Some advice on my academic plan?

[RF2024]

I am currently a sophomore at a college in Boston. I've read enough threads to know basically what I have to do to get into med school, I just want some affirmation that the way I am planning my timeline is good. General info: GPA: 3.79 science/3.82 cumulative (which I'm hoping will go up after this semester ends), vice president of a club that does community service projects, various community service ventures that I'm still associated with (all with quality time), good relationships with professors and supervisors (one letter that I'm sure to get from my PI who was dean of admissions to the MD/Ph.D. program at my top MD school), currently learning Spanish, and I'm starting my clinical and research experiences. I've been applying for internships, some research and some clinical, and I have accepted a position at a large hospital in Boston as a physical therapy intern. I know that isn't exactly the type of clinical experience that MD schools are looking for, but for me, this was an opportunity that I became interested in because of my interview and because of the topic. I see it as a way to practice interacting with patients while getting introduced to the environment of a hospital and I feel like ill probably get to interact with some physicians in orthopedics which is a specialty I'm interested in. I'm also going to reach out to physicians to shadow before or after my shifts. I decided to go this route because my resume was based more on clinical experiences and my certifications and experiences aligned more with a position like this. I also just started in a lab on campus and I'm hoping to gain experience with techniques while also just opening myself up to the idea of research. I'm then planning to apply for a research internship where I can get some good experience and an idea of whether or not I'd like to pursue an MD/Ph.D. After I graduate I'm planning on taking a gap year to focus on taking the MCAT and also gain more clinical experience.

My question is, am I doing everything right here? Will this PT internship hurt my chances because it is not MD clinical experience; I'm really interested in learning about this topic, not because I want to go into PT, but because I genuinely liked the working environment, I will gain a lot of hands-on experience and interaction with patients, and I get to learn something new (which I especially value). Also, is it common to take a gap year and take the MCAT during it or should I reconsider when I take it?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

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[jhmmd]

I am currently a sophomore at a college in Boston. I've read enough threads to know basically what I have to do to get into med school, I just want some affirmation that the way I am planning my timeline is good. General info: GPA: 3.79 science/3.82 cumulative (which I'm hoping will go up after this semester ends), vice president of a club that does community service projects, various community service ventures that I'm still associated with (all with quality time), good relationships with professors and supervisors (one letter that I'm sure to get from my PI who was dean of admissions to the MD/Ph.D. program at my top MD school), currently learning Spanish, and I'm starting my clinical and research experiences. I've been applying for internships, some research and some clinical, and I have accepted a position at a large hospital in Boston as a physical therapy intern. I know that isn't exactly the type of clinical experience that MD schools are looking for, but for me, this was an opportunity that I became interested in because of my interview and because of the topic. I see it as a way to practice interacting with patients while getting introduced to the environment of a hospital and I feel like ill probably get to interact with some physicians in orthopedics which is a specialty I'm interested in. I'm also going to reach out to physicians to shadow before or after my shifts. I decided to go this route because my resume was based more on clinical experiences and my certifications and experiences aligned more with a position like this. I also just started in a lab on campus and I'm hoping to gain experience with techniques while also just opening myself up to the idea of research. I'm then planning to apply for a research internship where I can get some good experience and an idea of whether or not I'd like to pursue an MD/Ph.D. After I graduate I'm planning on taking a gap year to focus on taking the MCAT and also gain more clinical experience.

My question is, am I doing everything right here? Will this PT internship hurt my chances because it is not MD clinical experience; I'm really interested in learning about this topic, not because I want to go into PT, but because I genuinely liked the working environment, I will gain a lot of hands-on experience and interaction with patients, and I get to learn something new (which I especially value). Also, is it common to take a gap year and take the MCAT during it or should I reconsider when I take it?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

PT internship should be good if you plan to go into PM&R/pain management or something like that.

 

[LindaAccepted]

The PT internship should be fine. You also don't have to do it for the next 3 years. Especially during your gap year, you can do something else (scribe for example)

Regarding the MCAT, if you take it after your senior year, at the end of the summer, you really can't apply until the summer after you graduate, which means you're looking at two gap years. That's not the end of the world. If you take the MCAT at the end of the summer between your junior and senior years and do well in it, you'll be in good shape to apply the summer after you graduate and have one gap year.

Gap years are increasingly common and most adcom that I have spoken with (and I've interviewed quite a few), like them. They are not required, but definitely not a negative.

 

[TakotsuboOkazaki]

FWIW:

I worked in an inpatient rehab setting in college. It was a great experience. Lots of contact with patients, nurses, PT/OT/SLP, PM&R, hospitalists and ortho docs. Aside from the patient contact experience it definitely helped affirm my decision of medicine vs. other health profession.

Also, I took a gap year for my application cycle. I worked a job in my field of undergraduate study. No regrets. Not only was it great perspective on how soul sucking a 40 hour work week could be, but it gave me some time and $$$ to handle my applications.

 

[LunaOri]

Your plans are good, although as Linda mentioned, waiting to take the MCAT will mean 2 gap years (not a bad thing). Definitely don’t take the MCAT until you are sure you will do well, because you only want to take it once. Alternatively, take the summer off to study for it after your junior year, assuming you will have completed all the prerequisite courses by then.