Would it be a mistake for me to take 2 gap years?

[lishpy]

I've been torn about whether to take a (second) gap year. I've completed my school's PAC process and have some rough drafts of my PS/activities/common secondaries, but I'm questioning whether I should take another year to improve my application and better my writing. Additionally, my ECs are not superb, and my advisor has also told me that I could be a much stronger applicant with an extra year.

I'm a senior at an Ivy League with a 4.0 GPA and 523 MCAT.

A brief overview of my ECs

• Only 375 hours of clinical volunteering in a hospital. I work closely with a psych NP, where I meet with patients and write notes on them and whether they're still exhibiting X symptom.
• 90 hours volunteering with nursing home patients with dementia. This was just to socialize and keep them company, so I'm considering it non-clinical
• 250 hours of non-clinical volunteering with homebound/disabled seniors. Delivering food from food pantries, making phones/computers more accessible, and doing other errands etc.
• 1400+ hours of research - I will be the second author on a publication, but I am currently still working on the preprint, so it definitely will not be published by the time I apply
• 50 hours of shadowing
• 300 hours playing in a university orchestra for four years
• 350 hours TAing
• I worked for a month as a CNA to get my state license, but I haven't used it since, so it was essentially just training. Not planning on including this in my application. It's 120 hours

I have a medical assistant position lined up after I graduate, but I won't start accumulating hours until after I submit my primary application. I'll also be moving back to my state of residence, so all my current ECs will end. I'll need to find new volunteer opportunities.

Would it be unreasonable to take two gap years instead of one? I'm primarily concerned about my low levels of clinical hours, but perhaps I am being too neurotic. I took my MCAT this January, so I don't think it would expire for most schools in the 2026-2027 cycle, but correct me if I'm wrong.

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[harmonious_gazelle]

I’m not an adcom, but after talking to friends who’ve gone through the process, I honestly haven’t met anyone who regretted taking 1–3 gap years. Some people I know took up to three and really valued that time — whether it was traveling, volunteering abroad, spending more time with family, or saving money for living expenses during med school.
I don’t think your clinical hours are “low,” especially with your upcoming medical assistant job. If your first gap year is focused on gaining more clinical experience, that will already strengthen your app a lot. But beyond just hours, having more life experience can also really help you come across as mature and confident in your writing and interviews.
If your research ends up getting published before you apply, that’ll be another boost. Honestly, you have a great shot at getting in even if you apply this upcoming cycle. But if you wait and submit the strongest version of your app — with more clinical exposure, a publication, and refined writing — you might not only get in but also earn scholarships or better financial aid from top programs.
It’s easy to feel like you NEED to apply right away, but taking the time to submit the best possible application is a smart and strategic move and gives you more time to relax/recharge before jumping back into school, since a whole gap year is spent on the application process anyways.

 

[candbgirl]

It would be a mistake to apply before you are sure you have the best application possible. You only want to do this once. Good luck.

 

[Dr.Freedman MedEdits]

• Only 375 hours of clinical volunteering in a hospital. I work closely with a psych NP, where I meet with patients and write notes on them and whether they're still exhibiting X symptom.
• 90 hours volunteering with nursing home patients with dementia. This was just to socialize and keep them company, so I'm considering it non-clinical

The above experiences all count as "patient facing" and are clinical exposure which is excellent. There is a fine line between what can be deemed community service - clinical versus non clinical.

The time you have devoted to research is also terrific.

Deciding to take two gap years would largely depend on your future goals. Do you want to attend at T10 medical school? Are you aiming for your state medical school?

Your success will also depend on your overall narrative and what the focus of your work has been. For example, is your research related to the clinical exposure you have had?

Gaining additional experience as a medical assistant beyond one full year is unlikely to distinguish you. Also keep in mind that you can include that experience on your application for this cycle as anticipated hours.

 

[lishpy]

The above experiences all count as "patient facing" and are clinical exposure which is excellent. There is a fine line between what can be deemed community service - clinical versus non clinical.

The time you have devoted to research is also terrific.

Deciding to take two gap years would largely depend on your future goals. Do you want to attend at T10 medical school? Are you aiming for your state medical school?

Your success will also depend on your overall narrative and what the focus of your work has been. For example, is your research related to the clinical exposure you have had?

Gaining additional experience as a medical assistant beyond one full year is unlikely to distinguish you. Also keep in mind that you can include that experience on your application for this cycle as anticipated hours.

Thank you for the response.

I would be ecstatic to attend my state's medical school, and I care very little where I attend. I'm primarily interested in family medicine (or becoming a geriatrician more specifically), so I don't think the medical school I attend will have much impact on that (tentative) long-term goal.

My research is not directly related to the clinical exposure I've had. While it is neuroscience research, it has no direct connection to the patients I regularly meet with particular cognitive impairments and psychiatric disorders. Nonetheless, it is something I'm passionate and enthusiastic about - it just simply doesn't fit neatly into a super cohesive narrative.

That last point is helpful - I've heard anticipated hours mean a lot less, but I think you're right that this job won't distinguish my application much more. I'll definitely consider that. I appreciate you taking the time to type out that response.

 

[Dr.Freedman MedEdits]

Thank you for the response.

I would be ecstatic to attend my state's medical school, and I care very little where I attend. I'm primarily interested in family medicine (or becoming a geriatrician more specifically), so I don't think the medical school I attend will have much impact on that (tentative) long-term goal.

My research is not directly related to the clinical exposure I've had. While it is neuroscience research, it has no direct connection to the patients I regularly meet with particular cognitive impairments and psychiatric disorders. Nonetheless, it is something I'm passionate and enthusiastic about - it just simply doesn't fit neatly into a super cohesive narrative.

That last point is helpful - I've heard anticipated hours mean a lot less, but I think you're right that this job won't distinguish my application much more. I'll definitely consider that. I appreciate you taking the time to type out that response.

Dementia and neuroscience are, in fact, related! Psychiatry and neuroscience are also closely related.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

... Additionally, my ECs are not superb, and my advisor has also told me that I could be a much stronger applicant with an extra year.

Is this your opinion or your advisors? Where are the areas you can improve to be a "much stronger applicant", at least in their opinion?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to WAMC.

Honestly, your app is very strong right now and meets most schools' minimums for clinical and nonclinical volunteering. Of course, they would be stronger with another year, and I don't think I would classify them currently as "superb," but they don't need to be when your academics and research both are excellent. If you're really shooting for a T10 school, then an extra year might help elevate your application to give you a better shot... but 1) it probably isn't worth a year of attending salary on the back end to aim for T10 if you could get into T50 or a state school now, and 2) T10s are so competitive that there is nothing that you could do that would make you a "shoo-in," so you could spend a full year trying to aim for a T10 and still wind up attending the same level of school you could've gotten into this year.

My vote is that your app is competitive, so unless you personally want to have another year before you jump on the treadmill of medical training, you should prepare to apply this year.

 

[lishpy]

Is this your opinion or your advisors? Where are the areas you can improve to be a "much stronger applicant", at least in their opinion?

I may have overstated this, but they don't think I have poor chances of getting into some medical school (they did approve my PAC application after all); however, they believe I could have "a significantly stronger profile and chances" if I had more clinical hours. Besides some minor comments on my essays, their opinion seemed purely based on the fact that other applicants will have "thousands of hours that could pale to mine." Perhaps I am reading too much into their comment, or the recommendation was meant to be interpreted along the same lines as GoSpursGo's sentiments.

 

[lishpy]

Moving to WAMC.

Honestly, your app is very strong right now and meets most schools' minimums for clinical and nonclinical volunteering. Of course, they would be stronger with another year, and I don't think I would classify them currently as "superb," but they don't need to be when your academics and research both are excellent. If you're really shooting for a T10 school, then an extra year might help elevate your application to give you a better shot... but 1) it probably isn't worth a year of attending salary on the back end to aim for T10 if you could get into T50 or a state school now, and 2) T10s are so competitive that there is nothing that you could do that would make you a "shoo-in," so you could spend a full year trying to aim for a T10 and still wind up attending the same level of school you could've gotten into this year.

My vote is that your app is competitive, so unless you personally want to have another year before you jump on the treadmill of medical training, you should prepare to apply this year.

Sorry about posting this in the wrong place! Thanks for moving it. After reading what people have to say here, I think I may as well go through with it this cycle. I appreciate the advice.

 

[LunaOri]

Your hours look good to me now, and I don’t think another gap year is necessary, as long as you can write about how your activities were meaningful to you.