For example, i started a math initiative that required all teachers to give students math tests that gauged their progress throughout the year, I then took on the kids that did the worst for a case study and worked with teachers to set up a curriculum that would improve their skills. This wasnt easy to accomplish because I had to convince so many adults, mostly in their 40's and 50's, and get my own CMs to perform data checks to ensure the study went smoothly. I improved their scores by 25% by the end of the their year!

So you tell me which one of your options would make for a better discussion in a med school interview. Good luck!