Hi!
I'm a current third-year undergraduate student majoring in business/finance while taking prereqs. Very competitive GPA ( near 3.9), High Sci GPA of about 3.8. Multiple translational and clinical research laboratory experiences with a publication submitted as third author. It has pretty recently donned on me and my family that I'm not gonna begin studying for the MCAT until the Summer after I graduate because I want to get some biochem classes under my belt before studying (haven't taken them yet because I am a finance major). Anyways, if this happens, assuming I don't do terrible on the MCAT, I'll be looking at 2 gap years at least, which is fine by me, but I wanted to get a sense of what you guys were doing during longer extended gap periods to really improve your application. I wouldn't be opposed to taking multiple gap years (like I'd be OK with 3,) if it meant really improving my application to help me stand out. I missed out on a ton of clinical experiences this year due to covid (there was a free clinic I am currently involved in that can't hold in person clinics at this time due to COVID, and a separate hospital volunteering program that still operates, but, as I'm living at home with parents during the pandemic, I don't think it would be advisable to volunteer again until I am vaccinated) that I want to make up for during next year and after graduating, but other than that, what can I do? Would it really be worth scribing or EMTing for 3 years full time (I get that clinical experience is important, but I feel like this might be a little redundant)? Should I look for a position in research (I really do enjoy research, but I don't know if I can get worthwhile position in research as a holder of a non-science bachelor's degree? Pursue volunteering abroad? I'm a finance major, so would it be a good idea to look for a healthcare-related finance job (I know these are few and far between, and the candidates for them are top-tier, so I don't know how realistic landing one of these jobs can be)? Anything else?
Thanks.
I'm a current third-year undergraduate student majoring in business/finance while taking prereqs. Very competitive GPA ( near 3.9), High Sci GPA of about 3.8. Multiple translational and clinical research laboratory experiences with a publication submitted as third author. It has pretty recently donned on me and my family that I'm not gonna begin studying for the MCAT until the Summer after I graduate because I want to get some biochem classes under my belt before studying (haven't taken them yet because I am a finance major). Anyways, if this happens, assuming I don't do terrible on the MCAT, I'll be looking at 2 gap years at least, which is fine by me, but I wanted to get a sense of what you guys were doing during longer extended gap periods to really improve your application. I wouldn't be opposed to taking multiple gap years (like I'd be OK with 3,) if it meant really improving my application to help me stand out. I missed out on a ton of clinical experiences this year due to covid (there was a free clinic I am currently involved in that can't hold in person clinics at this time due to COVID, and a separate hospital volunteering program that still operates, but, as I'm living at home with parents during the pandemic, I don't think it would be advisable to volunteer again until I am vaccinated) that I want to make up for during next year and after graduating, but other than that, what can I do? Would it really be worth scribing or EMTing for 3 years full time (I get that clinical experience is important, but I feel like this might be a little redundant)? Should I look for a position in research (I really do enjoy research, but I don't know if I can get worthwhile position in research as a holder of a non-science bachelor's degree? Pursue volunteering abroad? I'm a finance major, so would it be a good idea to look for a healthcare-related finance job (I know these are few and far between, and the candidates for them are top-tier, so I don't know how realistic landing one of these jobs can be)? Anything else?
Thanks.