Is Gap Year Right For Me?

[omegaz]

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I am a junior at a competitive private school. I originally planned to take my MCAT this may and apply this summer. However, I have a heavy course load this semester 2 biology courses (one being biochem.), 1 physics with lab, and an easy humanities course (18 credits total). I did a lot of MCAT studying during winter break and was hoping to study for the MCAT heavily during the spring semester. However, as it turns out physics 2 was unbelievably hard, the homework and exams (heavily math and calculus based) were much much harder than the physics on the MCAT. The professor has a 1.2 rating on ratemyprofessors. Biochem., though not hard at the moment will also get tough.

My dad suggests that I give up studying for the MCAT this semester and take it the summer of my senior year (gap year) and make sure I focus all my energy on my current school work. However, I do not want to give up this opportunity of taking the MCAT in May and applying the summer of my junior year. I feel like if I work really really hard I can still study for the MCAT.
The main reason I don't want to take a gap year is that my senior GPA will be reflected on my transcript. I have to take a lot of upper-level biology courses in my senior year, which I am not confident in getting As. So if I apply my junior year, my supposedly mediocre senior year GPA wouldn't greatly affect the admissions process.

Should I plan to take the MCAT in may and prepare for it along with my time-consuming school work or focus entirely on classes and take the mcat next may and apply next cycle? For reference my GPA isn't too high: 3.66 (gonna drop after this semester) and I have only 1 year of research experience and a couple months of clinical volunteering.

 

[Lollygag]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you could take the MCAT late August this summer so you have the entire summer to study for it (~3 months) and then apply the following year, that way you can focus on the upper division classes and do well and not have to worry about studying for the MCAT during the school year. Because I believe the new MCAT comes out 2015 so you should be fine with your score if you took it a year earlier.

Or you could just take it mid july so you have ~2 months and submit your amcas application prior to that so it can be verified.

 

[red doctober]

I get your point of wanting to apply before you go through the gauntlet of a tough semester, but I implore you not to underestimate the difficulty of the MCAT. You really need to be studying for it multiple hours a day for two to three months to be fully prepared for it, and you definitely want to be fully prepared before you take it. Do not make the mistake of shortchanging your MCAT score. A sub-30 score could potentially tank your application and require you to take it again. For this reason, I agree with you father. You should really try your hardest to do well your senior year. Think that your chances to med school depend on it. Only take the MCAT once you have given the sufficient amount of time and effort towards it. If that requires you to take a gap-year, so be it. It's better than having a poor score hold you back from getting in.

 

[omegaz]

It's not that I worry about studying for the MCAT during the school year. I worry about not getting a good GPA in my tough senior year. If that were to happen, it's better if I just apply in the summer of my junior year as opposed to the summer of my senior year.

 

[Lady Netter]

The only way the schools wouldn't see your senior grades is if you got accepted before the first semester. If you do poorly on the MCAT (or poorer than "needed") because you didn't study enough for it, you may not hold an acceptance by then.

I say take the gap year. Focus on school and get the highest grades possible then focus on the MCAT later. Do what you need to do to keep your GPA higher and get the best possible MCAT score, which it seems in your case means taking the gap year.

I ended up taking the MCAT 3 times, the first time I didn't study enough because school was getting in the way, and the second time I didn't study enough either for other reasons. Don't do what I did - give the MCAT its due time. It means a lot - I got waitlisted the first time I applied, and I think my MCAT had a lot to do with it (the rest of my application was good).

Or you could do as another suggested and take the MCAT in late July/early August. You might be applying a little later than others, but applying early won't matter if your MCAT score isn't good.

 

[CrimsonKing]

Gap year is right for everyone.

As long as you're not 30 with a fast-ticking biological clock.

 

[galaxyx]

What would you do during your gap year? Would you have the opportunity to do something interesting such as travel or would you be stuck working at a low wage job to pay the bills? I think there's a significant difference.

 

[CrimsonKing]

What would you do during your gap year? Would you have the opportunity to do something interesting such as travel or would you be stuck working at a low wage job to pay the bills? I think there's a significant difference.

Disagree.

Worst case scenario, you experience life for a year in a way that most of your patients will, a struggle. You'll understand your patients better and will be more thankful for the pretty cush lifestyle that medicine offers.

 

[SaintJude]

Gap year is right for everyone.

As long as you're not 30 with a fast-ticking biological clock.

Yezzirrr.