How are gap year jobs evaluated as a part of your application?

[leo.dicatprio]

I have a relatively low amount of research (<400 hours) on my primary, but I'm starting a full-time CRC job for my gap year. I plan to project the hours and write about it in my secondaries. I've heard projected hours aren't given much weight, so should I avoid research-heavy schools (T20s)?

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[TragicalDrFaust]

What is CRC?

 

[leo.dicatprio]

What is CRC?

Clinical Research Coordinator.

 

[Vhopeful]

if you have the financial resources to apply, shoot your shot. I didn't have that much research experiences in terms of publication (like 0 pub) and still land a research heavy T-5. So, go head. You never know if you don't try

 

[LizzyM]

Being a CRC is the lowest form of research, somewhat akin to washing dishes in a lab. You have no say in developing and testing hypotheses, writing protocols, analyzing data.

A CRC often does scheduling, receives information for the regulatory binders and forwards it to the IRB, makes sure that data is collected from questionnaires and the like, interacts with monitors who see that data is being collected correctly. Sometimes the research participants are patients and the research is done along side clinical care and sometimes the subjects are healthy and being used as controls or to test a drug for the first time in humans.

A gap year job will be factored into any holistic review of your application. It is good to know that someone considers the applicant employable and that the applicant is doing something productive during the gap year. That said, it isn't going to do much to tick the research box. Don't shoot me; I'm only the messenger.

 

[leo.dicatprio]

Being a CRC is the lowest form of research, somewhat akin to washing dishes in a lab. You have no say in developing and testing hypotheses, writing protocols, analyzing data.

A CRC often does scheduling, receives information for the regulatory binders and forwards it to the IRB, makes sure that data is collected from questionnaires and the like, interacts with monitors who see that data is being collected correctly. Sometimes the research participants are patients and the research is done along side clinical care and sometimes the subjects are healthy and being used as controls or to test a drug for the first time in humans.

A gap year job will be factored into any holistic review of your application. It is good to know that someone considers the applicant employable and that the applicant is doing something productive during the gap year. That said, it isn't going to do much to tick the research box. Don't shoot me; I'm only the messenger.

I appreciate your answer, but I don't think that's the case for my job. It's a very small team (3 people), so I'm involved in data collection, data analysis, and writing manuscripts. I was told I would be co-author on any pubs. I'm just worried that it wouldn't matter, because it's after my primary is submitted. I'm glad to hear that gap years are evaluated though!

 

[LizzyM]

Will you be starting the job before you submit? Unless it is in the work/activities section with past hours and future hours split out, it is not likely to be included in a holistic review unless the secondary application asks what you've done during a gap in your education or if anything has changed since you submitted the primary application.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Being a CRC is the lowest form of research, somewhat akin to washing dishes in a lab. You have no say in developing and testing hypotheses, writing protocols, analyzing data.

A CRC often does scheduling, receives information for the regulatory binders and forwards it to the IRB, makes sure that data is collected from questionnaires and the like, interacts with monitors who see that data is being collected correctly. Sometimes the research participants are patients and the research is done along side clinical care and sometimes the subjects are healthy and being used as controls or to test a drug for the first time in humans.

A gap year job will be factored into any holistic review of your application. It is good to know that someone considers the applicant employable and that the applicant is doing something productive during the gap year. That said, it isn't going to do much to tick the research box. Don't shoot me; I'm only the messenger.

This is a neverending debate, but I disagree to the extent that CRC jobs can vary significantly in terms of how involved in the research they are and their contributions to the team. I really need to know what duties the job entailed in order to evaluate the position.

That said, I also agree that your gap year job isn't going to help your app if you haven't started it by the time you submit your primary. As far as prospective schools know, the research program could have their funding pulled and you wind up not starting that job after all, or you could get there and the duties could be completely different from what they told you when you interviewed, or you might quit after a month to deal with a family emergency. Bottom line is that plans change, and projected hours/activites are taken with a fistful of salt. Where it may help you is that it will give you something interesting to talk about once you advnce to an interview, but it likely will not help you get the interview in the first place.

 

[leo.dicatprio]

This is a neverending debate, but I disagree to the extent that CRC jobs can vary significantly in terms of how involved in the research they are and their contributions to the team. I really need to know what duties the job entailed in order to evaluate the position.

That said, I also agree that your gap year job isn't going to help your app if you haven't started it by the time you submit your primary. As far as prospective schools know, the research program could have their funding pulled and you wind up not starting that job after all, or you could get there and the duties could be completely different from what they told you when you interviewed, or you might quit after a month to deal with a family emergency. Bottom line is that plans change, and projected hours/activites are taken with a fistful of salt. Where it may help you is that it will give you something interesting to talk about once you advnce to an interview, but it likely will not help you get the interview in the first place.

I've already started it this week, so it will be on my primary. I will just have a overall low amount of research hours. I added more details about the job in my response. Would you recommend avoiding research heavy schools then? Should I send updates later that I did indeed complete my projected hours?

 

[GoSpursGo]

I've already started it this week, so it will be on my primary. I will just have a overall low amount of research hours. I added more details about the job in my response. Would you recommend avoiding research heavy schools then? Should I send updates later that I did indeed complete my projected hours?

It just depends on the rest of your application.

Personally, I don't think there is anything magical about submitting on June 1. If you can triple your number of research hours by submitting at the end of June, you may be better off doing that.