MD & DO should i take a gap year?

[Abby95]

I am currently a junior planning of finishing my pre-med courses and taking the MCAT in April. Im not sure if taking gap year is a good idea or not. My stats:

Shadowed an Ob/Gyn, Geriatric, and Family doctor all for a total is 85 hours thus far. I plan on hitting at least 150-200 hours by the time i apply next year.
I am an SMDEP alumni if it makes any difference
Non-medical related volunteer (food drive, AIDS walk, etc)-65 hours, i plan on hitting 120
Tutoring: 100 hours hopefully i can get to 150
Research: None, i recently got a job as a research lab assistant, where you work along side a professor on a research and run tests on participants, i will be doing that spring 2016 however im not sure if it counts as research. I do not plan on applying to research heavy schools.
Leadership: secretary of a club, president of youth group at church
I will be traveling abroad to Ghana for 6 weeks where i will work along side some of their doctors in one of their major hospitals. I will also tutor students in math and science in the school my mom teachers at.

GPA: 3.68 cumulative(could probably raise it to 3.7 by end of spring term), and 3.38 science( science is so low because i got a D in organic chemistry the first time i took it and retook it and got a B+. I do want to attend an MD school so i average the two grades ideally. For DO schools, my science GPA currently is around 3.58)
My biggest worry is the huge difference in GPA. Will med school see it as a red flag? With the exception of Organic chemistry 1, i have never gotten below a B- in any of my pre-med classes.

I feel like i need to take a gap year to raise my GPA, have more time to study for the MCAT, and travel around the world. I could spend up to 6 months in Ghana teaching alongside my mom and getting more clinical volunteering/shadowing down. However, i fear that after doing all this, i may not have the motivation to go to medical school. I want to go in while the passion is still burning high and avoid any derailments along the way.

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[AromaticOreo]

The sGPA is a little concerning for MD, but if you do well on the MCAT, I think you have a decent shot at an MD acceptance if you really polish your application and submit early. The MCAT will definitely make or break you, so make sure you're scoring consistently in your target range on practice tests before you go and take it. You're fine for DO, so definitely add a few of those schools as a plan B.

As for taking a gap year, that's really up to you. It definitely could help your sGPA if you ace a few extra upper-level science classes. I think your ECs are good, but I suggest getting some more patient contact experience in a hospital, nursing home, outpatient facility, etc. Shadowing doesn't really count for that, since it is mostly a passive activity.

As for your passion, it sounds to me like you're little uncertain about committing to a career in medicine. If you have any doubt, I would definitely go for the gap year and see if there is something that interests you more. You don't want to find out that medicine isn't for you during medical school. Graduate medical education is a long, bumpy, and expensive road. I honestly couldn't imagine going through all this if I didn't feel that medicine was the perfect fit for me.

 

[Abby95]

The sGPA is a little concerning for MD, but if you do well on the MCAT, I think you have a decent shot at an MD acceptance if you really polish your application and submit early. The MCAT will definitely make or break you, so make sure you're scoring consistently in your target range on practice tests before you go and take it. You're fine for DO, so definitely add a few of those schools as a plan B.

As for taking a gap year, that's really up to you. It definitely could help your sGPA if you ace a few extra upper-level science classes. I think your ECs are good, but I suggest getting some more patient contact experience in a hospital, nursing home, outpatient facility, etc. Shadowing doesn't really count for that, since it is mostly a passive activity.

As for your passion, it sounds to me like you're little uncertain about committing to a career in medicine. If you have any doubt, I would definitely go for the gap year and see if there is something that interests you more. You don't want to find out that medicine isn't for you during medical school. Graduate medical education is a long, bumpy, and expensive road. I honestly couldn't imagine going through all this if I didn't feel that medicine was the perfect fit for me.

Thanks for your reply. When you say more patient interaction what do you mean? And how do I go about attaining more of this? Would that be considered as volunteering? I have a very strong passion for medicine, just from personal experience many people who take gap year end up taking 2,3,4 years and eventually stop pursuing it all together as a result of lack of motivation, or drive. MCAT is pretty much do or die for me at this point. Would u recommend taking it April or May in order to get my application in early?

 

[AromaticOreo]

Thanks for your reply. When you say more patient interaction what do you mean? And how do I go about attaining more of this? Would that be considered as volunteering? I have a very strong passion for medicine, just from personal experience many people who take gap year end up taking 2,3,4 years and eventually stop pursuing it all together as a result of lack of motivation, or drive. MCAT is pretty much do or die for me at this point. Would u recommend taking it April or May in order to get my application in early?

I recommend taking the MCAT as soon as you feel you are ready.I wouldn't take it any earlier than April/May when you finish your pre-med requirements. Make sure to do a lot of practice tests, and only take the actual test when your practice scores are in your target range. If come by April/May you're not hitting the scores that you want, push it back.

Well when you're shadowing, you don't really get the opportunity to talk to patients or have any direct contact with them. What I mean by more patient contact is that you should be able to get to interact with patients on your own(somewhat). This can be as simple as giving out blankets/magazines to patients on a floor in the hospital. You can get in contact with the volunteering office at a local hospital. They usually have positions in many different departments, so pick one that you like where you can get to work with patients. You can also try volunteering at a hospice center, nursing home, ambulance service, etc. ADCOMs especially like to applicants who can make a difference by doing volunteer work in impoverished communities.