Should I Take A Gap Year?

[BrainFlakes]

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I'm in a weird predicament. I posted on reddit already but I would like some more opinions. Here are my stats:
Junior
NY
School List: Unknown
cGPA: 3.92
sGPA: 3.99
MCAT: 520
Research: 620 hours, paid/unpaid, poster in spring 2018, 2 semesters + summer
Volunteering(Clinical): 150 hours, Pediatric Department, 2 semesters
Physician Shadowing: 56 hours Orthopaedics/ Pediatrics
Nonclinical Volunteering: 80 hours, Daycare, 1 semester
EC: 600 hours, Treasurer of a club that builds schools in a foreign country, 3 years
Employment: 340 hours, Summer Day Camp
Immediate Family: No
Specialty of Interest: Pediatrics
I know this isn't the usual circumstance but I applied a couple of days ago and started having some concerns. What I wrote for the personal statement and most meaningful experiences were very rushed, and for the latter, they weren't well thought out at all. Apart from the fact that I might want a break, I feel like I might need to improve my extracurricular along with better letter of recommendations. Do you think it would be a good idea to take a gap year to improve my essays, LORs, and experiences? I'd love to go to a top 30 school, I feel like I have the stats, but not much else.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

I'm in a weird predicament. I posted on reddit already but I would like some more opinions. Here are my stats:
Junior
NY
School List: Unknown
cGPA: 3.92
sGPA: 3.99
MCAT: 520
Research: 620 hours, paid/unpaid, poster in spring 2018, 2 semesters + summer
Volunteering(Clinical): 150 hours, Pediatric Department, 2 semesters
Physician Shadowing: 56 hours Orthopaedics/ Pediatrics
Nonclinical Volunteering: 80 hours, Daycare, 1 semester
EC: 600 hours, Treasurer of a club that builds schools in a foreign country, 3 years
Employment: 340 hours, Summer Day Camp
Immediate Family: No
Specialty of Interest: Pediatrics
I know this isn't the usual circumstance but I applied a couple of days ago and started having some concerns. What I wrote for the personal statement and most meaningful experiences were very rushed, and for the latter, they weren't well thought out at all. Apart from the fact that I might want a break, I feel like I might need to improve my extracurricular along with better letter of recommendations. Do you think it would be a good idea to take a gap year to improve my essays, LORs, and experiences? I'd love to go to a top 30 school, I feel like I have the stats, but not much else.

OP focus on getting accepted for now. Upon being accepted you can request to defer for a year if you want that time to relax and rejuvenate. Your stats will win you interviews, even with average essays. Top 30 is certainly a possibility, but I see T20 in your future 🙂

 

[Toutie]

OP focus on getting accepted for now. Upon being accepted you can request to defer for a year if you want that time to relax and rejuvenate. Your stats will win you interviews, even with average essays. Top 30 is certainly a possibility, but I see T20 in your future 🙂

Bad advice. Schools don't just hand out deferments like candy because you want to relax.

 

[Kurk]

You have good enough stats to supersede the possibly "weak" essays. Life is short and time is money.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Bad advice. Schools don't just hand out deferments like candy because you want to relax.

This is true, but you don't say "relax." If a student puts up a semi-decent argument (at least at the schools I'm thinking of, n = 3) they were able to get deferred. But, @Toutie is right, they don't just hand them out like candy.