Unsure of what to do in gap year

[Racks Romero]

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Sorry in advance, this is a long post and I don't blame you if you just skim it

I have a 3.8 cGPA, 3.3 sGPA and a 515 MCAT. Mediocre ECs, no research, applying next cycle. My sGPA has a strong upward trend, went up .5 pts after two semesters of grinding in my remaining prereqs and additional bio classes (all A's... except for a C+ in a 2 credit hr Orgo lab) No F's on my transcript but I have 3 other C's (Gen chem II, Orgo I and 2), 1 B, and all A's in my other classes

Should I take postbacc classes? I'm registered at a place currently but haven't paid and don't even have a place to stay yet because this was all last second. I would be able to pull my sGPA up to a 3.5-3.55 if I got all A's. Could probably do research as well as other medical ECs. I'm really worried that I don't have a place to stay yet, I could maybe crash on someone's couch for a bit but I don't have much experience apartment hunting so I don't know how long it would take for me to find a place, most of the places I called yesterday were all filled up. The only place with vacancies right now that Ive looked at has regular shootings and a rat problem so it's not an option for me. (Sorry I realize none of this is relevant but I'm worried)

Or should I stay at home with my parents and rack up scribing/volunteer hours? it would save $20k+, get a lot more hours on my CV, probably have a better support network (even though my parents hate that I'm taking a gap year) Although my hometown sucks so I'll probably still be miserable
I don't have T20 ambitions (you probably already realized that.) my main goal is to get into a school far away from the region I'm living in, preferably MD but I'll be happy going DO. Beyond that I can look past rankings

is there anything wrong with doing a postbacc for just one semester? Maybe I could stay home and scribe for now and see how that goes, then take non degree classes just during the spring semester if I feel I need to and pull myself up to a 3.45 sGPA

I should add that my state MD school has very low avg matriculant stats. My MCAT is 10 points over their average, my cGPA is higher too, but my sGPA is lower. Although I am very averse to staying in state.

My ECs are pretty lacking ("mediocre" is an understatement):
50 hours at a soup kitchen in a very underprivileged area (lowkey afraid to go there sometimes, lots of commotion some days)
80 hours shadowing 3 different docs
Editor and review board member on a peer reviewed academic journal in undergrad (not STEM, only one semester but I enjoyed it a lot)
Committee position in a politics org during undergrad (not gonna list this, not because it's controversial or anything but I didn't feel I got much out of it)
A year of intramurals, 3 years of training MMA, hobbies include working out/playing sports, playing guitar, and cooking
No research
That's all I can remember for now. No postbacc would mean heavily adding to those soup kitchen hours and putting on scribing/clinical hours, maybe some shadowing of a PCP

Sorry if I seem scatterbrained. Just a bit worried

 

[CoitusInterruptus]

Shadowing every specialty (as if you're a 3rd year doing clinical rotations), volunteering in a clinic, research at your nearest university, scribing, directing a play on opioid addictions?, playing bridge and teaching Bob Ross-like art classes with old folks in an old folks home, CRAFTING A MAGISTERIAL STUNNING PERSONAL STATEMENT, maybe retaking the MCAT and shooting for a 525?, learning medical spanish

 

[Shunsui]

Upping non clinical volunteering, getting clinical hours, and research. Shadowing is more than enough. Idk about post bac though

 

[Jeremy Bearimy]

Shadowing every specialty (as if you're a 3rd year doing clinical rotations), volunteering in a clinic, research at your nearest university, scribing, directing a play on opioid addictions?, playing bridge and teaching Bob Ross-like art classes with old folks in an old folks home, CRAFTING A MAGISTERIAL STUNNING PERSONAL STATEMENT, maybe retaking the MCAT and shooting for a 525?, learning medical spanish

They have a 515, which is a very good MCAT score and plenty high enough for the schools they describe wanting. I personally would not recommend spending time and money on a retake, risking a lower score.

From what I can tell, OP, your bigger weaknesses are in clinical experience (beyond shadowing) and volunteering. You have plenty of shadowing, the only addition you could make there would be to add a few hours from a PCP. I would look for a job or position in a clinical or research setting. I'll leave the post-bacc advising to more knowledgeable sources.