What to focus on during a gap year?

[wavelength88]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently sitting around a 3.5 ish gpa and hope to bring it up to around 3.6 by the end of this year (end of 5th year).

I am an american living in Canada so I am not in state anywhere. Parents also live in Canada so No ties either.

Im hoping to take the mcat next summer due to personal family matters and apply after my gap year.

I’m just wondering if people get in oos with that gpa range. I know people get in with 3.5-3.6 and even lower gpas but i always assumed that was for people applying to state schools. I assume I will need an amazing mcat and ecs to make up for the low gpa. My hope is to apply 2026 if all goes well.

I’m not sure how competitive my ECs are but i’ll list them below. I feel like i need more clinical hours (or more diverse clinical roles?). As someone living in Canada it is difficult to gain clinical experience.

I am hoping to apply to an NIH IRTA postbac for my gap year but unsure of how competitive it is. Would it be better to focus on accumulating more clinical experience?

also not sure if I’m ORM or URM?
Queer Female, low income, middle eastern, 1 gen college student.


Clinical:
200 (ongoing) hrs volunteering at local hospital ER

(not sure if this fits in here but I am a care taker to my ill father who is in the end stages of parkinsons)

(thinking of picking up a volunteer position at a youth clinic this summer)

non-clinical:
200 hrs (ongoing) at at risk youth centre
40hrs (ongoing) indigenous youth tutoring and outreach
(thinking of picking up a position at a shelter this summer)

shadowing:
0hrs as it is not legal in canada due to privacy reasons :/

Research:
300hrs (ongoing) Paid RA position at a well know research institution
400hrs volunteer RA for clinical research at a teaching hospital

work:
3000 hrs part time entry level job
200 hrs secretary assistant and childrens hospital
400 hrs covid screener
400 hrs youth hockey coach

hobbies: organized hockey, rollerskating, reading, backcountry backpacking

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[SpicyHotSauce]

I think your app is good so far. Your ECs are great.

I think the only thing left is a good MCAT. So, try to do as good as possible on it. Based on this statistic (https://www.aamc.org/media/6091/download), I would try to get above a 514 based on your current 3.5ish GPA, so that statistically your chances of acceptance rises above 50% for an MD school. I'm not aware of a similar table for DO schools, but at that point, I think your chances for DO schools would be great.

Shadowing is definitely needed. Depending on where you live (near the US border, such as Buffalo-Niagara Falls and Detroit-Windsor) and if finances allow, can you try to organize some shadowing in the US, or maybe even a trip to the US for a week or 2 dedicated to shadowing?

You can maybe even email physicians (maybe some Family Physicians) and clinics from all over the US and try to plan to have a 1-2 week long shadowing with 1 clinic. You can ask them if you can shadow them the whole time the clinic is open. That could get you ~40-80 hours of shadowing, which would be enough. Just an idea I thought I would throw out there, if this idea of a 'vacation' entices you and is feasible.

Edit: As for your gap year, I would continue with your clinical volunteering, non-clinical volunteering, and a full-time job. You could try to get a clinical employment such as an MA, or maybe research assistant (as it seems you already have experience as an RA, and could leverage that for a full time position).

 

[wavelength88]

I think your app is good so far. Your ECs are great.

I think the only thing left is a good MCAT. So, try to do as good as possible on it. Based on this statistic (https://www.aamc.org/media/6091/download), I would try to get above a 514 based on your current 3.5ish GPA, so that statistically your chances of acceptance rises above 50% for an MD school. I'm not aware of a similar table for DO schools, but at that point, I think your chances for DO schools would be great.

Shadowing is definitely needed. Depending on where you live (near the US border, such as Buffalo-Niagara Falls and Detroit-Windsor) and if finances allow, can you try to organize some shadowing in the US, or maybe even a trip to the US for a week or 2 dedicated to shadowing?

You can maybe even email physicians (maybe some Family Physicians) and clinics from all over the US and try to plan to have a 1-2 week long shadowing with 1 clinic. You can ask them if you can shadow them the whole time the clinic is open. That could get you ~40-80 hours of shadowing, which would be enough. Just an idea I thought I would throw out there, if this idea of a 'vacation' entices you and is feasible.

Edit: As for your gap year, I would continue with your clinical volunteering, non-clinical volunteering, and a full-time job. You could try to get a clinical employment such as an MA, or maybe research assistant (as it seems you already have experience as an RA, and could leverage that for a full time position).

So do you think it would be a bad idea to apply for a NIH IRTA position? If I land the position I was hoping it would also allow me to gain some shadowing while in DC.

Also, I have seen that graph before but I always assumed the individuals getting in with 3.5-3.6 GPA were getting in at state schools. I'm just kinda worried since I have no connection to any state.

 

[SpicyHotSauce]

So do you think it would be a bad idea to apply for a NIH IRTA position? If I land the position I was hoping it would also allow me to gain some shadowing while in DC.

Also, I have seen that graph before but I always assumed the individuals getting in with 3.5-3.6 GPA were getting in at state schools. I'm just kinda worried since I have no connection to any state.

Definitely apply! I'm not sure how competitive it is, but it seems like a good opportunity and definitely like your way of thinking of utilizing this to get some shadowing too!

And for your last part, I'm not actually sure. It may or may not be true.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm not aware of a similar table for DO schools, but at that point, I think your chances for DO schools would be great.

A grid exists... it might need updating.

https://prehealth.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/AACOM-GPA-vs-MCAT-Acceptance-Percentage-2018-2021.pdf

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Canada healthcare does not allow shadowing like we do in the United States. If you'd are serious about going to school in the United States, transitioning for some time doing research can give you that opportunity. You don't need to do research at NIH to do this; you can also work as a research assistant in an academic medical center/centre if you have a supervisor seeking to let you shadow them or a resident/fellow doing research. I don't think IRTA allows you to shadow at the Clinical Center, but check about that.

 

[wavelength88]

A grid exists... it might need updating.

https://prehealth.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/AACOM-GPA-vs-MCAT-Acceptance-Percentage-2018-2021.pdf

How come as the mcat increases the acceptance rate drops?

 

[wavelength88]

Canada healthcare does not allow shadowing like we do in the United States. If you'd are serious about going to school in the United States, transitioning for some time doing research can give you that opportunity. You don't need to do research at NIH to do this; you can also work as a research assistant in an academic medical center/centre if you have a supervisor seeking to let you shadow them or a resident/fellow doing research. I don't think IRTA allows you to shadow at the Clinical Center, but check about that.

I have heard that at the NIH they let postbacs shadow in the clinical center ICU and that they have some premed volunteer opportunities and advising available. I think they know that many premeds use it as a glide year.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

How come as the mcat increases the acceptance rate drops?

It's a matriculant rate, not acceptance. More high GPA/MCAT applicants wind up going MD if they are given an MD offer, which will not be reflected in this table.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I have heard that at the NIH they let postbacs shadow in the clinical center ICU and that they have some premed volunteer opportunities and advising available. I think they know that many premeds use it as a glide year.

You would need to check. It used to be the PIs really did not favor distractions to doing lab work, and that was a message I kept hearing from people who were part of the IRTA.

 

[AJS59]

Did you go to high school/college anywhere in the states? If so (depending on the state) you may be able to claim ties.

 

[wavelength88]

Did you go to high school/college anywhere in the states? If so (depending on the state) you may be able to claim ties.

No I was born and raised in Canada. I have citizenship through my dad who is an American citizen.