To gap or not to gap, that is the question...

[xerde]

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Hello SDNers,

(Not sure if this should belong to WAMC or Pre-Allo; feel free to move it as you see fit)

Yes it's another one of those threads... I'm finishing up my second to last semester of undergrad and trying to decide if I want to apply this upcoming cycle. I am leaning towards taking two gap years but my parents are strongly against that idea and have been really pushing me to apply. For reference, I live in my parents' house because I go to my state college that's very close to home for financial reasons, and it has been rough trying to explain to them the concept of gap years. My family immigrated here and gap years are not common where we came from. I'm posting here what I have so far hoping to get some feedback on what I can work on, or opinions on whether or not I might need a gap year.

MI resident, ORM
s/cGPA: 3.85/3.89 (will go up a little bit by the time I graduate... hopefully)
MCAT: took in August, 520 (130/126/132/132), 126 in CARS (though English is not my native language and I am fluent in two other languages so they might give me a pass...?)

EC hours:
~200 clinical volunteering, have interacted with children and elderly, bandaged trauma burn patients, escorted patients to pre-op, nothing that intense (as with EMT/CNA)
~150 scribe, just started recently, continuing till summer, potentially ongoing if I take the year off but it's kinda sucky so can't say I'll stay for sure)
~80 shadowing, split among 30 primary care, 30 specialties, 8 surgery, 10 DO
~150 nonclinical volunteering, including material distribution for the homeless population, soup kitchen, tutoring elementary school students in underserved areas, working with low income university students.
~1500 research, one summer intern at the NIH with a poster presentation that won a minor award, two more posters at national conferences, working on a thesis that could potentially be published first author
Heavy involvement/leadership in two student orgs, one promotes clean energy/environmental conservation, the other promotes mental health/counseling on campus.

Here's the thing though... I don't feel READY. I don't know if it makes sense, but I'm not sure what my message/narrative is. All the writing for med school apps seem so daunting and I'm not confident that I can construct a moving/powerful narrative. I enjoyed what I've done in undergrad, but I feel my experiences are a dime in a dozen and I'm worried I don't stand out enough.

Has anyone had this worry? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[xerde]

if I were you, I would apply next cycle if you are sure that medicine is for you.. I know that you say that you don't feel ready, but do you mean that you're unsure about medicine or just that you don't feel ready to begin medical school? Even if you apply next cycle, you won't be starting medical school until July or August 2019, which gives you ~18 months.. just my 2 cents though. For reference, I am doing a gap year now solely because I had to take the MCAT twice and I really wish that I was able to start medical school right away. It's also somewhat difficult to find employment for a gap year if you're honest with your interviewers (I was) and tell them that you're only going to be working for one year.

Thanks for your reply!
By not ready, I mean more in the sense that I don’t feel ready to embark on the application process and craft my essays and prepare for interviews and everything. I feel kinda burned out by school I guess. I’m sure about going into medicine.
And yes, it is naive of me to think a gap year would enrich my life experiences by a whole lot. I’ll certainly keep your words in mind.

 

[Averagemanboy]

go now your app is great. I'm getting a little lazy on my gap year and I can't imagine doing 2 gap years. that would feel like I've been outta school forever

 

[Goro]

You don't need a gap year.

Apply only when you are 100% ready.

Hello SDNers,

(Not sure if this should belong to WAMC or Pre-Allo; feel free to move it as you see fit)

Yes it's another one of those threads... I'm finishing up my second to last semester of undergrad and trying to decide if I want to apply this upcoming cycle. I am leaning towards taking two gap years but my parents are strongly against that idea and have been really pushing me to apply. For reference, I live in my parents' house because I go to my state college that's very close to home for financial reasons, and it has been rough trying to explain to them the concept of gap years. My family immigrated here and gap years are not common where we came from. I'm posting here what I have so far hoping to get some feedback on what I can work on, or opinions on whether or not I might need a gap year.

MI resident, ORM
s/cGPA: 3.85/3.89 (will go up a little bit by the time I graduate... hopefully)
MCAT: took in August, 520 (130/126/132/132), 126 in CARS (though English is not my native language and I am fluent in two other languages so they might give me a pass...?)

EC hours:
~200 clinical volunteering, have interacted with children and elderly, bandaged trauma burn patients, escorted patients to pre-op, nothing that intense (as with EMT/CNA)
~150 scribe, just started recently, continuing till summer, potentially ongoing if I take the year off but it's kinda sucky so can't say I'll stay for sure)
~80 shadowing, split among 30 primary care, 30 specialties, 8 surgery, 10 DO
~150 nonclinical volunteering, including material distribution for the homeless population, soup kitchen, tutoring elementary school students in undeserved areas, working with low income university students.
~1500 research, one summer intern at the NIH with a poster presentation that won a minor award, two more posters at national conferences, working on a thesis that could potentially be published first author
Heavy involvement/leadership in two student orgs, one promotes clean energy/environmental conservation, the other promotes mental health/counseling on campus.

Here's the thing though... I don't feel READY. I don't know if it makes sense, but I'm not sure what my message/narrative is. All the writing for med school apps seem so daunting and I'm not confident that I can construct a moving/powerful narrative. I enjoyed what I've done in undergrad, but I feel my experiences are a dime in a dozen and I'm worried I don't stand out enough.

Has anyone had this worry? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[xerde]

Tagging for more opinions: @Goro @LizzyM @gyngyn @Catalystik

 

[xerde]

You don't need a gap year.

Apply only when you are 100% ready.

Oops sorry about the overdue tagging.
Thank you for the reassurance!

 

[xerde]

@Goro are my clinical experiences sufficient...? Would the unbalanced MCAT score be an issue?

 

[DelayedGratification]

this would result in 2 gap years....i think there is zero way that can help you unless you obtain significant experience such as peace corps

 

[Catalystik]

Hello SDNers,

(Not sure if this should belong to WAMC or Pre-Allo; feel free to move it as you see fit)

Yes it's another one of those threads... I'm finishing up my second to last semester of undergrad and trying to decide if I want to apply this upcoming cycle. I am leaning towards taking two gap years but my parents are strongly against that idea and have been really pushing me to apply. For reference, I live in my parents' house because I go to my state college that's very close to home for financial reasons, and it has been rough trying to explain to them the concept of gap years. My family immigrated here and gap years are not common where we came from. I'm posting here what I have so far hoping to get some feedback on what I can work on, or opinions on whether or not I might need a gap year.

MI resident, ORM
s/cGPA: 3.85/3.89 (will go up a little bit by the time I graduate... hopefully)
MCAT: took in August, 520 (130/126/132/132), 126 in CARS (though English is not my native language and I am fluent in two other languages so they might give me a pass...?)

EC hours:
~200 clinical volunteering, have interacted with children and elderly, bandaged trauma burn patients, escorted patients to pre-op, nothing that intense (as with EMT/CNA)
~150 scribe, just started recently, continuing till summer, potentially ongoing if I take the year off but it's kinda sucky so can't say I'll stay for sure)
~80 shadowing, split among 30 primary care, 30 specialties, 8 surgery, 10 DO
~150 nonclinical volunteering, including material distribution for the homeless population, soup kitchen, tutoring elementary school students in underserved areas, working with low income university students.
~1500 research, one summer intern at the NIH with a poster presentation that won a minor award, two more posters at national conferences, working on a thesis that could potentially be published first author
Heavy involvement/leadership in two student orgs, one promotes clean energy/environmental conservation, the other promotes mental health/counseling on campus.

Here's the thing though... I don't feel READY. I don't know if it makes sense, but I'm not sure what my message/narrative is. All the writing for med school apps seem so daunting and I'm not confident that I can construct a moving/powerful narrative. I enjoyed what I've done in undergrad, but I feel my experiences are a dime in a dozen and I'm worried I don't stand out enough.

Has anyone had this worry? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Your CARS is fine. Your clinical experiences are sufficient. Your activities are otherwise solid and ready for an application cycle. If your brain gets into the game before it's time to apply in June 2018 or so, then go for it.

What would you do with another gap year, besides live in your parents' house a little longer?

 

[xerde]

Your CARS is fine. Your clinical experiences are sufficient. Your activities are otherwise solid and ready for an application cycle. If your brain gets into the game before it's time to apply in June 2018 or so, then go for it.

What would you do with another gap year, besides live in your parents' house a little longer?

Thank you very much for the kind response!
For gap year(s) I was looking into service programs like Americorps. Not for the sake of impressing medical schools but to make myself more mature — I had a pretty sheltered childhood and college life, during which I wish I could live more independently from family but never able to justify that financially. I’ve discovered that serving others give me sincere pleasure, plus I kinda want to get myself out there, develop more people skills and get more life experience. I think spending some time doing that would make me a better doctor in the future, and not just a better candidate for med school.

 

[shopsteward]

I agree with others that you do not need to take a gap year, but you seem to have pretty good reasons for wanting to take one. And once you are on the med school/residency/board certification/attending track there is little opportunity to take a big chunk of time off, so you are right that now is the time to do it.

As to your parents, as you are looking into AmeriCorps then you could very easily present this to them as a big plus to your future applications. But you may also just have to accept that this is one of the points on which your experience of growing up in the USA and the views that gives you separates you from their experiences and understanding of the world. The only thing you can do about this is learn how to deal with them with grace and understanding while at the same time not letting them hold you back.

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you very much for the kind response!
For gap year(s) I was looking into service programs like Americorps. Not for the sake of impressing medical schools but to make myself more mature — I had a pretty sheltered childhood and college life, during which I wish I could live more independently from family but never able to justify that financially. I’ve discovered that serving others give me sincere pleasure, plus I kinda want to get myself out there, develop more people skills and get more life experience. I think spending some time doing that would make me a better doctor in the future, and not just a better candidate for med school.

A service program like Americorp would enhance your application. Your reasons for wanting the experience are good ones. Good luck in your decision-making.

 

[krukshanks]

I had a pretty sheltered childhood and college life, during which I wish I could live more independently from family but never able to justify that financially.

I think this alone is a good reason for a gap year. You certainly don't need a gap year to make your app stand out, but if you are looking for independence, I'd say go for it.

I applied last cycle, and I was pretty much in the same situation -- I had pretty good stats and EC, but I just wanted to spend a year living out of school/on my own. I also wanted to explore clinical research, since all of my undergrad research experience was in basic science. My gap year turned out fantastic: I made really good friends, and I'd say my gap year experience definitely helped me with the transition period during the first month in medical school

 

[xerde]

Thanks everyone for their feedback! I really do appreciate your inputs; I was feeling lost because I wasn’t finding in my “story” apparent coherency or compelling ties to medicine, but perhaps I just need to do some more self-introspection. Writing these posts have in a way helped me organize my thoughts and motives. I’ll carefully think about it and talk to others before making the decision.

I agree with others that you do not need to take a gap year, but you seem to have pretty good reasons for wanting to take one. And once you are on the med school/residency/board certification/attending track there is little opportunity to take a big chunk of time off, so you are right that now is the time to do it.

As to your parents, as you are looking into AmeriCorps then you could very easily present this to them as a big plus to your future applications. But you may also just have to accept that this is one of the points on which your experience of growing up in the USA and the views that gives you separates you from their experiences and understanding of the world. The only thing you can do about this is learn how to deal with them with grace and understanding while at the same time not letting them hold you back.

You are spot on about what I shall do with respect to my parents. It’s probably easy to say “grow up and make your own decisions!” or whatever but for me that’s so hard to do — I am very fortunate to be able to graduate debt-free thanks to them, I’m an only child and our culture tends to produce overprotective parents who just willingly does so much for us that I feel morally wrong to object to them sometimes... Since the consensus here is that I most likely do not need a gap year I might just go ahead and apply, though again I’ll try to make the most comprehensive decision after further consideration.

Thanks again!

 

[EarthOneFlash]

Thanks for your reply!
By not ready, I mean more in the sense that I don’t feel ready to embark on the application process and craft my essays and prepare for interviews and everything. I feel kinda burned out by school I guess. I’m sure about going into medicine.
And yes, it is naive of me to think a gap year would enrich my life experiences by a whole lot. I’ll certainly keep your words in mind.

A gap year can definitely enrich your life experiences a whole lot. For MCAT and personal-related reasons, I'm currently taking a gap year and starting med school in 2018. Since my gap year started, I've worked as a bone marrow transplant scribe, am currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health, and do policy and advocacy work with a community health center that serves populations in D.C. who experience extreme health disparities. Through all this, my desire to be a physician has been re-ignited, truly. I feel like I know what I want to do in medicine and health care, and it has shown through my essays and interviews. I have also had time to relax and spend time with family and friends. My point in telling all of this to you is that if you feel like you're burn out, or you don't feel ready, it's okay to consider a gap year. You can do a lot of meaningful stuff in a year to find out more about yourself. The decision is still yours of course, but I just wanted to add some perspective.

 

[MissPalliativeMD]

I'm graduating at 20+ this year and taking 3 gap years. Not by choice, I'm an international student and require permanent residency status to apply for med school (Canada). Grad GPA is about 3.83 (extenuating circumstances - mom passed away and i was her primary care provider for almost a year). I would probably do a one year Masters in my second gap year and then work for the third year. Will be done Med school at 27 hopefully, which i hear is not so bad. I'm looking to really improve my application within these next 3 years with shadowing and research. What would you do differently if you had 3 years before med school?

 

[givemecoffee]

Thanks for your reply!
By not ready, I mean more in the sense that I don’t feel ready to embark on the application process and craft my essays and prepare for interviews and everything.

Trust me, you're never going to be 100% ready for this. I think you've got stellar stats and ECs and should go for it. You've still got at least 4-5 months before you even have to start worrying about writing secondaries, and even longer until interviews begin. I would go for it unless you've got something really significant planned out for a gap year!

 

[chemdoctor]

520 damn... lol nobody ever feels ready when they apply from what I hear!

Trust me! I think you have a very successful cycle ahead of you! Just apply now!! You seem like a great candidate. You've got good ECs, great stats and honestly you may even try to get into some top 20 med schools!! A 520 MCAT is nothing to laugh about.

I 100% feel you should apply!

 

[chemdoctor]

A gap year can definitely enrich your life experiences a whole lot. For MCAT and personal-related reasons, I'm currently taking a gap year and starting med school in 2018. Since my gap year started, I've worked as a bone marrow transplant scribe, am currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health, and do policy and advocacy work with a community health center that serves populations in D.C. who experience extreme health disparities. Through all this, my desire to be a physician has been re-ignited, truly. I feel like I know what I want to do in medicine and health care, and it has shown through my essays and interviews. I have also had time to relax and spend time with family and friends. My point in telling all of this to you is that if you feel like you're burn out, or you don't feel ready, it's okay to consider a gap year. You can do a lot of meaningful stuff in a year to find out more about yourself. The decision is still yours of course, but I just wanted to add some perspective.

Damn. That seems like an awesome idea!! Good job on that!! I feel like I want to do this too!