For those not taking Gap years..

[CommyO]

How do you guys do it? I mean how to do maintain a decent gpa and do research? What are the time demands for the research? Also, would research be good to have for applying MD non PhD? Honestly, I know people say don't check boxes but I'm not lab savvy at all and I honestly dislike labs, therefore I would prefer not to research at all if possible.

Also, does anyone know the matriculation rates for med school for students from UCDavis, UCLA, UCRiverside, and UCMerced.

PS Is it reasonable to enter a gap year with no clinical experience, volunteering, research or MCAT score and try to do all that within a gap year, preferably not 2?

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[BunnyMan17]

A) I sacrificed a lot of personal time and basically gave up videogames (Cause lets face it, its gonna happen eventually).
B) I did research for credit, so 3 credits with ~12 hours per week. Could very from 10-20 though. If you absolutely hate it don't do it but not everything in life is super fulfilling sunshine and rainbows. I would suggest sucking it up for one semester and seeing how it is. You do learn a lot, have something to write about, and have a ironclad answer to the inevitable "why not a PhD?" question. They asked about my research everywhere I interviewed.
C) MSAR is a good resource for that
D) I know they say don't check boxes..... but.... I did (kinda) and it worked out really well for me. I never did anything I just rreeeaalllyyyy didn't want to but having a broad range of experiences gave me a lot of perspective.

 

[RenegadeOkapi]

Research in biomedical sciences is preferred because there is a direct correlation between understanding how biological systems work and medicine. However, the best thing about undergraduate research is learning how to independently pursue coursework. If you don't like biological lab research, maybe pursue some independent study that interests you? And keep your GPA up. It's virtually impossible to repair a low GPA during your junior/senior year (something that may require years of work in a post-bacc), whereas you can always retake an MCAT (months of study plus an 8 hour test).

 

[CommyO]

A) I sacrificed a lot of personal time and basically gave up videogames (Cause lets face it, its gonna happen eventually).

lol, video games? I gave that up 1st/2nd semester of college. It's just that my life during school/summer school is studying and gym and 12 hours seems like a lot of hours lost from studying/sleep which is scarce already. I think I'll start taking 12 units a semester or something.

The hard part is getting a research spot but it does seem pretty interesting. The research lifestyle, not the lab work itself plus you get access to certain building at all hours that can be used to study

 

[CommyO]

Research in biomedical sciences is preferred because there is a direct correlation between understanding how biological systems work and medicine. However, the best thing about undergraduate research is learning how to independently pursue coursework. If you don't like biological lab research, maybe pursue some independent study that interests you? And keep your GPA up. It's virtually impossible to repair a low GPA during your junior/senior year (something that may require years of work in a post-bacc), whereas you can always retake an MCAT (months of study plus an 8 hour test).

Thats what I'm doing. Trying to get GPA up but I'm considering adding stuff in so my gap year can focus on mcat and volunteering/clinical

 

[RangerBob]

How do you guys do it? I mean how to do maintain a decent gpa and do research? What are the time demands for the research? Also, would research be good to have for applying MD non PhD? Honestly, I know people say don't check boxes but I'm not lab savvy at all and I honestly dislike labs, therefore I would prefer not to research at all if possible.

Also, does anyone know the matriculation rates for med school for students from UCDavis, UCLA, UCRiverside, and UCMerced.

PS Is it reasonable to enter a gap year with no clinical experience, volunteering, research or MCAT score and try to do all that within a gap year, preferably not 2?

I did a post-bac after graduating from undergrad, and took two gap years, so I can't comment on how you manage without doing a gap year. But one thing I can say is there's no need to rush into medical school--do it right the first time. I think a little more maturity and life experience prior to starting medical school is ideal.

I didn't do any research personally. I just didn't have the time (or interest)--I had to cram everything into two years (the gap year doesn't count because you apply before it starts). I was taking a full course-load in post-bac and volunteering at 2-3 different clinics for 8-15hrs a week, plus working another 20hrs/week. The following year I took a half course-load, TA'd, kept up those volunteer jobs, and worked 32hrs/week. During the gap year I worked 40-50hrs a week but wasn't volunteering as much because I had to move for that job.

I didn't have much time (post bacs are only 1-2 years), so I prioritized volunteering over research because I was more interested in service. I applied to more service-oriented schools because that's where I wanted to end up.

Still if you can do any kind of research, it's great to get some exposure. Even just a small summer project. I just did things my way. I did benefit from a very strong post-bac GPA (3.75) and MCAT (above 35), but had to overcome a low overall gpa (3.5).

Maybe I'm confused, but my understanding from back when I applied is a gap year is by definition the year after you graduate, during which you apply to medical school. Since you have to apply to med school the year prior to matriculation, and most people wait until graduating college to apply, this results in a "gap year" where you're no longer a student. This is why it's confusing to me that you're asking about entering that year without any relevant experience/MCAT. I don't think you can submit your application without having taken the MCAT, and no school would consider you without any relevant experience.

If by gap year you just mean taking a year off from school to focus on stuff, I don't know anyone that did that.

If you know you want to apply to medical school, the time to start volunteering/getting experience is now. And maintain that over the course of your education, to demonstrate commitment.

As other mention, keep up your GPA! My total GPA went from a 3.45 to maybe a 3.49 after those 2 years of 3.7-8 post-bac coursework.

 

[CommyO]

I did a post-bac after graduating from undergrad, and took two gap years, so I can't comment on how you manage without doing a gap year. But one thing I can say is there's no need to rush into medical school--do it right the first time. I think a little more maturity and life experience prior to starting medical school is ideal.

I didn't do any research personally. I just didn't have the time (or interest)--I had to cram everything into two years (the gap year doesn't count because you apply before it starts). I was taking a full course-load in post-bac and volunteering at 2-3 different clinics for 8-15hrs a week, plus working another 20hrs/week. The following year I took a half course-load, TA'd, kept up those volunteer jobs, and worked 32hrs/week. During the gap year I worked 40-50hrs a week but wasn't volunteering as much because I had to move for that job.

I didn't have much time (post bacs are only 1-2 years), so I prioritized volunteering over research because I was more interested in service. I applied to more service-oriented schools because that's where I wanted to end up.

Still if you can do any kind of research, it's great to get some exposure. Even just a small summer project. I just did things my way. I did benefit from a very strong post-bac GPA (3.75) and MCAT (above 35), but had to overcome a low overall gpa (3.5).

Maybe I'm confused, but my understanding from back when I applied is a gap year is by definition the year after you graduate, during which you apply to medical school. Since you have to apply to med school the year prior to matriculation, and most people wait until graduating college to apply, this results in a "gap year" where you're no longer a student. This is why it's confusing to me that you're asking about entering that year without any relevant experience/MCAT. I don't think you can submit your application without having taken the MCAT, and no school would consider you without any relevant experience.

If by gap year you just mean taking a year off from school to focus on stuff, I don't know anyone that did that.

If you know you want to apply to medical school, the time to start volunteering/getting experience is now. And maintain that over the course of your education, to demonstrate commitment.

As other mention, keep up your GPA! My total GPA went from a 3.45 to maybe a 3.49 after those 2 years of 3.7-8 post-bac coursework.

Thanks for the response. I think what I am planning is 1 gap years. So after I graduate, say... Spring 2018. A gap year would be if I applied to med school for fall 2019, right? Between then, getting all the EC, MCAT, jumping through hoops, etc done.

I know for sure that I do not want to rush this hence a gap year but two is a waste of time I think isn't it? Unless you're doing GPA repair or a masters/PhD of course

 

[BunnyMan17]

lol, video games? I gave that up 1st/2nd semester of college. It's just that my life during school/summer school is studying and gym and 12 hours seems like a lot of hours lost from studying/sleep which is scarce already. I think I'll start taking 12 units a semester or something.

The hard part is getting a research spot but it does seem pretty interesting. The research lifestyle, not the lab work itself plus you get access to certain building at all hours that can be used to study

I would be wary of dropping to 12 credits, med schools do take notice of that sorta thing. If you're finding the time you have now to be insufficient then I'd suggest taking a good look at time management and/or study technique. I had to completely revamp how I did things 2nd year but it was completely worth it.

Yup finding a spot is a royal pain. I (along with most if my friends) ended up cold calling a ton of profs until something stuck.

 

[RangerBob]

Thanks for the response. I think what I am planning is 1 gap years. So after I graduate, say... Spring 2018. A gap year would be if I applied to med school for fall 2019, right? Between then, getting all the EC, MCAT, jumping through hoops, etc done.

I know for sure that I do not want to rush this hence a gap year but two is a waste of time I think isn't it? Unless you're doing GPA repair or a masters/PhD of course

I'm still confused--are you planning on doing all your EC's/MCAT in your gap year, or just prior? Because you'll need some of those things when you submit your application (typically you submit in the summer, so summer 2018 in your case if you want to start med school fall 2019). Also, most activities you do in your glide year won't impact the decision to interview you. If you have something really cool lined up (spending 8 months in Siberia to develop a robotic leg made mostly from pine needles, etc.), then you can include that in your application somewhere (like a secondary). But otherwise what you do in your glide year really doesn't come into play much. There might be a spot on the secondary to write your plans or "what else do you want to tell us about you," and at an interview you'd likely be asked what you're currently doing.

You want to have done as much EC's as you can prior to submitting your application. If you've only got 1-3 months of EC's completed (you submit your secondaries in late summer, so if you graduate in spring that's only a few months of commitment) then schools are likely to seriously question your commitment. I honestly doubt you'd get any interviews with just a few months of EC's, even with a fantastic GPA and MCAT.

The goal over the glide year is typically to continue EC's you already started, or if you get a unique opportunity, to then chase that. If you can't start EC's until after you graduate, then honestly you shouldn't apply that summer. I would wait until you have a minimum of one year's experiences under your belt prior to submitting your application.

From a financial perspective you could certainly argue more gap years is a waste of time (lost opportunity cost as you're now delaying working as an attending and making the larger salary for another year or two)

From a personal perspective I don't think delaying medical school for 2 (or even many more) years is a waste. I had a total of three years between undergrad and med school and am glad I did. It helped me to mature more as I aged a little more, worked full-time to support myself, etc. Still, one of my best friends went straight from undergrad to med school and was probably more mature than me, whereas I knew classmates who were even older than me but less mature. So it's really a personal choice.

 

[minnesotapremed]

I performed research over the summer two years and focused on classes, work, extracurriculars, and MCAT studying during the school years!

 

[CommyO]

I'm still confused--are you planning on doing all your EC's/MCAT in your gap year, or just prior? Because you'll need some of those things when you submit your application (typically you submit in the summer, so summer 2018 in your case if you want to start med school fall 2019). Also, most activities you do in your glide year won't impact the decision to interview you. If you have something really cool lined up (spending 8 months in Siberia to develop a robotic leg made mostly from pine needles, etc.), then you can include that in your application somewhere (like a secondary). But otherwise what you do in your glide year really doesn't come into play much. There might be a spot on the secondary to write your plans or "what else do you want to tell us about you," and at an interview you'd likely be asked what you're currently doing.

You want to have done as much EC's as you can prior to submitting your application. If you've only got 1-3 months of EC's completed (you submit your secondaries in late summer, so if you graduate in spring that's only a few months of commitment) then schools are likely to seriously question your commitment. I honestly doubt you'd get any interviews with just a few months of EC's, even with a fantastic GPA and MCAT.

The goal over the glide year is typically to continue EC's you already started, or if you get a unique opportunity, to then chase that. If you can't start EC's until after you graduate, then honestly you shouldn't apply that summer. I would wait until you have a minimum of one year's experiences under your belt prior to submitting your application.

From a financial perspective you could certainly argue more gap years is a waste of time (lost opportunity cost as you're now delaying working as an attending and making the larger salary for another year or two)

From a personal perspective I don't think delaying medical school for 2 (or even many more) years is a waste. I had a total of three years between undergrad and med school and am glad I did. It helped me to mature more as I aged a little more, worked full-time to support myself, etc. Still, one of my best friends went straight from undergrad to med school and was probably more mature than me, whereas I knew classmates who were even older than me but less mature. So it's really a personal choice.

So 2 gap years is what it''s looking like? Is that the norm these days? I'll see what I can do with the time I have left in UG as I'm not really going to graduate spring 18. I can do 12 with research but 16 credits and research seems like hell with upper div bio classes. The max I do is two tough classes and 2 less tough typically non-hard-science classes. So far I've been doing 16 and 17 unit semesters. I don't think they really care if you do 12, do they? I know plenty of people who take 12 units to focus on certain classes that got in pharmacy, podiatry, and other professional schools.

I performed research over the summer two years and focused on classes, work, extracurriculars, and MCAT studying during the school years!

So... no gap years? I don't know what you're saying. Are you in med school/accepted?

 

[RangerBob]

So 2 gap years is what it''s looking like? Is that the norm these days? I'll see what I can do with the time I have left in UG as I'm not really going to graduate spring 18. I can do 12 with research but 16 credits and research seems like hell with upper div bio classes. The max I do is two tough classes and 2 less tough typically non-hard-science classes. So far I've been doing 16 and 17 unit semesters. I don't think they really care if you do 12, do they? I know plenty of people who take 12 units to focus on certain classes that got in pharmacy, podiatry, and other professional schools.

I'm not sure what the norm is these days. But you should be able to work EC's and MCAT studying into your undergrad. There's no reason to wait. I think every pre-med should commit to 5-10 hrs of volunteering/research per week, year-round, the minute they decide to pursue medicine.

The best way to study for the MCAT is actually to take the pre-reqs (ideally as concurrently as possible), get all A's in them (studying for pre-req = studying for MCAT), and take the MCAT a few weeks after the year ends. That's exactly what I did--I took gen chem over the summer, followed by bio/o-chem/calc-based physics over the school year, did ExamKrackers books (didn't finish any of them or their question books, but I went through a decent amount) + AAMC practice tests (I did take all of them) over about 3-4 weeks when the year ended, then took the MCAT.

You really don't need upper-div courses to do well. The MCAT is designed to test knowledge from your pre-reqs, and people tend to forget a lot of that basic stuff if they wait a few years. I didn't do any formal review course or take any upper div science courses, and managed an MCAT that opened the doors to every school in the country. (My cumulative GPA didn't though, so I didn't bother applying to the Stanfords and Harvards out there...)

I think if you take a lighter courseload you have to be prepared to answer why. It's fairly common to take full courseloads (which can differ by major), so med schools may question if you can handle the rigors of med school. I'm sure if it's just one semester/quarter they probably (don't take my word--I'm not an adcom) could care less, though you should still be prepared to defend your rationale.

Still, a 12 unit courseload where you get a 4.0 is obviously better than 18 units at a 3.5, so I'm not trying to say you have to take a full courseload. You have to do what's right and best for you.

Odds are if you can't commit to 5-10hrs a week in volunteering/research right now, you are probably not studying efficiently. If that's the case, try meeting with your academic advisor/counseling center to go over your study methods. It's best to get your study habits perfected now.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you work really hard and get good grades now that what you're doing is the best way to study. I know it's annoying to hear people say "study smart, not hard," but it's true. I learned that feeling like you're studying and putting in effort is very different than actually studying. You have to figure out which methods actually help you learn--for me it's drawing things out and talking them through with other people.

 

[kb1900]

I would be wary of dropping to 12 credits, med schools do take notice of that sorta thing. If you're finding the time you have now to be insufficient then I'd suggest taking a good look at time management and/or study technique. I had to completely revamp how I did things 2nd year but it was completely worth it.

Yup finding a spot is a royal pain. I (along with most if my friends) ended up cold calling a ton of profs until something stuck.

This is almost completely wrong. Once you've proven yourself to be academically successful, courseload matters little to adcoms as long as you have a full plate of stuff you're dedicated to.

My first two years of school I took 21 and 18 credits. Was my worst (but still very respectable gpa). Never took more than 16 credits again with most being 12 or 13. As I added on select extracurriculars it became very clear to me that if I wanted to do anything substantial, I would have to dedicate serious time to my ecs (teaching, volunteering and research were and continue to be my biggest passions outside of medicine).

I didn't end up with any publications from my research or awards for my teaching. I did end up with some incredible LORs and a fantastic GPa and MCAT from the extra time I had. Also I did not participate in any clubs or other school groups.

The point here is that quality >>> quantity whether it is ECs, LORs, course load etc.

I was a traditional student this cycle with plenty of success including some top schools.

 

[CommyO]

Odds are if you can't commit to 5-10hrs a week in volunteering/research right now, you are probably not studying efficiently. If that's the case, try meeting with your academic advisor/counseling center to go over your study methods. It's best to get your study habits perfected now.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you work really hard and get good grades now that what you're doing is the best way to study. I know it's annoying to hear people say "study smart, not hard," but it's true. I learned that feeling like you're studying and putting in effort is very different than actually studying. You have to figure out which methods actually help you learn--for me it's drawing things out and talking them through with other people.

My advisors are useless. But then again, I only talked to peer mentors and not the academic advisor themself. I'm pretty sure I can fit 5-10hours as I was working 16-24 hours a week last semester but this semester was pretty hectic with organic and physics. I think that's just what's been taking all my time. I also have this thing to which if I don't study for a day or most of the day, I feel like I'm failing so the library is pretty much my 2nd home.
I'll try looking for research over the summer but I'm also taking ochemII and psych so I can take just 12 units next semester with bio and physics. Tripling up on sciences is not a good idea imo. That will make the research a bit tricky if I decide to work during school in the summer like I had planned. That's the whole reason I was planning a gap year but I might have misunderstood registration times so what would have been 1 gap year will be 2 if I choose to leave everything until after I graduate.

Also, I think taking the MCAT is good after biochem/cellbio and physio, right? I can probably take the MCAT fall 2018 after I finish up mostly all prereqs and spend the summer studying.

 

[RangerBob]

My advisors are useless. But then again, I only talked to peer mentors and not the academic advisor themself. I'm pretty sure I can fit 5-10hours as I was working 16-24 hours a week last semester but this semester was pretty hectic with organic and physics. I think that's just what's been taking all my time. I also have this thing to which if I don't study for a day or most of the day, I feel like I'm failing so the library is pretty much my 2nd home.
I'll try looking for research over the summer but I'm also taking ochemII and psych so I can take just 12 units next semester with bio and physics. Tripling up on sciences is not a good idea imo. That will make the research a bit tricky if I decide to work during school in the summer like I had planned. That's the whole reason I was planning a gap year but I might have misunderstood registration times so what would have been 1 gap year will be 2 if I choose to leave everything until after I graduate.

Also, I think taking the MCAT is good after biochem/cellbio and physio, right? I can probably take the MCAT fall 2018 after I finish up mostly all prereqs and spend the summer studying.

The library may well feel like your 2nd home in med school, but you should try to maintain a balanced lifestyle now or you'll burn out quickly. Make sure you get out of the library to hand out with others.

Keep in mind in your gap year that, unless you live with your parents and they cover everything, you'll need to work full-time to pay for rent/food/etc, in addition to any EC's you want to do in that year.

I would once again recommend starting EC's and volunteer activities now/soon (starting this summer would be fine), rather than push them out until you're done with undergrad. There's nothing wrong with taking your time to start med school (and I'd argue most people are better off for it), but it would be highly unusual to not start any EC's/volunteer activities/research until finishing undergrad.

If I were on the admissions committee, I would honestly view it as a red flag unless you didn't decide to pursue med school until you graduated. Hopefully an adcom can comment, but I would interpret that to mean you weren't that interested/invested in medicine, or were not able to handle a normal college course-load with any other activities on the side. It's not unusual to have a heavy term here and there, but waiting to do anything until you're done with undergrad sends the wrong message, in my opinion.

I personally don't think you need to wait until after more upper-div science courses to take the MCAT. I took the old MCAT, so all I took was bio/gen chem/o chem/physics/calc. I have heard that the new MCAT tests biochem--if that's the case, then it might help to take that first. The best advise I can give is to take the MCAT when you're ready--no sooner, and ideally not later either (otherwise you waste more time trying to re-learn what you've forgotten).

 

[CommyO]

The library may well feel like your 2nd home in med school, but you should try to maintain a balanced lifestyle now or you'll burn out quickly. Make sure you get out of the library to hand out with others.

Keep in mind in your gap year that, unless you live with your parents and they cover everything, you'll need to work full-time to pay for rent/food/etc, in addition to any EC's you want to do in that year.

I would once again recommend starting EC's and volunteer activities now/soon (starting this summer would be fine), rather than push them out until you're done with undergrad. There's nothing wrong with taking your time to start med school (and I'd argue most people are better off for it), but it would be highly unusual to not start any EC's/volunteer activities/research until finishing undergrad.

If I were on the admissions committee, I would honestly view it as a red flag unless you didn't decide to pursue med school until you graduated. Hopefully an adcom can comment, but I would interpret that to mean you weren't that interested/invested in medicine, or were not able to handle a normal college course-load with any other activities on the side. It's not unusual to have a heavy term here and there, but waiting to do anything until you're done with undergrad sends the wrong message, in my opinion.

I personally don't think you need to wait until after more upper-div science courses to take the MCAT. I took the old MCAT, so all I took was bio/gen chem/o chem/physics/calc. I have heard that the new MCAT tests biochem--if that's the case, then it might help to take that first. The best advise I can give is to take the MCAT when you're ready--no sooner, and ideally not later either (otherwise you waste more time trying to re-learn what you've forgotten).

I don't really have much of a social life outside of talking with people from school about school or classes. I think it's my personality but I'm okay with it because I love talking about school. I agree, I think the best time to start ECs would be now so I will try and get a lab spot, volunteering gig, or a clinical experience job. I was thinking about scribing but it requires a program like many jobs such as EMT that take up way too much of the year. The reason I would like to wait till graduating to start ECs is to have a specific goal in mind i.e. just get a decent GPA and maybe work and get some spending money but I agree, it does seem rather opposite of well rounded.

As for the MCAT, I''ve on taken the first part of ochem and physics and not even cell bio yet. The next academic year I should be finished with those classes and biochem which I believe will put me in a good spot to take the MCAT on september/august 2018 for the first time. I'm not depending on my courses to prepare me so I will have to study hard the entire summer of 2018 so I hopefully can do well and then start school again fall 2018. That's just my plan that I'm creating.
Thanks for the advice so far man!

 

[BunnyMan17]

This is almost completely wrong. Once you've proven yourself to be academically successful, courseload matters little to adcoms as long as you have a full plate of stuff you're dedicated to.

My first two years of school I took 21 and 18 credits. Was my worst (but still very respectable gpa). Never took more than 16 credits again with most being 12 or 13. As I added on select extracurriculars it became very clear to me that if I wanted to do anything substantial, I would have to dedicate serious time to my ecs (teaching, volunteering and research were and continue to be my biggest passions outside of medicine).

I didn't end up with any publications from my research or awards for my teaching. I did end up with some incredible LORs and a fantastic GPa and MCAT from the extra time I had. Also I did not participate in any clubs or other school groups.

The point here is that quality >>> quantity whether it is ECs, LORs, course load etc.

I was a traditional student this cycle with plenty of success including some top schools.

Oh boy guess I should go and tell all the adcoms I've talked to concerning this matter they're wrong. But thanks for letting me know.

 

[kb1900]

Oh boy guess I should go and tell all the adcoms I've talked to concerning this matter they're wrong. But thanks for letting me know.

no need for that sarcastic/defensive tone at all lol

i offered a clear and cut example of why your broad stroke "rule" is more nuanced than you cared to understand. if you're a high achieving student and already demonstrated that, you are only hurting yourself by trying to take a full courseload needlessly.

there is plenty of advice ive gotten from adcoms, both here and real life, that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. another example is keeping pre-college stuff on your amcas work/activities - every adcom on here will say its pointless unless you continued the activity through college. i kept it on my app despite not continuing the activities through college and it came up frequently in my interviews.

id advise you to critically think about the advice you receive and not just follow it blindly because it comes from up above.

 

[CommyO]

no need for that sarcastic/defensive tone at all lol

i offered a clear and cut example of why your broad stroke "rule" is more nuanced than you cared to understand. if you're a high achieving student and already demonstrated that, you are only hurting yourself by trying to take a full courseload needlessly.

there is plenty of advice ive gotten from adcoms, both here and real life, that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. another example is keeping pre-college stuff on your amcas work/activities - every adcom on here will say its pointless unless you continued the activity through college. i kept it on my app despite not continuing the activities through college and it came up frequently in my interviews.

id advise you to critically think about the advice you receive and not just follow it blindly because it comes from up above.

Wait, you can include stuff from high school? In that case, I should already have 250 hours from mentoring/tutoring and volunteering in the hospital (non-clinical). Could I list that?

 

[kb1900]

Wait, you can include stuff from high school? In that case, I should already have 250 hours from mentoring/tutoring and volunteering in the hospital (non-clinical). Could I list that?

it certainly didnt harm me. it WILL look bad if you're using those hours to "make-up" a deficiency if your application. i.e. your work/activities section should be able to look good without those things included in the first place. i'd use your judgment when the time comes.

if you want to know what my high school activities were feel free to pm

 

[RangerBob]

I don't really have much of a social life outside of talking with people from school about school or classes. I think it's my personality but I'm okay with it because I love talking about school. I agree, I think the best time to start ECs would be now so I will try and get a lab spot, volunteering gig, or a clinical experience job. I was thinking about scribing but it requires a program like many jobs such as EMT that take up way too much of the year. The reason I would like to wait till graduating to start ECs is to have a specific goal in mind i.e. just get a decent GPA and maybe work and get some spending money but I agree, it does seem rather opposite of well rounded.

As for the MCAT, I''ve on taken the first part of ochem and physics and not even cell bio yet. The next academic year I should be finished with those classes and biochem which I believe will put me in a good spot to take the MCAT on september/august 2018 for the first time. I'm not depending on my courses to prepare me so I will have to study hard the entire summer of 2018 so I hopefully can do well and then start school again fall 2018. That's just my plan that I'm creating.
Thanks for the advice so far man!

In my opinion there are better volunteer gigs out than than scribing. If it's a paying gig that's great, but if not, I think most people get more out of volunteering a local free clinic. That's what I did. You get a lot more hands-on experience, talking with patients (education, gathering history, etc.). As a scribe you typically just shadow a physician and write down the info they gather, but you're not the one interacting with the patient directly.

Sounds like a good plan for the MCAT. That might be too late to take it to apply to enter med school in 2019 (I don't think you'd be able to submit your app until about a month after you take the MCAT, which puts you rather late in the application cycle.) But, like I said before--the best time to take the MCAT is when you're ready. A bad MCAT can really tank your chances of getting into med school. If you already know you need the summer to study, then use it. It wouldn't be a bad idea to volunteer/do research at the same time for a good 20hrs or so per week just to get you out of the library.

Best of luck!

 

[kb1900]

Oh boy guess I should go and tell all the adcoms I've talked to concerning this matter they're wrong. But thanks for letting me know.

Relevant:

Course load

 

[CommyO]

In my opinion there are better volunteer gigs out than than scribing. If it's a paying gig that's great, but if not, I think most people get more out of volunteering a local free clinic. That's what I did. You get a lot more hands-on experience, talking with patients (education, gathering history, etc.). As a scribe you typically just shadow a physician and write down the info they gather, but you're not the one interacting with the patient directly.

Sounds like a good plan for the MCAT. That might be too late to take it to apply to enter med school in 2019 (I don't think you'd be able to submit your app until about a month after you take the MCAT, which puts you rather late in the application cycle.) But, like I said before--the best time to take the MCAT is when you're ready. A bad MCAT can really tank your chances of getting into med school. If you already know you need the summer to study, then use it. It wouldn't be a bad idea to volunteer/do research at the same time for a good 20hrs or so per week just to get you out of the library.

Best of luck!

Thank You RangerBob! I was just considering scribing for income and clinical exp. Knock out 2 birds with one stone kinda deal but the other option is to work some low end job and volunteer which which will take more time and it'll be much less fun. I was initially prepharm and was going to do pharm tech but I think trying to get scribe license or whatever it is will be much valuable long term. I have a month after this finals week until summer school so I'll see what I can do in terms of scribing licensure because I'm not sure how any of it works and I need part time during semester

 

[DoctorCakes]

Sorry haven't read the previous replies but if you don't have any volunteering/research/mcat/ECs when you graduate then you will most likely be doing 2 gap years. You will likely apply after the gap year which would take another year to go through application/interview process.