taking a year off to better app doesn't make sense to me

[Dr Gerrard]

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if you are doing things right, you would be done applying for june, hardly giving any time at all to improve the application.

am i thinking about this wrong?

 

[LizzyM]

If you apply in June of Junior year and don't get admitted, you may choose to apply the following year.

The application will include your senior year grades which may increase your gpa and bump your application. You may choose to retake the MCAT in Spring of Senior yr and have improved scores. You may have done reserach, completed a thesis, published a paper, presented a poster, given a talk, done some community service, served as a class leader, been the graduation speaker, or done something worthwhile during school breaks during senior year. You may have continued volunteering or getting other clinical experience during your senior year. Activies during the summer after junior year might also be on your application.

Depending on how late you want to wait to submit the AMCAS and how lucky you are in getting hired for a job, you might have full time employment to list on your AMCAS as of the summer after graduation.

Unless you've wasted the last year, the application should be better a year later.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Even if you're doing things right you can always improve your application by adding a whole year of Mcat study time and EC time. Not to mention a whole year that potential could bring up your gpa.

 

[movax]

if you are doing things right, you would be done applying for june, hardly giving any time at all to improve the application.

am i thinking about this wrong?

In a year I added research and publications, 88 more credits of coursework (include some pre-reqs I still hadn't taken, like Orgo II), a few patents and generally became a better person. I'm honestly kind of glad I didn't get in anywhere last cycle, I was still pretty immature, and the time off working full-time has been pretty good for me.

If you apply your time wisely, your application should improve immensely and you'll look at your last one and laugh at it.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

everything in this topic makes sense.

thanks haha.

 

[ClueBooM]

If you apply in June of Junior year and don't get admitted, you may choose to apply the following year.

The application will include your senior year grades which may increase your gpa and bump your application. You may choose to retake the MCAT in Spring of Senior yr and have improved scores. You may have done reserach, completed a thesis, published a paper, presented a poster, given a talk, done some community service, served as a class leader, been the graduation speaker, or done something worthwhile during school breaks during senior year. You may have continued volunteering or getting other clinical experience during your senior year. Activies during the summer after junior year might also be on your application.

Depending on how late you want to wait to submit the AMCAS and how lucky you are in getting hired for a job, you might have full time employment to list on your AMCAS as of the summer after graduation.

Unless you've wasted the last year, the application should be better a year later.

In a year I added research and publications, 88 more credits of coursework (include some pre-reqs I still hadn't taken, like Orgo II), a few patents and generally became a better person. I'm honestly kind of glad I didn't get in anywhere last cycle, I was still pretty immature, and the time off working full-time has been pretty good for me.

If you apply your time wisely, your application should improve immensely and you'll look at your last one and laugh at it.

Wow, this is good news to me. I was just thinking of delaying my application to improve on everything especially my ECs and become more well-rounded. 👍

 

[juliedi]

Plus, even if you don't have that many new things to list on your primary (if you submit it right away), you'll probably have new experiences to write about in your secondaries or to talk about during interviews.

 

[UbuntuGM]

lol..owned

 

[WuMedic]

Gerrard-I thought you were already admitted? Are you thinking of reapplying anyway?

 

[Dr Gerrard]

no just curious really. maybe the experiences on here differ, but in real life, i have seen people say they were going to take a year off to better their application, and not do anything senior year. they just expected they would do something after they graduate that would add to their application.

i never really understood this, since you should complete your application before you can get anything serious done after you graduate anyways.

 

[gettheleadout]

Lol well those people would be "doing it wrong"

Inb4medzealot'smeme

 

[SoyRicoSuave]

If you apply your time wisely, your application should improve immensely and you'll look at your last one and laugh at it.

So true, looking at my application cycle from this cycle I would change a good portion of it. Too late so oh well.

-------------
M.D. class of 2015!

 

[slatermd]

Lol well those people would be "doing it wrong"

Inb4medzealot'smeme

There aren't too many of those ones I like...but I try not to disappoint:

EDIT: To the OP, your question actually makes a good deal of sense due to timing. If you plan to take exactly 1 year off, you'll be applying before you've done the application-building stuff during that year.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these scenarios actually lead to 2 years off; 1 year to enhance your application, and another year while you apply.

 

[TTigers70]

In a year I added research and publications, 88 more credits of coursework (include some pre-reqs I still hadn't taken, like Orgo II), a few patents and generally became a better person. I'm honestly kind of glad I didn't get in anywhere last cycle, I was still pretty immature, and the time off working full-time has been pretty good for me.

If you apply your time wisely, your application should improve immensely and you'll look at your last one and laugh at it.

88 credits?

How expensive is it to patent something if you do most of the grunt research yourself? Did you do it through your school or yourself? Thanks

 

[gettheleadout]

There aren't too many of those ones I like...but I try not to disappoint:

EDIT: To the OP, your question actually makes a good deal of sense due to timing. If you plan to take exactly 1 year off, you'll be applying before you've done the application-building stuff during that year.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these scenarios actually lead to 2 years off; 1 year to enhance your application, and another year while you apply.

Definitely did not disappoint! 👍

 

[movax]

88 credits?

How expensive is it to patent something if you do most of the grunt research yourself? Did you do it through your school or yourself? Thanks

My school is a little...different. (Quarter system). Did 4 terms in a row, 20-24 credits/term, including finishing pre-reqs and taking extra bio/chem to boost my BCPM (Orgo II, Biochem I, II + Labs, Molecular & Cellular, Anatomy and Phys, Inorganic).

One of the patents was from my research at school (you'll find it in the Chevy Volt and many other new EVs...), the others are from my current employer (so they own it, I'm just listed as a co-inventor along with my co-workers.)