Apply or another gap year?

[Dumplingz]

Happy new year everyone! I'm looking for some guidance (again) and figured this would probably be a good place for that. I'll give a short outline of basically what my application would be (minus the PS) and what my dilemma is.

GPA Stuff
GPA: 3.988
sGPA: 4.000
MCAT: 518
LizzyM: 75.9
WARS: 85 (conservatively)

Activities

• Patient Care Technician at a strong hospital
  • 1000 hours
  • Notes: Working as a PCT in the middle of a pandemic was insane and really tested me. I'm getting a ton of patient exposure and will likely spend my PS talking about my experiences with several patients.
• Researcher in Undergraduate Research Lab
  • 840 hours
  • Notes: Doing some cool bone research, will hopefully have a co-authored publication (at the very least, a manuscript submitted) by the time I apply.
• Founder and President of my university's MEDLIFE chapter
  • 2500 hours (I'm tempted to just put 0 though cus how do I even calculate this when I've put in so much time)
  • Notes: If you don't know what MEDLIFE is, I'd encourage you to check them out! They're an international NGO that partners with communities in Latin America and Africa to provide sustainable and long-term medical and education infrastructure to underserved communities. I started my university's chapter after I saw firsthand the conditions that these communities are in. During the year, my chapter fundraises for the communities that we partner with in Latin America, and a couple of times a year, we travel to these communities to help out in MEDLIFE's clinics and work on an infrastructural project (like concrete staircases, rainwater collectors, etc.). I don't want to spend this entire thing just talking about one activity so that's the gist of it.
• President of my university's American Medical Student Association
  • 1000 hours (This is such a rough estimate lol)
• Researcher at a big biotech
  • 1000 hours
  • Notes: Did some research on multiple sclerosis and had a company-wide presentation on my findings. Also got to do some really cool stuff like getting a certification in mouse brain surgery.
• Hospital Volunteer
  • 200 hours
  • Notes: I split my time between two big hospitals to see what they were like. Was mostly patient transport and cleaning and setting up patient rooms.
• Starter on my university's varsity e-sports team
  • 880 hours
  • Notes: The game is Overwatch for those who are curious.
• Shadowing
  • 60 hours
  • Notes: I've shadowed urologists and an interventional cardiologist so far, but that was about a year ago.

Other stuff

• Eagle Scout
• Got a $1000 research grant for one of my research projects
• Miscellaneous hobbies and volunteering

I'm currently a senior and plan to graduate this spring with a degree in Bioengineering and Biochemistry. I'm aiming for T10-T20 medical schools, and I'm not sure if it would be wise to apply this upcoming spring or to take another gap year and apply in spring 2023 because of this dilemma:

I'm currently applying to the NIH IRTA postbacc program, and I recently found a lab that is willing to take me but for 2 years minimum. To do that, I would have to take an additional gap year and apply in spring 2023. I'm pretty hesitant to take the additional gap year, but the PI seemed super nice and I'm genuinely interested in what the lab is investigating. It's also a small lab (which I like) and the PI basically told me that by the time I left I would have several publications and a good LOR. I'm also planning to apply to the National Health Corps, which is a 1-year volunteering program with a lot of clinical and nonclinical work with underserved populations.

If I do the NIH IRTA postbacc program, I have to take an additional gap year and apply in spring 2023. If I do the National Health Corps program (or any other 1-year program), I can apply this spring 2022, but I'll only be able to include projected hours for the activity on my primaries, though it would probably be a good talking point for interviews. So my question is, what would benefit me the most? The theme of my application would probably be working with underserved communities and global health, so the National Health Corps program would probably fit that more closely, but the NIH IRTA postbacc would really improve the research aspect of my application, which seems to be something that top medical schools really care about.

Any advice would be appreciated!

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[deleted1114112]

Your app is great, I don't think you need another gap year. NIH IRTA pays you like nothing and you can easily get a research position elsewhere for like 40-50k and only a year. Your stats make you competitive for some top schools but your research seems to be below average. Even with a gap year and a publication there are still no guarantees, though, so I would personally just apply anyway—as mentioned, your app is great.

Also your hours are...interesting. You're a current senior so you've been in college for 3.5 years, yet I added your hours and you have the equivalent of 3.6 years of a full-time job. Considering you are also a full-time student, this is simply impossible. Obviously you mention that your hours are rough estimates, but maybe just make sure that on AMCAS they are within reason lol.

 

[Dumplingz]

Your app is great, I don't think you need another gap year. NIH IRTA pays you like nothing and you can easily get a research position elsewhere for like 40-50k and only a year.

Also your hours are...interesting. You're a current senior so you've been in college for 3.5 years, yet I added your hours and you have the equivalent of 3.6 years of a full-time job. Considering you are also a full-time student, this is simply impossible. Obviously you mention that your hours are rough estimates, but maybe just make sure that on AMCAS they are within reason lol.

Thanks for the advice! For the hours thing, some of the activities I listed are ones that I'm currently in and will continue until I graduate, so I listed the hours that I would have by the time I apply. Also, my school has a co-op program built into the curriculum, so I have over a year of full-time work if that helps clear up any confusion. But yeah I see what you mean, for the two leadership activities that are rough estimates, I'll probably just put 0 for both or lower the numbers since I have no idea where to even begin counting hours for those.

 

[deleted1114112]

Thanks for the advice! For the hours thing, some of the activities I listed are ones that I'm currently in and will continue until I graduate, so I listed the hours that I would have by the time I apply. Also, my school has a co-op program built into the curriculum, so I have over a year of full-time work if that helps clear up any confusion. But yeah I see what you mean, for the two leadership activities that are rough estimates, I'll probably just put 0 for both or lower the numbers since I have no idea where to even begin counting hours for those.

Oh I see. Definitely don't put zero if they are your only nonclinical volunteering or something though. Someone in admissions told me some programs screen this.

 

[Med Ed]

Any advice would be appreciated!

I actually think a year of NHSC would make you a more interesting applicant than going from 1840 -> 6000 hours of research. That's well past the point of diminishing returns unless you are aiming for MD/PhD.

Spending two years of your life slogging away in a NIH lab, just because you think that's what the upper crust wants of you, is a recipe for disillusionment. If you're goal is to work with the underserved then go work with the underserved and build out the real narrative of your candidacy.

 

[proudofmykids]

.

Also your hours are...interesting. You're a current senior so you've been in college for 3.5 years, yet I added your hours and you have the equivalent of 3.6 years of a full-time job. Considering you are also a full-time student, this is simply impossible. Obviously you mention that your hours are rough estimates, but maybe just make sure that on AMCAS they are within reason lol.

even with 5yrs as a student+coop, I would more accurately account for your hours at these activities.

Activities

• Patient Care Technician at a strong hospital
  • 1000 hours
• Researcher in Undergraduate Research Lab
  • 840 hours
• Founder and President of my university's MEDLIFE chapter
  • 2500 hours (I'm tempted to just put 0 though cus how do I even calculate this when I've put in so much time)
  • activity so that's the gist of it.
• President of my university's American Medical Student Association
  • 1000 hours (This is such a rough estimate lol)

A school year is about 32 weeks.
Your cooping easily gets you the 1000hrs big bio tech you mentioned, and summers get you 500 hrs each.
Estimate weekly hours for these X # weeks to make believable.

Justify it all and apply ASAP, plenty of clinical and volunteering is already included. Have fun your gap year and still wind up at a T10/20.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Happy new year everyone! I'm looking for some guidance (again) and figured this would probably be a good place for that. I'll give a short outline of basically what my application would be (minus the PS) and what my dilemma is.

GPA Stuff
GPA: 3.988
sGPA: 4.000
MCAT: 518
LizzyM: 75.9
WARS: 85 (conservatively)

Activities

• Patient Care Technician at a strong hospital
  • 1000 hours
  • Notes: Working as a PCT in the middle of a pandemic was insane and really tested me. I'm getting a ton of patient exposure and will likely spend my PS talking about my experiences with several patients.
• Researcher in Undergraduate Research Lab
  • 840 hours
  • Notes: Doing some cool bone research, will hopefully have a co-authored publication (at the very least, a manuscript submitted) by the time I apply.
• Founder and President of my university's MEDLIFE chapter
  • 2500 hours (I'm tempted to just put 0 though cus how do I even calculate this when I've put in so much time)
  • Notes: If you don't know what MEDLIFE is, I'd encourage you to check them out! They're an international NGO that partners with communities in Latin America and Africa to provide sustainable and long-term medical and education infrastructure to underserved communities. I started my university's chapter after I saw firsthand the conditions that these communities are in. During the year, my chapter fundraises for the communities that we partner with in Latin America, and a couple of times a year, we travel to these communities to help out in MEDLIFE's clinics and work on an infrastructural project (like concrete staircases, rainwater collectors, etc.). I don't want to spend this entire thing just talking about one activity so that's the gist of it.
• President of my university's American Medical Student Association
  • 1000 hours (This is such a rough estimate lol)
• Researcher at a big biotech
  • 1000 hours
  • Notes: Did some research on multiple sclerosis and had a company-wide presentation on my findings. Also got to do some really cool stuff like getting a certification in mouse brain surgery.
• Hospital Volunteer
  • 200 hours
  • Notes: I split my time between two big hospitals to see what they were like. Was mostly patient transport and cleaning and setting up patient rooms.
• Starter on my university's varsity e-sports team
  • 880 hours
  • Notes: The game is Overwatch for those who are curious.
• Shadowing
  • 60 hours
  • Notes: I've shadowed urologists and an interventional cardiologist so far, but that was about a year ago.

Other stuff

• Eagle Scout
• Got a $1000 research grant for one of my research projects
• Miscellaneous hobbies and volunteering

I'm currently a senior and plan to graduate this spring with a degree in Bioengineering and Biochemistry. I'm aiming for T10-T20 medical schools, and I'm not sure if it would be wise to apply this upcoming spring or to take another gap year and apply in spring 2023 because of this dilemma:

I'm currently applying to the NIH IRTA postbacc program, and I recently found a lab that is willing to take me but for 2 years minimum. To do that, I would have to take an additional gap year and apply in spring 2023. I'm pretty hesitant to take the additional gap year, but the PI seemed super nice and I'm genuinely interested in what the lab is investigating. It's also a small lab (which I like) and the PI basically told me that by the time I left I would have several publications and a good LOR. I'm also planning to apply to the National Health Corps, which is a 1-year volunteering program with a lot of clinical and nonclinical work with underserved populations.

If I do the NIH IRTA postbacc program, I have to take an additional gap year and apply in spring 2023. If I do the National Health Corps program (or any other 1-year program), I can apply this spring 2022, but I'll only be able to include projected hours for the activity on my primaries, though it would probably be a good talking point for interviews. So my question is, what would benefit me the most? The theme of my application would probably be working with underserved communities and global health, so the National Health Corps program would probably fit that more closely, but the NIH IRTA postbacc would really improve the research aspect of my application, which seems to be something that top medical schools really care about.

Any advice would be appreciated!

I have the same concerns about your hours estimates as have been raised by others. you don't have to put an activity and then -0-, which will really raise questions. Just do a better job of estimating and reduce the overall hours so that the whole thing makes sense.

Regarding your dilemma. You don't need the NIH program to be a competitive applicants. The question is do you want that research experience? do you see it being important to your future? The NHC would give you excellent clinical exposure and fits well with your stated goal. If you want more research, you don't have to take the two years to do the NIH program.