Cuttlefish Posted June 26, 2016 Report Share Posted June 26, 2016 Is it better to have volunteer experiences that are varied in terms of experiences and themes, or is it okay to have them all following a specific theme? For example, how would it be viewed if one's most significant experiences come from 3 separate activities that revolve around working with the senior population? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rial2 Posted June 26, 2016 Report Share Posted June 26, 2016 From what I understand, you should be doing what you love rather than doing what you think will appease to the admissions people. If you have a genuine passion for working with seniors, it's 100% alright. Just don't be the "typical premed" who thinks that volunteering at a hospital and a nursing home will make them look like a good applicant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdj78we9jtf2o3mgfvj298j Posted June 27, 2016 Report Share Posted June 27, 2016 Do whatever you want... the impression that I got going through the process is that they're much more interested in seeing that you have a life/interests than fulfilling a checklist of activities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastrunningfish Posted June 27, 2016 Report Share Posted June 27, 2016 I think a lot of it is just showing what skills and traits you have developed through the activity. If someone was an athlete and then volunteered at a sports camp and then got a job as a coach, all the activities revolve around the single sport but will show different aspects of the individual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolabean Posted June 27, 2016 Report Share Posted June 27, 2016 Most of my volunteer work and research was geared towards the same field. Personally, I think long-term commitment looks better than variation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a1b1 Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 Honestly volunteering is pretty useless and will help you 0% once you're in med school, its sole purpose is really to build a CV for when applying to med school. Volunteer in activities you like, doesent have to be a hospital setting, and if you can improve socially as an added bonus to volunteering then that's great (as it may come in handy for future patient interaction). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuttlefish Posted June 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 From what I understand, you should be doing what you love rather than doing what you think will appease to the admissions people. If you have a genuine passion for working with seniors, it's 100% alright. Just don't be the "typical premed" who thinks that volunteering at a hospital and a nursing home will make them look like a good applicant. Thanks for the advice. I've been trying to vary my activities in the way you said in order to avoid being a cookie-cutter applicant. I was just worried that some of my interests revolve around a common theme/demographic after reading the extremely varied ECs of some people on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuttlefish Posted June 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 I think a lot of it is just showing what skills and traits you have developed through the activity. If someone was an athlete and then volunteered at a sports camp and then got a job as a coach, all the activities revolve around the single sport but will show different aspects of the individual. Thanks for the help. This is pretty much what I was getting at -- going forward I feel like most of my experiences will revolve around some sort of common theme, so I was afraid that I would come off as a person who is only interested in that specific area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuttlefish Posted June 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 Most of my volunteer work and research was geared towards the same field. Personally, I think long-term commitment looks better than variation! I also think long-term commitment looks better as it demonstrates dedication, but I heard that there are a lot of activities to fill in on the application! How do you manage to meet the majority of those requirements by only having a few ECs that you have committed to for a long time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolabean Posted June 29, 2016 Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 I also think long-term commitment looks better as it demonstrates dedication, but I heard that there are a lot of activities to fill in on the application! How do you manage to meet the majority of those requirements by only having a few ECs that you have committed to for a long time? It really depends what school you apply to..McGill has a section on the CV devoted to "community service/volunteer work" and so you just list all of the volunteer activities you think are pertinent to your application. For example, I did research on cancer, volunteered with different non-profit cancer organizations, and I volunteered in the chemotherapy department at a local hospital. Although most of my ECs were based on the same subject my contribution was different, whether it be helping patients directly or doing research. In all honesty I think it is important to enjoy your volunteer work, and that you're capable of reflecting on your experiences and what you've learned from them for your application and interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuttlefish Posted June 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 It really depends what school you apply to..McGill has a section on the CV devoted to "community service/volunteer work" and so you just list all of the volunteer activities you think are pertinent to your application. For example, I did research on cancer, volunteered with different non-profit cancer organizations, and I volunteered in the chemotherapy department at a local hospital. Although most of my ECs were based on the same subject my contribution was different, whether it be helping patients directly or doing research. In all honesty I think it is important to enjoy your volunteer work, and that you're capable of reflecting on your experiences and what you've learned from them for your application and interview. It sounds like you had an awesome experience with all your community service and research! I've frequently heard that being able to articulate your experiences is an asset, but I've also seen prompts that seemingly have no relation to ECs. Are you supposed to answer direct questions about them, or do you try and incorporate your experiences to try and answer questions that may not be directly about your ECs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolabean Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 It sounds like you had an awesome experience with all your community service and research! I've frequently heard that being able to articulate your experiences is an asset, but I've also seen prompts that seemingly have no relation to ECs. Are you supposed to answer direct questions about them, or do you try and incorporate your experiences to try and answer questions that may not be directly about your ECs? It depends on the kind of interview, for example, with the MMI when you're in a situation you can relate to what is happening or to the other person by bringing up your ECs or perhaps some life experience. I mainly tried to incorporate my ECs and experiences into the questions, however, when asked directly about a particular activity I made sure to answer the question as well as include what I learned from it or how it has changed my perspective etc... It is difficult and there is no magic recipe as to how to perform exactly, just know why you implicated yourself in the ECs and what you learned from them...how this has allowed you to develop certain characteristics or perspectives that will allow you to be a good healthcare professional. If you have anymore questions feel free to pm me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.