Will I have to take a gap year?

[DoctorClueless]

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Hi...allow me to give you my background.

I'm currently a rising junior neuroscience major at a respected liberal arts college, and I have a 3.75 BCPM GPA, and a 3.83 overall GPA. I have not yet taken the MCAT.

Academically speaking, my major concern is organic chemistry II (which I'm sure is not unusual at all). I have received an A or A- in every class I've taken at my college (which now includes all premed prereqs except for physics I/II and orgo II), except for organic chem I, which I got a B- in, and organic chemistry II, which went so badly for me that I had to withdraw from the course.

In terms of current extracurriculars, I have the following:

-Resident Advisor (I won their annual Rookie of the Year award this year 😀 )

-Supplemental Instructor (like a TA) for general chemistry in fall of 2012, and for general biology in spring of 2014

-College Ambassador (tour guide), as well as the Social Media Coordinator for the tour guide committee.

-Vice President of the Society for Neuroscience

-Vice President of "Participation, Academics, Campus Life"---basically a club that facilitates weekly intellectual discussions

-Treasurer of Hillel Society (Jewish Society)

-weekly volunteer during the school year at a local homeless shelter

-Last spring break I did a community service trip to Newark (Sandy Relief)

-Last summer I did research for 10 weeks in the psychology department of another college (connected via a program at my own school). It culminated in a poster presentation for the International Neuropsychological Society, and a publishing of my abstract in their annual meeting document (extremely minor publication but I figured I'd mention it anyway)

-This summer I am studying abroad in London, where I'm taking a seminar class on the ethics of healthcare in the US vs. the UK, and I'm once again in an internship doing psychology research at a college here (for 4 weeks).

-I have shadowed a radiologist for 3 days last winter break.

************

Anyway, I have 2 major concerns. First, of course, is my organic chemistry problem. My school only offers it in the spring, and I'm not sure how I would be able to take it in time for the MCAT.

Second, I've realized that while I'm decent on the research front, I'm very weak in terms of shadowing. If I wanted to apply to med school this year, how am I supposed to get shadowing experiences (and doc LORS) in time?!?! I have no summers left, so I feel like I'm out of options.

That being said, do you think I will be forced to take a gap year? This is REALLY something I don't want to do....I see it basically as losing a year of my life. If I have to, that's what I'll do (especially since I have no other prospects), but if not, please tell me how on earth I'm supposed to get ready in time to submit my health portfolio application to my college by next spring? Orgo, the MCAT, and the shadowing.....I don't know what to do and I'm seriously starting to panic now 🙁

 

[DoctorClueless]

Also, just how damning is that "W" on my transcript going to be?--real answers, no cynical exaggeration, but no sugarcoating either.

And lastly, how embarrassing/shameful is it to take a gap year (if at all)?

 

[Noggin]

One B- and only one W? Don't worry about it you will be fine. Your GPA is very good.

 

[Mr Avante]

ECs are very good. Not scattered.
GPA is fine.
Just get a 30+ on the mcat.
For the organic chemistry: Go get yourself a book and read it.

 

[ReptarBar]

your ECs are not complete, i'm sorry to say.

you have zero, i repeat ZERO, clinical extracurricular activities. shadowing a doctor for 3 days is a supplementary activity; LizzyM has stated many times that on its own it's pretty useless.

how can you KNOW you want to be a doctor if you have not volunteered/worked in a clinic or hospital? this is the very first thing that a committee member would look at in the activities...does he/she have sufficient medical experience? does he/she understand the field and know what his/her future would be like?

it's the same for other fields...you need sufficient experience before you enter it.

i recommend you find a great volunteering position NOW and keep going at it until you apply.

and why are you so fixated on shadowing? again, many applicants don't even shadow...they just have great clinical experiences from volunteering in a hospital or clinic. shadowing is just the icing on the cake.

you also don't need any LORs from doctors. LizzyM has also stated that letters from doctors you shadowed are generally worthless since they are very generic and don't provide insight into the applicant. if you do some sort of extended project or work with a doctor, then yes, a LOR from him/her would be great; however, a doctor will not have much to say about you after 3 days of shadowing. all you do during shadowing is watch anyways, so how can a doctor comment on your great attributes unless you guys tackled a project together.

normally you are supposed to take all your pre-reqs in your first two years, including ochem. i personally would take a gap year in your situation. i would own ochem in the spring and study for the mcat for 3 months next summer while building my clinical activities.

your research experience is nice, but perhaps you should look for a 20 hr per week lab position. students these days do a ton of research and that's just how it is. top 20ish schools are heavily research-oriented, so you definitely need more research if you are looking at them. if not, then i think your research is sufficient.

besides that, i like your GPA and other extracurriculars. just get some clinical experience and over a 30 on the mcat!

 

[doritos4lyfe]

I dont think you need to take a formal orgo 2 class before your mcat, very little orgo content is tested, I think its possible to learn the orgo2 stuff from a prep book, i think there are a bunch of ppl on this forum who have done that

 

[DoctorClueless]

Yes, I know I don't have clinical ECs...I mentioned that as my concern. And how do you even go about getting clinical experiences? What do you recommend I do/look for, and how am I supposed to find such an opportunity to do during this school year.

Also, I do need physician recs...it's part of my college's portfolio that they send to the medical schools

 

[ReptarBar]

Yes, I know I don't have clinical ECs...I mentioned that as my concern. And how do you even go about getting clinical experiences? What do you recommend I do/look for, and how am I supposed to find such an opportunity to do during this school year.

Also, I do need physician recs...it's part of my college's portfolio that they send to the medical schools

just get any old hospital volunteering position or find a free clinic near you. as you work more and more, you will get more responsibilities, which translates to more patient and clinical experience.

there might be special programs too in hospitals near you such as care extenders etc etc. those are pretty good.

 

[DoctorClueless]

sounds to me like I'm stuck taking gap year...boy have I made a big mistake. Might as well be sentenced to a year in prison...

 

[ReptarBar]

no you don't really have to. it depends on if you are a good at self-studying. you can easily learn required ochem from a review book.

also, ochem is only 25% of the BS section, which means it is 1/12 of the total mcat (excluding writing). so it is not really important on one level, but you still need to be familiar with some typical reactions, stereochemistry, how electrons move, etc etc. ochem 1 is much more important than ochem 2 IMO. the mcat tests more general concepts vs. all those specific reactions you learn in ochem 2.

you could easily self study this summer and take the mcat this year.

it is important, though, to get that clinical volunteering underway by the end of july. it's nice to have 1 year (at least) of a solid clinical activity, 4 hrs per week.

 

[jeghaber]

sounds to me like I'm stuck taking gap year...boy have I made a big mistake. Might as well be sentenced to a year in prison...

Refer to the recent "Do people prefer to take a gap year?" thread for encouragement; I haven't spoken to a single pre-med/medical student who has regretted taking a gap year but have spoken to many medical students who regret the didn't. You're gonna be fine -- in fact, I'm sure you're going to end up with a fantastic application by the time you do apply! 😀

 

[DoctorClueless]

I'm in London for the summer (studying abroad as I mentioned above) and won't be back until before classes start :/

 

[ReptarBar]

I'm in London for the summer (studying abroad as I mentioned above) and won't be back until before classes start :/

oh sorry i keep overlooking things. yea then your only option is self-studying during the year, which is pretty rough. i don't recommend that anyone studies for the mcat during the year versus summer. it's totally unnecessary and can only lower your score.

so if you have the courage to study during junior year, then go for it. otherwise a gap year is in place for you.

 

[DoctorClueless]

I can't even describe how much I f****** hate myself right now.............thank you for the honesty though, rugrats fan...too bad I can't go back in time and save myself.

 

[jeghaber]

I can't even describe how much I f****** hate myself right now.............thank you for the honesty though, rugrats fan...too bad I can't go back in time and save myself.

Plenty of other people who have replied to your thread have also told you that if you *really* wanted it, it would be possible for you to study for and take the MCAT this year while taking up clinical hours to bolster your application and apply next summer. Other than the MCAT and clinical experience the rest of your application is on solid ground. If you wanted to apply next summer, it would obviously require a lot of nose-to-the-grindstone dedication, but it's doable; it all depends on how well you've mastered the material so far and how much work you're willing to put in.

Try out some MCAT studying now and decide if the extra hours you're going to have to put into that is going to be compatible with your course load and added clinical experience hours.

 

[ReptarBar]

yea you could take very easy classes these next two semesters then overload yourself during senior year when your gpa shouldn't really matter (provided you apply and get in). go for it. i don't mean to scare you about studying for the mcat during the year. i did it, and it was fine...but i definitely would have done better if i studied during summer.

 

[jeghaber]

yea you could take very easy classes these next two semesters then overload yourself during senior year when your gpa shouldn't really matter (provided you apply and get in). go for it. i don't mean to scare you about studying for the mcat during the year. i did it, and it was fine...but i definitely would have done better if i studied during summer.

Oops -- didn't mean to discount your solid advice (I hope I didn't come off that way! 😳). It just seemed that the OP was resigned to having to taking a gap year, when nothing immutable is forcing him to against all his wishes and plans, so I wanted to point out that a gap year was in fact possible to avoid with some work.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

sounds to me like I'm stuck taking gap year...boy have I made a big mistake. Might as well be sentenced to a year in prison...[/QUOTE]

This comment tells me you lack perspective and maturity and will benefit from an additional year.

 

[ReptarBar]

Oops -- didn't mean to discount your solid advice (I hope I didn't come off that way! 😳). It just seemed that the OP was resigned to having to taking a gap year, when nothing immutable is forcing him to against all his wishes and plans, so I wanted to point out that a gap year was in fact possible to avoid with some work.

i was agreeing with you, not being sarcastic lol.

 

[Noggin]

OP I think you are being too hard on yourself. Get some clinical experience, rock the MCAT, and you should be good to go. Also, what is so bad about taking a gap year? I am taking a gap year. There is nothing wrong with taking a year off as long as you are doing something that is worthwhile. Look at it this way, you are going to spend your whole life studying/working. Your youth years are considered some of the best years of your life. Why wouldn't you want to take some time off and enjoy these years anyway? If you are going to be a physician either way I really don't understand how taking a year off is considered a big deal.

 

[pandaman2000]

sounds to me like I'm stuck taking gap year...boy have I made a big mistake. Might as well be sentenced to a year in prison...

Only on student doctor is a gap year = year in prison.

Grow up. There are worse things in life and trust me, a gap year is awesome. You have your whole life to study medicine so there's nothing wrong with taking a year off to travel/fool around.

 

[BigBear123]

I was pretty hesitant about taking a gap year, but now that mine is almost over...

Oh man, how my views have shifted. Gap year is the best. I wish I could sign up for another one. Sadly that won't be cool with the med school I'm matriculating at.

Savor. Every. Day. Of. Freedom.

 

[DoctorClueless]

The reason why I'm so hesitant about the gap year is just the fact that the medical path is already long enough...as it is your life doesn't start until sometime in your 30s...why delay it longer?

Also (and I know this isn't a good thing to think about but I can't help it) it seems to me like it's really embarrassing. I'm imagining telling my friends and family my plans after college, and saying how I'm going to take a gap year basically sounds like I'm saying "I'm not good enough for medical school so I got 'held back' so to speak and will have to try again." Most people I know would lose a great deal of respect of me. Again, I know this is shallow, and I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but I'm going to be honest here---people's perceptions of me do matter a lot to me. I wish this wasn't so but that's just the way I am.

 

[tewpac]

The reason why I'm so hesitant about the gap year is just the fact that the medical path is already long enough...as it is your life doesn't start until sometime in your 30s...why delay it longer?

Also (and I know this isn't a good thing to think about but I can't help it) it seems to me like it's really embarrassing. I'm imagining telling my friends and family my plans after college, and saying how I'm going to take a gap year basically sounds like I'm saying "I'm not good enough for medical school so I got 'held back' so to speak and will have to try again." Most people I know would lose a great deal of respect of me. Again, I know this is shallow, and I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but I'm going to be honest here---people's perceptions of me do matter a lot to me. I wish this wasn't so but that's just the way I am.

Then don't take a gap year. You're not out of options, but to me it sounds like you're not up for a challenge. Take a smaller workload and study up on orgo. You CAN definitely do it, but you're being too hard on yourself. Seriously man have some more confidence and stop making excuses..

Also, I don't know why your "life" wouldn't start until you are 30...because mine has been started and I'm loving it. My advice is: if you really do not want to take a gap year, than people here have told you what you need to do, so start planning.

 

[Noggin]

The reason why I'm so hesitant about the gap year is just the fact that the medical path is already long enough...as it is your life doesn't start until sometime in your 30s...why delay it longer?

Also (and I know this isn't a good thing to think about but I can't help it) it seems to me like it's really embarrassing. I'm imagining telling my friends and family my plans after college, and saying how I'm going to take a gap year basically sounds like I'm saying "I'm not good enough for medical school so I got 'held back' so to speak and will have to try again." Most people I know would lose a great deal of respect of me. Again, I know this is shallow, and I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but I'm going to be honest here---people's perceptions of me do matter a lot to me. I wish this wasn't so but that's just the way I am.

You shouldn't feel that strongly about what other people think of you. Also, think of becoming a physician as a journey and not a destination. If you really don't want to take a gap year then I think you won't have to. Either way it won't be the end of the world.

 

[cerno]

sounds to me like I'm stuck taking gap year...boy have I made a big mistake. Might as well be sentenced to a year in prison...

Wow man. If you seriously are approaching the gap year with that attitude, you should have thought long and hard before making a B- and W in organic.

 

[dcc23]

The reason why I'm so hesitant about the gap year is just the fact that the medical path is already long enough...as it is your life doesn't start until sometime in your 30s...why delay it longer?

Also (and I know this isn't a good thing to think about but I can't help it) it seems to me like it's really embarrassing. I'm imagining telling my friends and family my plans after college, and saying how I'm going to take a gap year basically sounds like I'm saying "I'm not good enough for medical school so I got 'held back' so to speak and will have to try again." Most people I know would lose a great deal of respect of me. Again, I know this is shallow, and I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but I'm going to be honest here---people's perceptions of me do matter a lot to me. I wish this wasn't so but that's just the way I am.

Basing life-changing decisons on the opinions of other people is a poor approach. If it really concerns you that much, start applying to killer gap-year research positions that will be impressive both on your application and to the people you're worried about. I'm doing that now and really appreciate the lack of school work while I'm going through the application process. And I'm not 'basically in prison' either.

 

[sbhav]

sounds to me like I'm stuck taking gap year...boy have I made a big mistake. Might as well be sentenced to a year in prison...

Oh my. You really need to grow up. There are many significant things that you can do with a gap year (if you use it to your advantage).

 

[DoctorClueless]

I'm sorry if I was being so sharp tongued....I really shouldn't have compared it to prison. I tend to exaggerate when I'm feeling particularly flustered and upset.

If I did do a gap year....would it be alright if i volunteered a hospital like on the weekends or something, but had a full time job for most the year? I am pretty sure I can get a job as an admissions counselor or assistant director of admissions at my college (they really like me there).

Again, I'm sorry for being so pig-headed, I was just having a rough night. I'm not super keen on taking a gap year, but if it IS what is best for me (both for my application and just for my own self), that's what I'll do.

 

[DoctorClueless]

^so yeah if someone could answer that question, thatd be great. I'd LOVE that job, but if it's not going to be useful to me, I would just do something else.

 

[Drogo]

I'm sorry if I was being so sharp tongued....I really shouldn't have compared it to prison. I tend to exaggerate when I'm feeling particularly flustered and upset.

If I did do a gap year....would it be alright if i volunteered a hospital like on the weekends or something, but had a full time job for most the year? I am pretty sure I can get a job as an admissions counselor or assistant director of admissions at my college (they really like me there).

Again, I'm sorry for being so pig-headed, I was just having a rough night. I'm not super keen on taking a gap year, but if it IS what is best for me (both for my application and just for my own self), that's what I'll do.

Ideal scenario for you would be some clinical volunteer work (with lots of patient contact) weekly and also some community service work while taking up a job with some leadership type role. Unless you are wanting to apply to research heavy schools, your butt better be in that damn lab all year!

 

[Audiojb]

Take a gap year, no need in over stressing. I'd gamble that the a fair amount of people on SDN have been busting ass since High School, and all through college (maybe not, could all be slackers). However, those are the ones who regret not taking time before Med School to travel, have fun, relax, etc. No need to rush something you'll likely be doing the rest of your life

Volunteer spot, scribe job if possible, bolstering your ECs can never hurt.

 

[DoctorClueless]

I have no interest in attending a research heavy school. I liked the research I've done, but it's not something that is essential to me. I'm a clinician at heart.

So does that mean working in admissions is a bad idea? that stinks...

 

[BigBear123]

I didn't do anything clinically related during my gap year and I did not even volunteer (I worked in industry). Some schools I interviewed at didn't even ask me what I was doing this year. Doing a weekly volunteer stint or some casual shadowing is good enough I think - it shows you're keeping up your clinical interest. I would only recommend getting a scribe job or something similar if that it is something that really interests you AND you have a means of supporting yourself (ie living at your parents house for free). It's hard to make ends meet at $10/hr and pay for apps.

In this economy, I would say take any job you can get. If the admissions job works for you, just find a place to volunteer at and you're golden.