WAMC? Apply or 2 gap years?

[astronamy]

Hi everyone-

I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to submit an application this cycle or wait until next year. I never thought that I would be in a position where I wouldn't be prepared to apply right after college, but unfortunately after the toll of losing a parent my right before my senior year of college and thus needing to spend significant time at home with aging family members who unfortunately refuse to take means to protect themselves from covid, my clinical experiences are just not up to par. Still, at this rate I will be 24 when I start medical school or 25 if I have to take an additional gap year which is very daunting. I don't really want to wait 2 more years to start medical school if I don't have to. Anyway, sorry for that brief rant, but I'm considering throwing logic to the wind and just trying this cycle anyways. Here's what I would have on my application:

1. cGPA and sGPA: 4.0, B.S. in Biological Sciences and B.A. in Modern Languages with a Spanish Emphasis
2. MCAT score-haven't taken yet but based on practice exams hoping for 511/512
3. State of residence: South Carolina/very strong ties in Georgia as well
4. Ethnicity and/or race: White
5. Undergraduate institution: Large public state university
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
   1. 45 hours in a hospital abroad during a study abroad semester-considering omitting this for fear of perception of voluntourism. Not sure though, because it was the established local government hospital, and I just observed doctor/patient interaction and did basic tasks like fetching ice packs, grabbing supplies for providers and talking to patients waiting. Was largely an experience to improve medical spanish.
   2. I have no idea if this counts as clinical...but since graduating in December I work as a lab technician full time at a high complexity molecular diagnostics lab. The part that I'm wondering if it could be clinical is during covid spikes I also swabbed patients at our covid drive thru. So not sure if I could count that part??
   3. I really want to get a clinical job starting in August/Sept (I'm moving) but I guess that wouldn't count toward an app this cycle?
7. Research experience and productivity
   1. Undergraduate research in chemical engineering department-microbiology related-exploring novel uses of microbes for breakdown of food and plastic waste (330 hours + poster presentation)
   2. Summer research internship at NASA doing biology research (500 hours, poster presentation at conference, hopeful publication in spaceflight immunology)
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   1. 40 hours cardiology shadowing
   2. 30 hours of "webshadowing" various specialties
9. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. 80 hours volunteering with a group home for foster children-yard work/maintenance type work, hanging out with the kids
   2. Various one-off things with an honor fraternity-making dog toys for shelter, making blankets, cards for service members and kids in hospital
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
    1. 5 years of college baton twirling with marching band, Team captain my fifth year (2150 hours)
    2. National Honor fraternity-various positions, member development chair, PR chair, leadership course facilitator (350 hours)
    3. Not sure how to classify these- my school refers to them as "inquiries" and you get course credit but they are usually research of service based
       1. Writer and editor for schools science magazine (4 semesters, ~180 hours)
       2. Designed interactive science lesson plan kits for local educators (2 semesters, ~90 hours)
       3. Helped create and perform educational "tour" show for local schools about conservation (~75 hours + poster presentation)
    4. Study abroad semester in Costa Rica
    5. NASA L'Space academy-basically a course/project where you learn about space mission design
    6. Baton twirling instructor (~250 hours)
    7. As mentioned above I currently work full time as a lab tech at a diagnostics lab + collect covid samples (1200 hours) by app time
11. Relevant honors or awards
    1. phi beta kappa
    2. faculty scholarship award- award for graduating seniors chosen by faculty, 2 awarded per major
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important
    1. I should have solid rec letters including 1 from a physician
    2. I have decent writing skills so hopefully will be able to weave my app into a story
    3. I graduated in december 2021 (took 4.5 yrs for my degree with double major), so my even if I apply this cycle I will be working (hopefully a more clinical job starting in August
    4. Would strongly prefer MD- interest in pursuing space medicine and space biology research and I think the opportunities to do that will be more abundant with MD

I would love any feedback on how to best represent myself as an applicant, and how I can leverage upcoming experiences to make up for my lack of clinical experience. I know most will say not to apply, but I don't want to sell myself short as I know friends who have applied to our state schools with similar levels of experience due to covid and were successful, but let me know what yall think-I appreciate it!!

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[Mr.Smile12]

I'm sorry about circumstances setting you back. Of course, we can't be definitive without an official MCAT, so we hope you rock it.

Your GPA will NOT compensate for a lack of sufficient clinical exposure. What follow-up from your 45 hours of hospital observation out of the US can you do? You will be trained in the US for the US healthcare system, so you need that experience. As for your work swabbing for COVID-19 tests, it's not really representative of a hospital environment (more of a health fair one) so you need to be able to know what doctors do in the healthcare system and observe the doctor-patient relationship. Again under the context of the US healthcare system. You did some shadowing in-person, and you probably should include opportunities in primary care or emergent/urgent care. Keep going with your non-clinical community service.

I can't really comment on the space medicine direction. A lot of people trained in the military wind up as astronauts, so would you qualify for the HPSP?

 

[candbgirl]

Without an MCAT nobody can predict your chances. But your ECs aren’t strong enough yet to apply. You have some work to do. (See @Mr.Smile12 ’s post for suggestions.)
You have had a difficult year (or more) so give yourself some grace and time and slow down. There is no race to apply. As @Goro always says “ med schools aren’t going anywhere”.
You said you were moving. Get settled, look for opportunities, recover from the MCAT and see where you are next year. If you still aren’t ready take another year. There is no hurry. Gap years are not unusual.
Good luck as you move forward with life.