Nontrad (Maybe trad?) gap year advice

[southernfish]

Graduating from a top 40 LAC in New England with a B.A. in Chem and Math in 3 years, GPA is kind of low, not perfect but above 3.5. I've done computational BPC research for about two years and going now, but my app looks like I'm set on the PhD/research track. My advisor thinks I need something during my gap year to convince adcoms that I really want to go into clinical medicine rather than research, and I completely agree.

Timeframe: taking STEM classes for my edification now, will be done in June. I am trying to study for the mcat now, but people have told me it is not reasonable to do so with the classes I'm taking now (and I accede that is true, as I have been wearing myself thin 🙁 ).

Should I:
a) Focus on the mcat post grad, finish it by Oct and submit all my apps, then work a job (does industry matter? I've worked in a physician's practice during HS and through college). Then do the MPH the next year if I don't get into a school that is a good fit, and apply in Oct. 2018 to start in Sept 2019? (Pros: better mcat=better options, Cons: age... 🙁)

b) Start the MPH this Aug, with a part-time job on the side, take the mcat by Aug 2018, apply in Oct 2018, start in Sept 2019.

c) Hurry up, finish the mcat by July end (trial run), start the MPH in Aug. If my score isn't as high as I want, take it again by mid-Sept, send that score; if it is high enough, get a part-time job on the side to help alleviate some of the debt burden I'll have. Then go to whichever of the schools that I get into and is the best fit (Pros: less time 'wasted' not in school, Cons: hasty, less of a guarantee).

Thanks!

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[RocuROMANium]

Do not, under any circumstances, hurry yourself up to take the MCAT! That eliminates C so you're down to A and B.

 

[alana615]

It's generally a bad idea to hurry through anything medical school related. This isn't a sprint, and a year here or there really doesn't make much difference. I ended up taking four years between undergrad and med school, and there are plenty of people who have taken a longer gap than that. I think you should focus on the MCAT after you graduate, see what kind of score you get and then make your plan from there. If your score is high enough, you'll have a good chance of getting in. If not, you may want to think about taking a year to try it again/doing the MPH. I'm not adcom so I cant speak from that angle, but I don't see why having "too much research" would mean you couldn't get into an MD program. Especially since it sounds like you have worked in a clinical setting before anyway.