MD WAMC Gap year or no? (3.98/521)

[suggabounce]

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Posting to see you guys’ opinions on whether a gap year would be helpful for me. In the least pretentious way possible, going to a T30 or similar caliber is the goal.

1. cGPA: 3.98 sGPA: 3.98
2. MCAT: 521 (130/132/130/129) 1 attempt
3. Louisiana Resident
4. White
5. Tulane, Neuroscience and Psychology double major
6. 700 hours as 911 EMT
7. 1 semester in a social psych lab, 1 semester and some summer in a TBI Lab in Tulane Med School Neurosurgery Department. 1 Publications submitted at time of primary submission, probably accepted around early November. Another publication likely to be submitted in September. Middle author on both and both from TBI lab. Total of ~700 hrs research at time of primary submission.
8. 63 hours shadowing a neurosurgeon and radiologist
9. Non clinical volunteering: 200 hours Crisis Text Line, 100 hours tutoring local children, 400+ hours volunteering every year for holiday programs for kids and their parents who are incarcerated at a local penitentiary (have been doing this since I was 12 and continues thru college). 50 hours at humane society. 100 hours in program I created tutoring local children in chess.
10. Other activities: President of Chess Club, on e-Board of tutoring club for local children, e-Board for Neuroscience Association. Planned largest chess tournament in Louisiana within past 25 years, did events with chess Grandmasters, secured bid for first national chess tournament to be held at Tulane.
11. No notable awards or honors at time of application
12. (In my opinion) I have a good narrative linking the EMT work to research through an impactful call I had regarding a TBI, as well as incorporating my other service activities . Have been told that my PS is great and that it creates a clear story and narrative. Biggest drawback for me is that I only have 1 submitted publication with it probably not being accepted till later in cycle. Applying with a gap year would have me submitting primaries with 2-3 accepted publications as a mid author and probably another one submitted. Would also get the EMT hours up to maybe around 1000 and the research hours would get up to 2000. Maybe notable but experience working in cybersecurity for my father’s company: ~1.5k hrs and Security+ and CASP+ certified

Sorry if I formatted this wrong or left out info, thank you for any help.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Can you explain why you are considering a gap year or not? Research productivity isn't a great reason unless you are applying +PhD. Your chances are not dictated by hours alone, and this is not a clinical-hours arms race.

 

[suggabounce]

Welcome to the forums.

Can you explain why you are considering a gap year or not? Research productivity isn't a great reason unless you are applying +PhD. Your chances are not dictated by hours alone, and this is not a clinical-hours arms race.

Thanks for taking the time to read it. In all honesty, taking a gap year would primarily be to further my research (hours, publications, ability to have more experiences to write about) - MD/PhD is not something I’d like to do. It’s at the point where I have a publication that is at submission status, but knowing that I could apply with ~2 accepted publications and an overall stronger application is what is appealing. I worry that if I apply this cycle I may have buyer’s remorse and wonder what my cycle would have been like if I took a gap year.

 

[mike-sheree]

Posting to see you guys’ opinions on whether a gap year would be helpful for me. In the least pretentious way possible, going to a T30 or similar caliber is the goal.

1. cGPA: 3.98 sGPA: 3.98
2. MCAT: 521 (130/132/130/129) 1 attempt
3. Louisiana Resident
4. White
5. Tulane, Neuroscience and Psychology double major
6. 700 hours as 911 EMT
7. 1 semester in a social psych lab, 1 semester and some summer in a TBI Lab in Tulane Med School Neurosurgery Department. 1 Publications submitted at time of primary submission, probably accepted around early November. Another publication likely to be submitted in September. Middle author on both and both from TBI lab. Total of ~700 hrs research at time of primary submission.
8. 63 hours shadowing a neurosurgeon and radiologist
9. Non clinical volunteering: 200 hours Crisis Text Line, 100 hours tutoring local children, 400+ hours volunteering every year for holiday programs for kids and their parents who are incarcerated at a local penitentiary (have been doing this since I was 12 and continues thru college). 50 hours at humane society. 100 hours in program I created tutoring local children in chess.
10. Other activities: President of Chess Club, on e-Board of tutoring club for local children, e-Board for Neuroscience Association. Planned largest chess tournament in Louisiana within past 25 years, did events with chess Grandmasters, secured bid for first national chess tournament to be held at Tulane.
11. No notable awards or honors at time of application
12. (In my opinion) I have a good narrative linking the EMT work to research through an impactful call I had regarding a TBI, as well as incorporating my other service activities . Have been told that my PS is great and that it creates a clear story and narrative. Biggest drawback for me is that I only have 1 submitted publication with it probably not being accepted till later in cycle. Applying with a gap year would have me submitting primaries with 2-3 accepted publications as a mid author and probably another one submitted. Would also get the EMT hours up to maybe around 1000 and the research hours would get up to 2000. Maybe notable but experience working in cybersecurity for my father’s company: ~1.5k hrs and Security+ and CASP+ certified

Sorry if I formatted this wrong or left out info, thank you for any help.

Is a gap year worth ~$500K(one year off your top earning year) to you? You may not think so when you are 60ish.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for taking the time to read it. In all honesty, taking a gap year would primarily be to further my research (hours, publications, ability to have more experiences to write about) - MD/PhD is not something I’d like to do. It’s at the point where I have a publication that is at submission status, but knowing that I could apply with ~2 accepted publications and an overall stronger application is what is appealing. I worry that if I apply this cycle I may have buyer’s remorse and wonder what my cycle would have been like if I took a gap year.

You don't need to stay employed in a lab for your authorship to remain on a paper. Many of my friends who left grad school (some started medical school) still got their papers published with their name on it... over 3 years later. I've published papers with my name on it years while I was deep into another job. Granted, get the arrangement for your authorship signed off (documented) before you leave.

Once you have a manuscript, paper publications are the responsibility of your PI. They have more invested in it than you. Most faculty know this, and that's why pubs are overblown as a competitive factor in med school applications.

I think I know the source of your desires: you feel you are T20 material.

Your in-state options will still be your in-state options, and unless you really blow describing your purpose as a physician, you should be getting at least one interview from them (Tulane, LSU-NO, LSU-S; VCOM-Monroe). I'm guessing you're angling to get out of state and running to the coasts, and you want to ascend the brand name ladder. Unless you boost your non-clinical experience (250 hours service orientation activities) and your clinical exposure (more EMT hours), you might not get that much attention.

 

[suggabounce]

You don't need to stay employed in a lab for your authorship to remain on a paper. Many of my friends who left grad school (some started medical school) still got their papers published with their name on it... over 3 years later. I've published papers with my name on it years while I was deep into another job. Granted, get the arrangement for your authorship signed off (documented) before you leave.

Once you have a manuscript, paper publications are the responsibility of your PI. They have more invested in it than you. Most faculty know this, and that's why pubs are overblown as a competitive factor in med school applications.

I think I know the source of your desires: you feel you are T20 material.

Your in-state options will still be your in-state options, and unless you really blow describing your purpose as a physician, you should be getting at least one interview from them (Tulane, LSU-NO, LSU-S; VCOM-Monroe). I'm guessing you're angling to get out of state and running to the coasts, and you want to ascend the brand name ladder. Unless you boost your non-clinical experience (250 hours service orientation activities) and your clinical exposure (more EMT hours), you might not get that much attention.

Yes a T30 school is certainly the goal, I have no qualms admitting that. If publications are indeed overblown, then I guess there’s not as much of a case to take a gap year to be able to apply with accepted publications rather than submitted publications. You mentioned increasing my non-clinical volunteering to 250hrs+; is that to mean that my current hours and experiences aren’t as meaningful as I thought?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yes a T30 school is certainly the goal, I have no qualms admitting that. If publications are indeed overblown, then I guess there’s not as much of a case to take a gap year to be able to apply with accepted publications rather than submitted publications. You mentioned increasing my non-clinical volunteering to 250hrs+; is that to mean that my current hours and experiences aren’t as meaningful as I thought?

If your goal is to gain admission to a T30 school, yes. I need more evidence of your community impact than what you describe.