3rd year with low ec's. Chances?

[StephenMedIHope]

Hi everyone. Wondering if anyone could let me know if I realistically have any chances to get an interview as a 3rd year. The main thing i'm worried about are my ec's.

 

Stats:

130/128/129/129 - did the full version practice after studying a bunch

GPA: 4.0 until now, hopefully will be maintained

EC's: Swim instructor for a couple years ( only in high school, stopped when I started uni ), worked on campus for 3 years now, couple hobbies ( mostly outdoor stuff like camping, backpacking etc ), went from beginner to advanced level jiu jitsu, have done research, started a club on campus, volunteered at hospital for 5 years now starting off at info desk and now having more responsibilities, a sick kids summer internship and part of a fitness promotion club on campus. That's basically it honestly.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Planning on applying to U of T, Mac and Ottawa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ontario have mercy]

Good chance at Mac/Ottawa if you can do well on Casper.

 

[StephenMedIHope]

Thanks for the reply. Seeing some of the other applicant EC's made me question mine lol.

[whatdoido]

I had more or less the same as you and had 5 interviews, including at the most EC-heavy schools. It's how you write about them that matters. You're fine.

[StephenMedIHope]

Thanks man, good luck on your interviews. Is there anyplace in my ecs you think I could improve in?

[redbeanbun]

I agree it's about how you write them. My ECs are weak if you just look at the title and # of hours, so I didn't get any interviews at schools that focus on ABS. However I did better for schools that had essay components because I was able to talk about what I learned. I can't say for sure that's why I got interviews at certain schools and not others, but people who read my apps mostly agreed that my ABS was weak but essays were strong. 

[StephenMedIHope]

Damn you got interviews to both Western and U of T, both schools i'd love to get invites to. Probably won't get any invites as a third year tho lol. Mind sharing a bit what your ecs were and if you have any tips for essay writing? Thanks for the reply btw.

[MedicineLCS]

I honestly don't think hours are as important as diversity of experiences. Sample size of n=1, but I did well with EC heavy schools despite having no activity above 1,000 hours (including employment) and no volunteer commitment above 200 hours. What I did have was lots of activities in a whole bunch of different areas that demonstrate competencies. 

The law of diminishing returns is real (Especially if you're not getting paid!) Unless you're going to be moving up role descriptions/responsibilities (or are getting paid...) I think you should be aiming to be good at many things. Lookup CANMEDs and find your weak areas and fill them. 

I would also advise doing less "premed" things. The whole research+hospital volunteering+clubs only takes you so far. I think part of the reason I did well in getting invites is that my resume doesn't have a single thing that says "premed" and I've encountered quite a few people with diverse backgrounds during my interview circuit (and more than a few Health Sci and "Masters for Med" types as well, to be fair). That being said, you will see a bunch of people get in with the stereotypical ECs so it's still my opinion and n=1 sample size. 

 

 

 

[redbeanbun]

16 hours ago, StephenMedIHope said:

Damn you got interviews to both Western and U of T, both schools i'd love to get invites to. Probably won't get any invites as a third year tho lol. Mind sharing a bit what your ecs were and if you have any tips for essay writing? Thanks for the reply btw.

sure, feel free to msg!

[StephenMedIHope]

20 hours ago, MedicineLCS said:

I honestly don't think hours are as important as diversity of experiences. Sample size of n=1, but I did well with EC heavy schools despite having no activity above 1,000 hours (including employment) and no volunteer commitment above 200 hours. What I did have was lots of activities in a whole bunch of different areas that demonstrate competencies. 

The law of diminishing returns is real (Especially if you're not getting paid!) Unless you're going to be moving up role descriptions/responsibilities (or are getting paid...) I think you should be aiming to be good at many things. Lookup CANMEDs and find your weak areas and fill them. 

I would also advise doing less "premed" things. The whole research+hospital volunteering+clubs only takes you so far. I think part of the reason I did well in getting invites is that my resume doesn't have a single thing that says "premed" and I've encountered quite a few people with diverse backgrounds during my interview circuit (and more than a few Health Sci and "Masters for Med" types as well, to be fair). That being said, you will see a bunch of people get in with the stereotypical ECs so it's still my opinion and n=1 sample size. 

 

 

 

Yah good points honestly. I feel like me having a job will be more productive than say, volunteer at a soup kitchen in terms of applying to med. Not to mention its an extra source of cash.