missanthropocene909
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- Apr 26, 2020
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Hey guys! This is kind of a hybrid WAMC/general struggle/school list question. I’m really struggling with whether or not to take two gap years and I need to decide ASAP. Here are my stats/ecs, and a pro/con list for taking 1 vs 2 gap years. Would appreciate any feedback regarding gap years, school list (might be way too top heavy), etc.:
3.75 cgpa, low sgpa 3.66, 522 (130/130/130/132); Top 10 university
ECs:
Research:
~150 hours clinical (with 2nd author publication being submitted within the month)
375 hours wet lab (no pub)
Clinical Volunteering:
1200 hours EMT
200 hours hospital volunteering
Nonclinical:
~200 hours non-clinical volunteering with underserved populations (app has emphasis on working with pediatric populations, plan to highlight volunteer experience with children w/disabilities)
150 hours with Crisis Text Line (crisis counselor)
Leadership/teaching
175 hours in a leadership position within that EMS org, with significant teaching components
115 hours MCAT tutor (paid)
Shadowing:
150 hours across primary care/Reproductive endocrinology
Random
-150 hours admissions volunteer for my university (i.e. tour guide/interviewing prospective students)
-I was a humanities/bio double major (I know major doesn’t matter but I’m planning to emphasize humanities in my application)
-Unique backstory for PS
So as for the pros/cons of taking 1 vs 2 gap years:
Pros:
-I would rather not wait if I don’t have to/already have LORs
-Worried that my MCAT would expire if I took 2 yrs (took it in August 2019)
Cons:
-I have two job opportunities rn: 1 is clinical (not super excited about it), 1 in research (I’m much more excited about the research job/fits into the narrative I’m trying to craft for my app)
To take the research job, I would have to take 2 gap years
-I doubt the publication will be accepted until well into the cycle, so if I took 2 years I would be much more likely to have a publication under my belt
Here is my school list for reference:
state School, UCSF, Yale, Columbia, UChicago, Northwestern, Cornell, Mt. Sinai, Emory, Case Western, UVA, Rochester, USC, Dartmouth, Mayo, Vermont, Jefferson, BU, U Colorado, Pitt, Wake Forest, UCSD, Vanderbilt, Duke, Georgetown, Brown, Tulane, Standford (maybe)
3.75 cgpa, low sgpa 3.66, 522 (130/130/130/132); Top 10 university
ECs:
Research:
~150 hours clinical (with 2nd author publication being submitted within the month)
375 hours wet lab (no pub)
Clinical Volunteering:
1200 hours EMT
200 hours hospital volunteering
Nonclinical:
~200 hours non-clinical volunteering with underserved populations (app has emphasis on working with pediatric populations, plan to highlight volunteer experience with children w/disabilities)
150 hours with Crisis Text Line (crisis counselor)
Leadership/teaching
175 hours in a leadership position within that EMS org, with significant teaching components
115 hours MCAT tutor (paid)
Shadowing:
150 hours across primary care/Reproductive endocrinology
Random
-150 hours admissions volunteer for my university (i.e. tour guide/interviewing prospective students)
-I was a humanities/bio double major (I know major doesn’t matter but I’m planning to emphasize humanities in my application)
-Unique backstory for PS
So as for the pros/cons of taking 1 vs 2 gap years:
Pros:
-I would rather not wait if I don’t have to/already have LORs
-Worried that my MCAT would expire if I took 2 yrs (took it in August 2019)
Cons:
-I have two job opportunities rn: 1 is clinical (not super excited about it), 1 in research (I’m much more excited about the research job/fits into the narrative I’m trying to craft for my app)
To take the research job, I would have to take 2 gap years
-I doubt the publication will be accepted until well into the cycle, so if I took 2 years I would be much more likely to have a publication under my belt
Here is my school list for reference:
state School, UCSF, Yale, Columbia, UChicago, Northwestern, Cornell, Mt. Sinai, Emory, Case Western, UVA, Rochester, USC, Dartmouth, Mayo, Vermont, Jefferson, BU, U Colorado, Pitt, Wake Forest, UCSD, Vanderbilt, Duke, Georgetown, Brown, Tulane, Standford (maybe)
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