Gap Year Advice - 3.97/519 -International (2025-2026 prospective applicant)

[subtroglodyte]

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Hi, I’m an Indian national who recently completed his four year undergrad degree at a university in Canada(near Toronto).

I’m preparing to apply next year for US MD / DO schools and wanted advice on what to do for my gap year and what activities to focus on.

Here’s my profile

Clinical Volunteering -

Harm reduction volunteer indirectly assisting an infectious disease / addiction medicine MD - 200 hours . Hospital volunteering - 30 hours. Total : 230 hours

Non - Clinical Volunteering :300 hours as a volunteer tutor for a non profit in India

Research : Honours Thesis Global Health( 400 hours ) ; Global Child Health Research summer student ( 600 hours ); 350 hours on 3 other projects ; Total = 1350

Leadership : Debate Co Pres ; University Public Health Journal Founder + Editor in Chief , University UNICEF VP

Misc : Global Health Think Tank Internship : 400 hours

Pubs : 3 very late author publications in okay journals , 3 presentations at local conferences.


I’m at a bit of a crossroads right now as I have an option to apply for a work visa in Canada and try to find opportunities there for my gap year , or to do so in India.

My application has potential concerns :

1) I had different health issues in college that negatively affected my performance at times - so I’m concerned about LORs from supervisors I’ve worked with. Also lack many longitudinal relationships with supervisors.

2) Unsure if my harm reduction volunteering could be interpreted as clinical experience

3) I’m an ORM international

It would be great to have advice on how to approach my gap year - and whether to turn my focus to Canada or India. I’m not keen on pursuing further education ( like a master’s) because of the costs associated with it.

Also, if I’m in Canada, I will have to work to pay for rent.

 

[tyke on a bike]

I believe you have a good shot given your high stats as some schools that favor high stats also accept some international students. You can check with the AAMC's Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) online database. I'm not too familiar with DO schools but I would like to assume that top DOs accept high stat international students. You have the best outcome of matching to a US residency if you graduate from a USMD or DO school instead of being an IMG. I assume the same goes for Canada.

Your research and non-clinicals are great but I wonder if you have enough clinicals. For your harm-reduction and hospital volunteering, are you interacting with patients directly, in a clinical setting? If not, then adcoms may consider it non-clinical. In the US, clinical hours are far more important than anything else. On Table 1 of this project published by the AAMC, you can see how important clinical activities are for adcoms.

Sorry I'm late to the party... Did you end up applying this cycle or do you have a school list made for next cycle that we could look over?

 

[LunaOri]

You need real clinical exposure, as well as non-clinical volunteer with underserved groups/outside your comfort zone. Tutoring in India won’t cut it. I would suggest a clinical job in the US or Canada during your gap year/s.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hospital experience is essential, and you need to build on your 30 hours. I would want to know what you did regarding harm reduction, whether your interactions are with patients or with community members. What training is involved?

The tutoring position won't hold much weight. If you did 300 hours in-person in India or 300 virtual hours, that doesn't hit "service orientation" for most medical schools in the US (or arguably Canada). You need to be face-to-face with people in need outside of a clinical/healthcare setting.

What is your endgame? Do you want to be a US-educated or Canadian-educated physician practicing in India? You have a better idea about that path and the positives of this route. I don't know why you are not considering medical school in Australia or perhaps Singapore.