Do I need a gap year?

[biggerbytheday19]

---

Members do not see this ad.

[deleted]

 

[Grogu]

Really hard to say since every app is unique, but I would look at your ECs and ask yourself whether they tell a good story about who you are and your story as a whole. 250hrs in clinical volunteering over multiple years with a strong letter of rec from your supervisor is very different than 250hrs over a few months with less involvement. You wrote it in the future tense, so not sure what your current hours are but make those ECs have depth and mean something and they'll be far more valuable.

I'm sure with a good MCAT you could get some As with those numbers, but like I said just having X numbers doesn't mean anything if that experience isn't meaningful and you can't write to show its impact.

 

[husky_doc16]

I would recommend applying next year, when those "could have" gpa's and extra curriculars solidify. Additionally, have an MCAT score that you're confident with before applying. You want to avoid applying multiple times, if possible.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Quality over Quantity. If you are so deeply embedded in a culture like you are, it simply jumps to life in an interview in a way that is impossible to fake. Crush your MCAT, continue to try rounding your resume out and I can see you being successful. 515 game over. A 510 with your story will catch a bite somewhere, the question becomes how choosy are you.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[YCAGA]

Is your hobby something you compete in? I think that can give hobbies a certain “legit-ness” that simply working out a lot doesn’t have.

 

[biggerbytheday19]

Quality over Quantity. If you are so deeply embedded in a culture like you are, it simply jumps to life in an interview in a way that is impossible to fake. Crush your MCAT, continue to try rounding your resume out and I can see you being successful. 515 game over. A 510 with your story will catch a bite somewhere, the question becomes how choosy are you.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

Thank you for your encouragement, I needed this

 

[biggerbytheday19]

Is your hobby something you compete in? I think that can give hobbies a certain “legit-ness” that simply working out a lot doesn’t have.

I could technically compete but have no desire to. I just love doing it so much and I’m very passionate about being as healthy as I can with exercise and nutrition

 

[LizzyM]

I could technically compete but have no desire to. I just love doing it so much and I’m very passionate about being as healthy as I can with exercise and nutrition

Just don't come off as a self-absorbed loner.

 

[biggerbytheday19]

Just don't come off as a self-absorbed loner.

How would prioritizing my physical and mental health make me a self-absorbed loner

 

[LizzyM]

How would prioritizing my physical and mental health make me a self-absorbed loner

I'm looking at 3000 hours over 3 years of self-improvement, 500 hours of volunteering and 100 hours of research and wondering how much you prefer working on yourself vs working for or with others. If you are feeling defensive about my comment, you might want to think about how many hours of being an gym rat you want to claim and how many you might just not choose to report. 😉

 

[biggerbytheday19]

I'm looking at 3000 hours over 3 years of self-improvement, 500 hours of volunteering and 100 hours of research and wondering how much you prefer working on yourself vs working for or with others. If you are feeling defensive about my comment, you might want to think about how many hours of being an gym rat you want to claim and how many you might just not choose to report. 😉

Well I didn’t even decide to become pre med until a year ago and I started my hobby in high school so of course I won’t have as many volunteer hours as my hobby. That doesn’t mean I don’t like working with other people it just took me time to find out what I wanted to do and explore my other interests. I’m also expecting now to have more like 400-500 clinical research hours

 

[LizzyM]

I'm not sure whether you can leave the hours blank for hobbies but if you can, it might be best to leave out the hours or split them into two time frames with HS hours in one section and college hours in the other.

 

[biggerbytheday19]

I'm not sure whether you can leave the hours blank for hobbies but if you can, it might be best to leave out the hours or split them into two time frames with HS hours in one section and college hours in the other.

I understand your concern, but I think it’s important for adcoms to know how much time I put into it. Some may be interested in it and some may think it looks bad, but it’s a huge part of my identity and either way I can’t hide it

 

[LizzyM]

I understand your concern, but I think it’s important for adcoms to know how much time I put into it. Some may be interested in it and some may think it looks bad, but it’s a huge part of my identity and either way I can’t hide it

Yes, I'm sure adcoms will find that information to be very useful in their deliberations, @biggerbytheday19

 

[proudofmykids]

I understand your concern, but I think it’s important for adcoms to know how much time I put into it. Some may be interested in it and some may think it looks bad, but it’s a huge part of my identity and either way I can’t hide it

You realize you are missing the point of the feedback? And sarcasm in the last post? Yes it’s very important to you and visually apparent, but you probably don’t need to report the full amount of hours, or can leave them off completely independent of how you look,

PS- Are you really spending 20hours/week in the gym (3000hrs/3 years)? (As a reference, one Ms World I heard spent about 25hours/wk in the gym and was 6’2” 240 lbs.)

 

[biggerbytheday19]

You realize you are missing the point of the feedback? And sarcasm in the last post? Yes it’s very important to you and visually apparent, but you probably don’t need to report the full amount of hours, or can leave them off completely independent of how you look,

PS- Are you really spending 20hours/week in the gym (3000hrs/3 years)? (As a reference, one Ms World I heard spent about 25hours/wk in the gym and was 6’2” 240 lbs.)

No, I just didn’t appreciate the condescending tone of the last post. My question was whether I need a gap year or not, not what people think my hobby says about me as a person. I still think it’s important to put the full amount of hours to show that I am busy and show my dedication. The 3000 hours is over 4 years, and I average around 15 hours in the gym a week

 

[proudofmykids]

So, in order to answer your question, you really need to tell us what EC hours you have now. The “in the bank” hours carry much greater weight than the “planned addition of hours over the coming year” after app submission.

copy paste your post and lost the now, and expected hours for each line.
My guess is that the ECs will still be good, it then the advise will be that you Don’t rush and take the mcat until you are fully prepared and happy with your last “real” practice test exams that most people take a week apart the last few weeks before the actual exam. You can count on improving each week, but not beyond the last one before the exam.

 

[biggerbytheday19]

So, in order to answer your question, you really need to tell us what EC hours you have now. The “in the bank” hours carry much greater weight than the “planned addition of hours over the coming year” after app submission.

copy paste your post and lost the now, and expected hours for each line.
My guess is that the ECs will still be good, it then the advise will be that you Don’t rush and take the mcat until you are fully prepared and happy with your last “real” practice test exams that most people take a week apart the last few weeks before the actual exam. You can count on improving each week, but not beyond the last one before the exam.

I currently have around 100 hours non clinical volunteer~expect 250 at time of application
Currently 4 hours shadowing~ I have more shadowing lined up with 2 doctors this summer and plan to ask more doctors
Currently don’t have any clinical volunteering but I start on June 1
Just got hired as a sport club supervisor which actually starts in the fall, and I plan to do that throughout the school year
I interview tomorrow for a personal training “internship” where I’d work primarily with elderly people to improve their functional strength
-I’m also a certified personal trainer
Currently have 100 hours or so in a wet lab, but I’m switching to clinical research this summer and I plan to do it long term
I also found this org at my school that teaches students about rare diseases and connects students to people with these diseases and also does volunteering that I want to join
And of course, my hobby

most obvious issue is the lack of clinical experience; wanted to start sooner but covid happened, but now I have it lined up and I’ll have a year of experience at the time of application.

I know I have a lot to get done at this point and it won’t be easy, but I think I can do it. If I took a gap year, my ecs would probably be the exact same, I’d just have more hours

 

[LizzyM]

Either what you will have when you apply will be enough or you will have a gap year forced upon you if you don't. It is too soon to tell if what you will have a year from now will be enough to avoid needing a gap year. Come back when you have an MCAT score.

 

[biggerbytheday19]

Either what you will have when you apply will be enough or you will have a gap year forced upon you if you don't. It is too soon to tell if what you will have a year from now will be enough to avoid needing a gap year. Come back when you have an MCAT score.

Yeah pretty much. I think I’ll plan for no gap year right now and if I get a decent enough score and all my expected ecs then I’ll apply, if not then I have to take a gap year

 

[chzsux]

I currently have around 100 hours non clinical volunteer~expect 250 at time of application
Currently 4 hours shadowing~ I have more shadowing lined up with 2 doctors this summer and plan to ask more doctors
Currently don’t have any clinical volunteering but I start on June 1
Just got hired as a sport club supervisor which actually starts in the fall, and I plan to do that throughout the school year
I interview tomorrow for a personal training “internship” where I’d work primarily with elderly people to improve their functional strength
-I’m also a certified personal trainer
Currently have 100 hours or so in a wet lab, but I’m switching to clinical research this summer and I plan to do it long term
I also found this org at my school that teaches students about rare diseases and connects students to people with these diseases and also does volunteering that I want to join
And of course, my hobby

most obvious issue is the lack of clinical experience; wanted to start sooner but covid happened, but now I have it lined up and I’ll have a year of experience at the time of application.

I know I have a lot to get done at this point and it won’t be easy, but I think I can do it. If I took a gap year, my ecs would probably be the exact same, I’d just have more hours

How have you been scoring on your FL practice MCATs? and when is your actual test date?

and are you telling me that you're planning on applying with 0 clinical volunteering hours? Because if you apply on 5/27/21, then you can't list your clinical volunteering gig. Even if you apply after you've started your clinical volunteering in June, adcoms will frankly not care about projected hours because projected = might not even happen (you get sick, move out of town, etc.). So you're going to be applying with less than 50 clinical hours? That's a big oof. I applied with a 3.7/518 and about 50 clinical hours/150 shadowing and have only gotten waitlists. If I could go back, I would've not applied so I could just build clinical hours.

Also, word to the wise - when adcoms like LizzyM are giving honest feedback on your app, even if you don't agree, you don't have to be so offended and take it personally. The fact that SDN has actual adcoms is a privilege that makes it an actual good place to learn about premed stuff.

 

[biggerbytheday19]

How have you been scoring on your FL practice MCATs? and when is your actual test date?

and are you telling me that you're planning on applying with 0 clinical volunteering hours? Because if you apply on 5/27/21, then you can't list your clinical volunteering gig. Even if you apply after you've started your clinical volunteering in June, adcoms will frankly not care about projected hours because projected = might not even happen (you get sick, move out of town, etc.). So you're going to be applying with less than 50 clinical hours? That's a big oof. I applied with a 3.7/518 and about 50 clinical hours/150 shadowing and have only gotten waitlists. If I could go back, I would've not applied so I could just build clinical hours.

Also, word to the wise - when adcoms like LizzyM are giving honest feedback on your app, even if you don't agree, you don't have to be so offended and take it personally. The fact that SDN has actual adcoms is a privilege that makes it an actual good place to learn about premed stuff.

No, read my original post. I’m applying a year from now

 

[proudofmykids]

No, read my original post. I’m applying a year from now

That wasn’t clear, some of us read May 2022 as the end of the cycle and when you graduate.
Also, are you indicating that your personal training hours with the elderly are going to be your Clinical hours? If so, I don’t know how the adcoms will feel about counting them if not related to medical care. You didn’t indicate whether their functional strength training was prescribed and part of OT / PT.

 

[biggerbytheday19]

That wasn’t clear, some of us read May 2022 as the end of the cycle and when you graduate.
Also, are you indicating that your personal training hours with the elderly are going to be your Clinical hours? If so, I don’t know how the adcoms will feel about counting them if not related to medical care. You didn’t indicate whether their functional strength training was prescribed and part of OT / PT.

Fair enough, but yes I was planning to apply in 1 year. No, the personal training would not be clinical, but I think it would still be a great experience. My clinical experience is all through volunteering and shadowing. Volunteering will be with the same organization throughout but I may rotate through different places within the organization

 

[biggerbytheday19]

Thanks to everyone who replied, I’ve gotten lots of good advice and now I have a plan moving forward. I’ll probably come back once I’ve got an mcat score

 

[biggerbytheday19]

Great question. There are a few things to mention here.

My first suggestion would be to think about where you want to apply. Each school has a different quota for MCAT, GPA, Shadowing, etc. and it is important to know where your stats will make you competitive. I suggest beginning this journey by making a list of schools where you have a decent chance of acceptance with your current stats. To do this you can go to the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) website. You will be required to pay a subscription fee, although some things are shown for free. You can also do this on your own by going to each school's website and checking out their statistics for the previous cycle's accepted students. You will want to look for the average accepted GPA and MCAT scores (in contrast to the minimum), as well as the school's mission statement or values, the proportion of students who had certain experiences, such as clinical or research, and information about out-of-state applicants (for the schools that are applicable to that). Once you have done this, you will have a better understanding of how competitive you are, as well as anything you need to work on.

My next comment is about your planned appication. It sounds like you will be applying next cycle, considering you do not have most of these experiences yet? If so, this is ok. However, keep in mind that you cannot put activities into your AAMC sketch that you have not yet started.

Are you planning to take your MCAT at the end of this summer? If you are studying your final year in 2021, then that would be a good time. You should aim for higher than 510. We suggest beginning this prep by taking an AAMC full length practice exam, to get your base line. Then you can plan your studying accordingly. You will want to ensure that you give yourself enough time to study (which would be 4-6 weeks if you have already mastered the material, but longer if you have not). It is best therefore not to take this while studying, because you do not want the MCAT studying to affect your GPA.

Finally, in response to your question about having only 8 activities, I suspect that either your shadowing or clinical volunteering have been done with different people/institutions. Therefore, they can be separate entries. You want to highlight a different Core Competency for each experience ideally.

Best of luck!

If applying next cycle means a year from now, then yes. I plan to take the mcat in January and start studying around august. I’ll be taking biochem while studying for the mcat and likely just be a part time student next semester to focus on the mcat. I actually plan to aim for a 520, so that if I fall short I still have a good score. And I do plan to shadow multiple doctors, but I’ve always thought you were supposed to combine all shadowing into 1 entry. My clinical volunteering will also be at different locations, so I guess I can split that up as well

 

[doomer_md]

Do I smell a future orthopod?

Jokes aside, if your MCAT comes back not particularly great (lower than 510) all the while you lean into your "gym rat" identity, it's... not gonna look good.

 

[biggerbytheday19]

Do I smell a future orthopod?

Jokes aside, if your MCAT comes back not particularly great (lower than 510) all the while you lean into your "gym rat" identity, it's... not gonna look good.

Ok, I get it, you guys don’t like how I spend my time. That’s ok. But it’s pointless to be pessimistic; there’s no reason to assume I’ll do poorly on my mcat. Yes I need to be realistic with myself and take this seriously but I always like to think positive. I’ve gotten the advice I needed now I’m going to work hard and stay true to myself and I know it’s possible to be successful.

 

[doomer_md]

Ok, I get it, you guys don’t like how I spend my time. That’s ok. But it’s pointless to be pessimistic; there’s no reason to assume I’ll do poorly on my mcat. Yes I need to be realistic with myself and take this seriously but I always like to think positive. I’ve gotten the advice I needed now I’m going to work hard and stay true to myself and I know it’s possible to be successful.

Hey I spend a lot of timing working out and in front of the mirror too (ok the latter is a joke), but it’s about impression management and minimizing risk. I could also talk about how many people I’ve wasted on various video games but it’s not something the admissions committee will probably look at favorably.