Help with gap year options

[premjet18]

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Hey all. I'm looking for some advice as to what I should do during my gap year. I'm currently a senior and applying this upcoming cycle.

Top 30 school
GPA: 3.76 sGPA: 3.71
MCAT: 523

80 hrs shadowing
50 hrs clinical volunteering
150 hrs non-clinical volunteering
No research (!!)

Would scribing be the best option? Or should I try to do research during the app cycle? Open to all other suggestions as well.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bioboy23]

You need a lot more clinical experience. If you had more of that and a solid year or more of research you could be top-20 eligible with that mcat and gpa IMO. In a perfect world, I would try to scribe and do research over the year.

*only a premed, so I would ask @gonnif @Goro and @LizzyM

 

[Ayahuasca]

I doubt you could both scribe/do research and have both experiences be meaningful in just a year. IMO you should focus on increasing your clinical experience.

Have you looked into summer research programs? That could give you some exposure to research and you can see if you like it or not. There are some that accept recently graduated students.

 

[workaholic181]

Hey all. I'm looking for some advice as to what I should do during my gap year. I'm currently a senior and applying this upcoming cycle.

Top 30 school
GPA: 3.76 sGPA: 3.71
MCAT: 523

80 hrs shadowing
50 hrs clinical volunteering
150 hrs non-clinical volunteering
No research (!!)

Would scribing be the best option? Or should I try to do research during the app cycle? Open to all other suggestions as well.

Thanks in advance.

I think your biggest weakness is lack of clinical experience. I’m not sure scribing is the answer though, most of the big scribing agencies will require you to be full time if you’re only intending to stay a year so it could be tough to do both research and scribing.. maybe you could get a part time patient care position or something if that nature which would allow you to do research. Congrats on your app thus far and good luck!

 

[Goro]

You need a lot more clinical experience. If you had more of that and a solid year or more of research you could be top-20 eligible with that mcat and gpa IMO. In a perfect world, I would try to scribe and do research over the year.

*only a premed, so I would ask @gonnif @Goro and @LizzyM

100% agree.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Why do people plan on applying and only then decide on what they need to make their application good.
You have minimal clinical volunteering, low community service/non-clinical and no research.
What you should do is find either a research position (clinical research would be best)
add additional clinical volunteering (at least 100-200 hours)
add some community service

Then after you get that, then plan on applying, you are a weak candidate

Agree, except for the community service part. @LizzyM and @Goro have both previously mentioned that 150 hours of non-clinical is decent.