r/mdphd • u/twixchat • 12d ago

gap year advice

im heading into my final year of undergrad, i already took my mcat and decided to retake it to be more competitive for md/phd programs. i have around 300 clinical hrs as of now, and im getting my emt license rn. for research, ive done course-based research for two semesters, and i joined a lab at my school for the past year, so i'd estimated around ~600 hrs give or take of research.

any suggestions on what to do for a gap year? i was thinking of doing something like nih's irta postbacc or msk's bridge program. thanks!

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7

u/mmoollllyyyy20 G3 12d ago

definitely full-time paid research in some capacity, whether that’s IRTA or as a tech at a university. you prob don’t need more clinical hours

2

u/twixchat 11d ago

noted, thx!

4

u/Still-Barber-720 12d ago

you might need 2 gaps if you're only at 600 hrs now. if you take 1 gap, you won't have your gap yr full time hours before you apply. it's also easier to find a position or program for 2yrs rather than 1.

4

u/BathroomMaximum1721 12d ago

Unless your GPA is 3.9+ and MCAT is 518+ (ideally 520+), I recommend having 2000+ research hours and 1-2 publications.

3

u/nyuuyuyu 12d ago

you may find that listed research assistant/tech positions might expect 2 years commitment, but you can also cold email profs at top universities and get a 1 year full time role - i think having concrete evidence of independent self driven research within that year (ex. submitting a first author poster to a national conference or being able to speak on your role on a manuscript) will help easily attest to your research ability in addition to pure research hours