Need advice on what to do for my gap year

[giizsb]

Hi! I graduated from college last May and moved in to live with my parents. I got my LoR from 3 professors in June & I have been helping my mom open a small business (which I am hoping to write on my app). I studied for the MCAT full-time during fall/winter, and took the exam in January. I have been volunteering at a surgery center and also at a local animal shelter, which I both love doing. I also plan to take on a shadowing opportunity soon.

I have a great job paid clinical internship offer that I got while I was in undergrad, and I am supposed to start in March. I don't have any paid clinical experience, so this was the reason why I applied to this internship last year.
It is a great opportunity to assist physicians and work up patients in an eye clinic in the San Francisco area, but the downside is that I would have to find a new apartment & also get a car that I don't have right now-- which is a lot of $$ investment. Furthermore, I love where I am living right now with my friends and family and I'm not sure if I want to move and rearrange my volunteer activities that's happening for the gap year job. (I am planning to apply this cycle!)
I have a solid stats (except the unknown MCAT score) & well-rounded extracurricular, except for the paid clinical experience! I am afraid that if I turn down the internship offer then I might have trouble finding the right clinical job in the area that I am living in currently. I don't know if taking this offer will boost my application by a lot or taking on another clinical job (such as scribing) can suffice?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

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[21Rush12]

You don’t need to have paid clinical experience. Volunteering and clinical exposure are necessities, but you don’t need a clinical job to be a successful applicant if your app is well rounded. This internship sounds like it would cost you much more than it’s worth.

In my opinion you should look in your area for a clinical job if it’s what you want to do.

Your MCAT score is the big variable here.

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

If you're already in the bay you could look into BART. I know its not ideal, but it would save you from having to get a car and move. It's honestly not that bad BARTing to work everyday, (Or at least that's what I've been telling myself).