Possible Re-applicant - what to do?

[SheedahG]

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I applied to a lot of schools this cycle and was offered 5 interviews, 4 of which were all on the east coast. However, the money I saved up for traveling up and down the east coast had to be used to help out my parents. As a result, I'm only going to the one in my home state (Good bye Dartmouth...🙁)

Now, I'm reeeaaalllly crossing my fingers and hope I get into this school, but just in case I get waitlisted and ultimately rejected (which I hope does not happen), I'm considering a couple of opinions of what I should do once August hits.

I have been trying to find a research assistant job for a while, but I have had no luck. So I'm considering to teach English abroad in Korea gain more leadership experience and to grow, while gaining enough money for the next cycle. After a year of teaching, I'll apply again. (I won't apply while I'm abroad - that's way to hard to deal with).

My question is this: is this a good idea? I'm also considering to just try continue to find a lab research assistant position at a university until something bites, or apply to a special graduate program. While these two options seem the most logical to pursue, I'd really like to go out into the world and come back a more mature person who is truly mentally and emotionally ready to be a doctor.

I'm asking this question because teaching English abroad is not medically related, I have a lot of teaching experience anyway, and I've read that some AdComs advise against doing this. I want to re-apply to the schools I had to withdraw from with a slightly stronger app, and this opportunity to teach sounds amazing. Will teaching English abroad help me, hurt me, or neither?

I'll add my stats just in case if people find this relevant:

Major: Biochemistry & molecular biology
GPA: 3.79
MCAT: 28Q (my first time around, I had a 24 P. I'm scared of taking it again since there is always that chance of screwing up).
ExtraCir: Public health research assistant with pending publication (5 months) , Teaching assistant (2 years), tutor for high school students, volunteer at Dementia clinic (2 years), pianist (15 years), office assistant (4 years). Since graduation, I've been volunteering at a local daycare to teach toddlers piano, and for the next 5 months I'll be doing a lot of physician shadowing and volunteering at the city hospital in the oncology department.
Other info: URM

 

[aspiringdoc09]

I'm glad you made a sacrifice to help family. You get plenty of points from me, so hopefully you will be blessed with an acceptance. If you think that teaching in Korea is shunned upon by adcoms, then why do it unless you just want to do it and not add a bullet to your resume? Research jobs can be hard to obtain, so consider applying to the NIH Post-Basc and/or NIH IRTA also. I think the other program they have (NIH Academy??) is approaching its deadline if it hasn't already passed. I think the CDC has a Public Health/Epidemiology type 1 year Post-Bac too. I know they do but I'm unsure under what specialty. Try getting an ED Tech position or any other healthcare job because that can help buff your clinical experience and give you a pay check to reapply. I've heard about scribe positions while on this forum, so try that. Good luck. I hope you do get in this year so you won't have to reapply. The MCAT is scary, I know, because I am studying for a retake. You can always do additional practice tests to hit your target score. If you consistently hit a 31+, unless you just freak during test day, you should get that on the real thing.

 

[gman33]

If you want to help your app, improve your MCAT.

Finances got in your way, but you got 5 interviews this time.
Those 4 schools that you didn't interview at might not give you an interview next year.
In my opinion, there is a good chance they won't.

That might not leave you with much if you don't improve your app (and not just be adding a few more EC's).

Hope you get in this year.

 

[SheedahG]

Re-taking the MCAT does seem to be the best option if I want to improve my chances, so I'm going to put that first on my list. However, it's the finances that I'm worried about. So should I...

(1) Should I take the teaching abroad job (I could save up thousands in Korea while learning a new language and work on my leadership skills, but has nothing to do with medicine.)

(2) keep on waiting for a job to appear here at home and just continue volunteering (it would fluff up my EC section, but not put my BA to any good use. Also, I'm losing patience with the job market these days and I can't afford to remain unemployed any longer).

(3) do a SMP (which might leave me in more debt, but give me some researching experience)?

 

[MedPR]

Your undergrad GPA is a 3.79? An SMP would be a waste of money imo. I would keep trying to find a job here (a job in healthcare would kill 2, maybe 3 birds with one stone), just something to pay the bills, and improve your MCAT. 3.79 and a 30+ MCAT will get you in somewhere.

 

[robertch8]

If I were you, I would do what will make you feel passionate and happy. If that means teaching in Korea, then so be it. I think doing something you would be passionate about is way more important than doing something that will simply appease admissions committees.

If you could retake the MCAT and get over 30+, that'd be great but if you end up going through this again, I would also write a letter to the four other places that you turned down interviews this year and make very clear what happened last year. Do whatever you can to stress that so that they can truly get the notion that you were making a family sacrifice instead of questioning does this person truly have the burning desire to do medicine.