Waiting a year

[maumon6]

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Long time browser, first time posting. So here's my situation, I'm currently doing a do-it-yourself post-bacc at a community college, I didn't decide to take the leap until I was too far down the path I was at school. My wife is also a student (roughly a sophomore). By the time I finish, and should I be admitted on my first go around, my wife would still have a year of schooling left.

Knowing this would it be a good idea to not apply that year and apply the next? My wife and I talked it over and neither of us want to be apart for a year while she finishes. Would a school frown upon me completing the pre-requisites and not continuing on immediately? What could I do in that year to make myself more attractive as an applicant?

Just a little about me:
General biographics
21M
Wife 21, Elementary education major will complete roughly around Spring 2018


School
-B.S. in Paramedicine, BYU-Idaho
-cGPA ~3.95 (Freaking A-'s)
-sGPA so far ~3.9 (Freaking A-'s)
-Taking 12 credits this semester (Gen chem II, Micro, Physics I) with plans to complete between 8-12 credits over the next two semesters to finish the rest of my pre-reqs (Ochem I/II, physics II, and biochem, maybe another class or two thrown in for kicks and giggles)

Shadowing
-Currently at 18 hours shadowing, I shadowed one family practice MD while in school. I have commitments from at least 3 other physicians to allow me to shadow (EM, Peds, IM)
-I have pretty much absolutely zero interest in anything surgical, probably the fields that interest me the most are EM, Peds, and FM.
-Have a particular interest in rural medicine

Work/Clinical experience
-Currently work part time as a paramedic at two different places, as well as in the ED as a registrar (You have to be a CNA to be a ED tech in my state, otherwise I'd do that)
-Have volunteered as an EMT from 16-20, then upgraded to paramedic

Research
-I have no hard research experience, I worked a little bit on a project in paramedic school with the faculty, but it was no where near academic or in-depth enough to even list
-I live in a rural area where research is not something that I'll be able to come across, really at all, without being associated with the university about 30 minutes away

Volunteering
-Firefighter/paramedic and I am the lieutenant over our hazardous materials unit, work on our EMS comittee, perform some QA/QI functions in conjunction with the EMS management staff
-Some at the elementary schools occasionally doing things like teaching chess at after an after school program
-At the humane society (yeah, I know this has nothing to do with people but I like it)
-Am on again and off again involved with cub and boy scouts in various capacities
-Worked on a project in paramedic school with some of the other paramedic student where we taught hands-only CPR and AED use to large groups of students, mapped over 200 AEDs, and pointed business and non-profits interested in obtaining AEDs for public use towards grants to obtain them

 

[keels99]

There is nothing wrong with taking a year off between applying. You aren't even very old (26 is the age of the average matriculant.) Just make sure you're doing something productive so when you interview you're able to tell them what you've been doing over the past year. Just continue working as a paramedic and get some more shadowing hours/volunteer hours in.

 

[maumon6]

There is nothing wrong with taking a year off between applying. You aren't even very old (26 is the age of the average matriculant.) Just make sure you're doing something productive so when you interview you're able to tell them what you've been doing over the past year. Just continue working as a paramedic and get some more shadowing hours/volunteer hours in.

Hey thanks for responding, any thoughts on what to do in a rural environment about research? I know the shadowing is deficient at the moment but I have time for that. Any particular additional volunteer activities come to mind?

 

[keels99]

Hey thanks for responding, any thoughts on what to do in a rural environment about research? I know the shadowing is deficient at the moment but I have time for that. Any particular additional volunteer activities come to mind?

I didn't have any research, mainly because I didn't want to and didn't enjoy it. My entire major was research based. As far as volunteering goes, I always did stuff that I was interested in. I'm from MO so I participated in Joplin's tornado relief with Samaritan's Purse and volunteered with the local food harvest. Did some street clean ups too. It's really whatever you want to do. It's a lot easier to talk about it during an interview if you actually enjoyed your volunteer work.

 

[s5260205]

Hey thanks for responding, any thoughts on what to do in a rural environment about research? I know the shadowing is deficient at the moment but I have time for that. Any particular additional volunteer activities come to mind?

Research is definitely not a requirement for medical school admissions. And unless you are really interested in the research area, you would just become miserable and feel it a waste of time (speaking from experience). Additionally, as it stands now, your extracurriculuar activities are more than sufficient. It's better to have few long-term meaningful activities than many filler ones.

 

[maumon6]

Research is definitely not a requirement for medical school admissions. And unless you are really interested in the research area, you would just become miserable and feel it a waste of time (speaking from experience). Additionally, as it stands now, your extracurriculuar activities are more than sufficient. It's better to have few long-term meaningful activities than many filler ones.

I really do love most of the volunteer activities that I do. The only one I ever feel particularly *meh* about is when I have to work with the cub scouts as opposed to the boy scouts (I'd much rather teach something interesting, like for the merit badges I'm a counselor for, compared with having to teach kids about civics). The only area of research that I ever find myself highly motivated about is EMS research, but I live in an area with a non-progressive EMS medical director who, at least in my opinion, doesn't seem to care about EMS. The closest I can come is the QA/QI I help with, it gives me the opportunity to do case reviews and suggest system and training improvements.

 

[keels99]

I'd just continue what you're doing especially if you enjoy it. Nothing wrong with a gap year.

 

[Goro]

Concur!

There is nothing wrong with taking a year off between applying. You aren't even very old (26 is the age of the average matriculant.) Just make sure you're doing something productive so when you interview you're able to tell them what you've been doing over the past year. Just continue working as a paramedic and get some more shadowing hours/volunteer hours in.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Waiting a year was the best decision I had made on this process. It allowed my wife to finish her masters degree with me there (so no possible long distance thing). It allowed me more time to keep beefing up my application and get more shadowing and better letters of rec. I say if there is any part of your gut telling you to hold off, I think you should follow it, it takes a lot of stress off and feels less like you are forcing the whole med school thing to happen.

 

[PlaqueBuster]

If you have the opportunity shadow a osteopathic physician as this will help you understand the role of DO's in medicine and you can get a LOR from them. Some schools require it.

 

[maumon6]

If you have the opportunity shadow a osteopathic physician as this will help you understand the role of DO's in medicine and you can get a LOR from them. Some schools require it.

I'm hoping that the doctors I'm going to be shadowing can help me out with a connection to a D.O. I personally don't feel like I know any D.O.'s well enough to ask so I'm slowly trying to network my way through the other docs to one.

 

[Chubbs Peterson]

If you have the opportunity shadow a osteopathic physician as this will help you understand the role of DO's in medicine and you can get a LOR from them. Some schools require it.

? You mean the same role as MD's? Since, you know, they are both freaking physicians???

 

[evooo8]

Keep shadowing, volunteering and study a lot for the MCAT during your gap year. Are you only planning on applying DO, since you are in the pre-osteo forum?

 

[maumon6]

Keep shadowing, volunteering and study a lot for the MCAT during your gap year. Are you only planning on applying DO, since you are in the pre-osteo forum?

The only MD school I see myself applying for is University of Maryland because it's my state school, but I'm not holding my breath because they already have an expressed dislike of prereqs taken at CC. Other than that I think I'm pretty much planning to have a strictly DO application.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

The only MD school I see myself applying for is University of Maryland because it's my state school, but I'm not holding my breath because they already have an expressed dislike of prereqs taken at CC. Other than that I think I'm pretty much planning to have a strictly DO application.

They will overlook them completely. I remember wayyyy back when I was still living in maryland and first started on this med school adventure. I called about this same issue and basically they said that obviously a 4 year college course is looked at with more respect but if you have good grades from a CC that it wont make a difference.

Your grades are solid. If you bust out say a 28 or 29 MCAT you will at the very least get an interview. You get a 30+ and you are in. I personally know someone attending there with lower grades than that.

***Side note, research really helps with MD schools. If you can get some research under your belt and you get a decent MCAT it will seal the deal there.

 

[PlaqueBuster]

? You mean the same role as MD's? Since, you know, they are both freaking physicians???

Some DO's practice OMT and this is exclusive to the DO professiosn so you may not see this during a shadow with an MD. Also, you are an idiot for even implicitly suggesting in your post that shadowing an MD is sufficient if OP wants to apply to DO schools. Many DO schools give more weight to your application if you have a DO connection through shadowing.

 

[hallowmann]

The only MD school I see myself applying for is University of Maryland because it's my state school, but I'm not holding my breath because they already have an expressed dislike of prereqs taken at CC. Other than that I think I'm pretty much planning to have a strictly DO application.

Honestly, I'd spread the app to other MD state schools. UMD might not like CC pre-reqs (not even sure about that), but not all state schools are 90% IS so it might be worth applying even if you aren't IS, and it would be worth it if you are looking at a drop in tuition.

Obviously all this depends on your MCAT, so focus on that and get as high as you can get. Get >30, and you might get into a MD school that offers you scholarships or something. Anyways, what I'm saying is keep your options open.

Also, there's no problem at all with waiting a year, just make sure you kick butt on the MCAT and keep up your ECs (or expand them).