Would you suggest a gap year for me?

[steelersfan1243]

---

Members do not see this ad.

This is my application at the current moment:

Resident Assistant (2 years)
President/E-Board Position of Cultural Club (2 years)
EMT (Volunteer through my school's organization) (2 years)
Founder of Fitness and Weightlifting Club (1 year)
Tutor for Chemistry paid through the school (1 year)
Chemistry Lab Floater (Similar to TA) (1 year)
Volunteered as a Tutor for a local high school (1 year)
Volunteered at Opportunity House tutoring/taking care of kids at a Day Care (During semester breaks for 2 years)
Researched for what will be two years at time of application in the same lab, so far only received three undergraduate grants for it (totaling~$6000)
30hrs of shadowing
GPA-~3.8

The reason I ask if a gap year is needed is because if I want to apply this cycle I wish to apply as early as possible, June 3rd, however I have yet to take my MCAT, thought I could take it late May, but I have not started studying for it at all. I have a full semester right now with all my ECs, so I feel as if it would be extremely difficult to study for the MCAT as much as I like. However, should I just try my best to do well on the MCAT, does it feel as if my ECs could use more time commitment? Is it possible to sufficiently study for the MCAT in two months? Any help would be appreciated, please and thank you.

 

[vanillabear55]

have you thought about taking a June MCAT and submitting before you get your score?

 

[steelersfan1243]

have you thought about taking a June MCAT and submitting before you get your score?

Would that mean applying late though? I saw how detrimental it was for my brother to apply late and just wish not to do the same, thank you for the help btw

 

[vanillabear55]

I'm currently trying to figure this out for myself, so I'm happy to talk it out haha.

If you submitted your AMCAS, I think it gets verified pretty quickly if you submit in June (theres a thread with submission and verification dates from past cycles, check that out) then your MCAT score would get uploaded automatically when it becomes available in July. I was looking into the June 5th MCAT (~3 months of studying), so I would hopefully be complete when my score became available July 1st, I believe.

If you don't mind me asking, when was your brother complete/ how were his gpa/mcat?

 

[terp720]

Would that mean applying late though? I saw how detrimental it was for my brother to apply late and just wish not to do the same, thank you for the help btw

I'm currently trying to figure this out for myself, so I'm happy to talk it out haha.

If you submitted your AMCAS, I think it gets verified pretty quickly if you submit in June (theres a thread with submission and verification dates from past cycles, check that out) then your MCAT score would get uploaded automatically when it becomes available in July. I was looking into the June 5th MCAT (~3 months of studying), so I would hopefully be complete when my score became available July 1st, I believe.

If you don't mind me asking, when was your brother complete/ how were his gpa/mcat?

vanillabear is right. If you submit quickly after it opens for submission, your app will probably be verified by the time you get scores back. Your app with update with your MCAT scores.
Information isn't sent to schools until the end of June, so you would still get secondaries in July, be able to submit them, and have your MCAT score in pretty early.

Since you won't know your MCAT score when you submit your application, you can add very few schools to begin with, then add more once you know your score. They will get your app quickly if it's already been verified and you'll still be very early in the cycle.

But you have to judge based on what you're scoring whether you're comfortable submitting your primary without knowing your MCAT.

 

[mrh125]

apply all you can, don't take gaps. apply and put the time you've got to use with good e.c.s. the more you apply the better, things are only going to get more competitive as time progresses

 

[mrh125]

Also, no matter what you do you're always going to hear how other people have done better and more than you have, and how that makes you less competitive. get used to hearing it and shrugging it off. keep applying and pushing. better late than never

 

[baconshrimps]

have you thought about taking a June MCAT and submitting before you get your score?

It would be moot.

The real advantage of submitting your application early is not only in getting your AMCAS in queue for verification before there are so many applications that it will suffer a 6-8 week delay, but is in getting a complete application forwarded to the MD programs, early. Most medical schools will not process an incomplete application, and that includes waiting to screen an applicant if they screen with MCAT, delaying forwarding a secondary until they receive the MCAT score from AMCAS, etc.

Submitting a complete application, early, will give a faster turn-around from medical schools in sending secondary applications, and give the applicant a better opportunity to get completed secondaries in early in the season.

Someone correct me if what I am suggesting is inaccurate, but it would seem, at least to me, submitting a complete application early is what gives the advantage of applying early.


OP, I think everyone can benefit from a gap year. Even with your impressive GPA, if you are applying to allopathic schools, you will want to score at least a 31. Some people are saying that 30 is the new 29, and from what I've seen on MDapps/SDN, once you make it beyond the 33 mark, thats when you start getting a decent amount of interviews (assuming you're not URM, SES low, etc.)

Your EC's sound great, but shadowing may be on the low side, depending on which schools you are applying to (some schools really want to see it, other schools don't really hold much praise for shadowing, it's a mixed bag.) The other thing I might want to see on your application if I was an ADCOM is some kind of hospital based volunteering.

Also, your "Volunteered at Opportunity House tutoring/taking care of kids at a Day Care (During semester breaks for 2 years)" doesn't give much insight to how much time you spent in the experience. It will probably go down in the AMCAS under the category "non-clinical volunteering/community service" but you will need to report how many hours you spent in the experience. If you spent 2 hours/wk over each of those school breaks, it probably will not amount to anything particularly impressive on your application.

A gap year would present a terrific opportunity for you to continue building your application, devote time to studying for the MCAT, maybe get some more experiences, possibly a hospital-volunteering gig, or a research/clinical job (lab technician, patient care tech, etc.) All very good things to build your app. Until you have an MCAT score, it's really hard to estimate if your application would be in the top or middle 3rd of medical school applicants, but by the looks of it you wouldn't be one of the low-status candidates by any measure, unless you totally bomb the MCAT. I'd recommend the gap year. If you're just graduating college, you're still pretty young and one year at this point in your life will not change your career trajectory (some people take 5 or 6 years off after college, start families - at that point, many opt for a streamlined (shorter) post-medical school training, like for family medicine or emergency med, etc) but as a recent college graduate, 1 (or 2 gap years even) will change too much for you in this regard, probably.

The other thing to keep in mind is that anything you are doing DURING your gap year and apply at the beginning of your gap year, it wont appear on your AMCAS (or if it does, it will be viewed with some skepticism) as you will not have done anything year since the app process is a year long. Some people will use 1 gap year to do a few things to build further their application, and then a second gap year is the application year, so all of that awesome stuff they did in the first gap year DOES go on the AMCAS.

Sorry if I've gone off topic/rambled here, I tend to do that sometimes.

If you want to devote 'protected' time to preparing for the MCAT, given the situation you've described, I'd suggest taking the gap year.

Good Luck!

 

[steelersfan1243]

Hey guys,

Appreciate all the help, Baconshrimps had convinced me a gap year was needed, however after discussion with my parents, they really dislike the idea. I really liked the thought of getting a job and being by myself for a while, but they said after rent, food, and miscellaneous costs I would be lucky to get five grand, why not just go straight to medical school. They feel like I could really suck it up in the next couple of months and get all that I am missing and apply for this cycle, it would be stressful and I wouldn't score as well as I could on the MCAT, but should I do this? What are some things I could do in my gap year that would make it worthwhile? I would love to travel seeing as I never done that, but my parents definitely could not finance that. Is there any program, other than PeaceCorps or Americorps which I can do this for a year? Go abroad for a couple of months? I would do it at second half of my gap year to avoid missed interviews. I just need reaffirmation that a gap year would be a good thing. Any help would be appreciated, please and thank you.

 

[Aerus]

Hey guys,

Appreciate all the help, Baconshrimps had convinced me a gap year was needed, however after discussion with my parents, they really dislike the idea. I really liked the thought of getting a job and being by myself for a while, but they said after rent, food, and miscellaneous costs I would be lucky to get five grand, why not just go straight to medical school. They feel like I could really suck it up in the next couple of months and get all that I am missing and apply for this cycle, it would be stressful and I wouldn't score as well as I could on the MCAT, but should I do this? What are some things I could do in my gap year that would make it worthwhile? I would love to travel seeing as I never done that, but my parents definitely could not finance that. Is there any program, other than PeaceCorps or Americorps which I can do this for a year? Go abroad for a couple of months? I would do it at second half of my gap year to avoid missed interviews. I just need reaffirmation that a gap year would be a good thing. Any help would be appreciated, please and thank you.

Take the gap year. You have to stand up for yourself to your parents.

 

[infinitessimal]

I'm taking two gap years. Best decision I've ever made.

The first one was inevitable because I hadn't taken half my prereqs. The second ended up happening because I didn't feel prepared enough for my MCAT. I did research, we got published, observed more surgeries, spent more time in a clinical setting, traveled abroad, etc etc. I have such a better idea of what I'm getting myself into, and feel a hell of a lot more mature than I did a year ago. I know this feeling will only continue as I get older. That year isn't about making money - if you have a place to live, it can only help you gain experience. From my understanding, it doesn't matter to med schools where you work or what you do, as long as you show commitment and a hardworking attitude. Parents want the best for you, but their views can sometimes be outdated.

On the other hand, people will apply next summer having taken the new MCAT. There will undoubtedly be a number of old-MCAT applicants, but I wonder how competitive they will be. My friend has talked to some adcoms about this, and they've assured her they will treat everyone the same. But just something to think about.

 

[vanillabear55]

Hey guys,

Appreciate all the help, Baconshrimps had convinced me a gap year was needed, however after discussion with my parents, they really dislike the idea. I really liked the thought of getting a job and being by myself for a while, but they said after rent, food, and miscellaneous costs I would be lucky to get five grand, why not just go straight to medical school. They feel like I could really suck it up in the next couple of months and get all that I am missing and apply for this cycle, it would be stressful and I wouldn't score as well as I could on the MCAT, but should I do this? What are some things I could do in my gap year that would make it worthwhile? I would love to travel seeing as I never done that, but my parents definitely could not finance that. Is there any program, other than PeaceCorps or Americorps which I can do this for a year? Go abroad for a couple of months? I would do it at second half of my gap year to avoid missed interviews. I just need reaffirmation that a gap year would be a good thing. Any help would be appreciated, please and thank you.

You have to do what is right for you. BUT If you go against their wishes...are you going to lose a place to live/support for that year? I have a pretty cool part time job during my gap year, but imagining living off of that salary alone/paying back my loans (oh yeah, if you have loans they can kick in, so consider that if its applicable) is scary. Try to get them on board somehow, it might take a while before they understand. I finally made it sort of understandable to my parents by explaining how if I took the MCAT not fully prepared, I would probably not get in, then need to take even more time off, hurt my chances, and not apply for several years successfully.

 

[3838]

This is my application at the current moment:

Resident Assistant (2 years)
President/E-Board Position of Cultural Club (2 years)
EMT (Volunteer through my school's organization) (2 years)
Founder of Fitness and Weightlifting Club (1 year)
Tutor for Chemistry paid through the school (1 year)
Chemistry Lab Floater (Similar to TA) (1 year)
Volunteered as a Tutor for a local high school (1 year)
Volunteered at Opportunity House tutoring/taking care of kids at a Day Care (During semester breaks for 2 years)
Researched for what will be two years at time of application in the same lab, so far only received three undergraduate grants for it (totaling~$6000)
30hrs of shadowing
GPA-~3.8

The reason I ask if a gap year is needed is because if I want to apply this cycle I wish to apply as early as possible, June 3rd, however I have yet to take my MCAT, thought I could take it late May, but I have not started studying for it at all. I have a full semester right now with all my ECs, so I feel as if it would be extremely difficult to study for the MCAT as much as I like. However, should I just try my best to do well on the MCAT, does it feel as if my ECs could use more time commitment? Is it possible to sufficiently study for the MCAT in two months? Any help would be appreciated, please and thank you.

Take a gap year. You need time to study for the MCAT. And, applying late puts you at a huge disadvantage. I did NOT get the kind of interviews I should have gotten with my stats and I'm convinced it's because I applied late. (By late, I mean I submitted early August and that I wasn't verified until the end of September).

 

[moop]

It would be moot.

The real advantage of submitting your application early is not only in getting your AMCAS in queue for verification before there are so many applications that it will suffer a 6-8 week delay, but is in getting a complete application forwarded to the MD programs, early. Most medical schools will not process an incomplete application, and that includes waiting to screen an applicant if they screen with MCAT, delaying forwarding a secondary until they receive the MCAT score from AMCAS, etc.

Submitting a complete application, early, will give a faster turn-around from medical schools in sending secondary applications, and give the applicant a better opportunity to get completed secondaries in early in the season.

Someone correct me if what I am suggesting is inaccurate, but it would seem, at least to me, submitting a complete application early is what gives the advantage of applying early.


OP, I think everyone can benefit from a gap year. Even with your impressive GPA, if you are applying to allopathic schools, you will want to score at least a 31. Some people are saying that 30 is the new 29, and from what I've seen on MDapps/SDN, once you make it beyond the 33 mark, thats when you start getting a decent amount of interviews (assuming you're not URM, SES low, etc.)

Your EC's sound great, but shadowing may be on the low side, depending on which schools you are applying to (some schools really want to see it, other schools don't really hold much praise for shadowing, it's a mixed bag.) The other thing I might want to see on your application if I was an ADCOM is some kind of hospital based volunteering.

Also, your "Volunteered at Opportunity House tutoring/taking care of kids at a Day Care (During semester breaks for 2 years)" doesn't give much insight to how much time you spent in the experience. It will probably go down in the AMCAS under the category "non-clinical volunteering/community service" but you will need to report how many hours you spent in the experience. If you spent 2 hours/wk over each of those school breaks, it probably will not amount to anything particularly impressive on your application.

A gap year would present a terrific opportunity for you to continue building your application, devote time to studying for the MCAT, maybe get some more experiences, possibly a hospital-volunteering gig, or a research/clinical job (lab technician, patient care tech, etc.) All very good things to build your app. Until you have an MCAT score, it's really hard to estimate if your application would be in the top or middle 3rd of medical school applicants, but by the looks of it you wouldn't be one of the low-status candidates by any measure, unless you totally bomb the MCAT. I'd recommend the gap year. If you're just graduating college, you're still pretty young and one year at this point in your life will not change your career trajectory (some people take 5 or 6 years off after college, start families - at that point, many opt for a streamlined (shorter) post-medical school training, like for family medicine or emergency med, etc) but as a recent college graduate, 1 (or 2 gap years even) will change too much for you in this regard, probably.

The other thing to keep in mind is that anything you are doing DURING your gap year and apply at the beginning of your gap year, it wont appear on your AMCAS (or if it does, it will be viewed with some skepticism) as you will not have done anything year since the app process is a year long. Some people will use 1 gap year to do a few things to build further their application, and then a second gap year is the application year, so all of that awesome stuff they did in the first gap year DOES go on the AMCAS.

Sorry if I've gone off topic/rambled here, I tend to do that sometimes.

If you want to devote 'protected' time to preparing for the MCAT, given the situation you've described, I'd suggest taking the gap year.

Good Luck!

How is it that people who write stuff like this still get banned o_____O

 

[bigred605]

I took a gap year this year, and I would suggest anyone to do so if they are unsure about their application, scores, lack of experience etc. I enjoyed the heck out of the free time and only having to worry about three 12-hr shifts a week and being considered full-time as a nurse's aide. At this point, I am definitely excited to start the medical school adventure, and I don't know if I was this eager 12 months ago...

Also, if you are trying to prepare in two months, don't be discouraged. I prepared for that length and I know others that took less time yet scored better than I did. I used a combination of the AMCAS practice exams and CourseSaver.com. This site is a cheap and efficient way of studying. I would suggest it to anyone! It has several video lectures that have quizzes paired with the material so you can be tested on what you just learned. I paid shy of $100.00 and it hit the important topics for all of the PS section, and organic chem with most of the biology. It does exclude anatomy and phys, though. Good luck!