Reapp: new gap year job or no?

[matted_chinchilla]

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I currently work in a psychiatry office as an TMS tech and have for almost a year and a half. I’ve grown a little bored of it and don’t think there’s anymore for me to learn here. However, it allows me a lot of flexibility and I’ve been able to get a second job for fun that is really involved in community work which I love. I would really hate to have to quit it or to do it less.

I have almost 700 hours worth of research from undergrad from 2023 to 2024 with three posters no pubs. And now probably over 2,500 clinical hours.

My question is: is it worth the hassle for me to try and find a job in clinical research if I do have to take another gap year or would it not really change anything? I graduated in 2024. And no one at my company does clinical research.

 

[Rabbsters]

Is your goal to do clinical research or attend a research heavy school? I would think that if you do find a new job in clinical research your reapplication would have to be heavily focused/primarily focused on that change you made. Which may potentially detract from non-research heavy schools, as the schools might see the change in the application and assume that you're really not interested in a school that's not heavy research focused.

I believe reapplicants need to show how their application changed between cycles (otherwise it's just the same application that was previously rejected, so schools would be like if it didn't meet our cut line last year, and nothing has changed, why would it be above the line this year). That change doesn't need to necessarily be changes in work/activities, but could be increased MCAT, more classes, a different perspective in your personal statement/work/activities writing etc.

I'm a nobody, so take all that with some salt. I like to think I'm analytical and logical, and I think school's questions everything. So, we all need to be intentional in what we do and understand how what we do might be perceived. If clinical research is who you are, and it's a passion, potentially go for it. If it's really not who you are, it'll probably be obvious (and while we all have to play the game to some extent, I think the less we try to beat a rubric the more favorable an ADCOM will view an application).