Guest thecod Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 this question is aimed at ian! i noticed that a while back, you said that you would only mention a club in the autobiographical sketch if you were part of the executive. isn't being a member good enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blinknoodle Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 I agree with Ian's suggestions..... What do you actually do as a member of said club? Attend a monthly meeting? My roommate used to tell me she was a part of the pre-med club... so yeah, she goes to a monthly meeting once in a while about how to get into medical school - she put it on her application even though her role is minimal at best (I wouldn't put something like that down). Very often campus clubs have little roles for members and the exec do more work.. although if you play a major role, even as a general member, I would include it for sure. -bn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Turquoise678 Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 I put down clubs in which I was an executive, but also clubs where I did something and played some sort of active role, even if I wasn't an executive. Just make sure you're honest, and that you did do something concrete and contributed to the club's activities. I wouldn't suggest putting down clubs in which you were simply a member and payed the membership fee. Some schools get really into the sketch during interview time (i.e. Toronto), so it's best to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve U of T Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 I agree with Turquoise. Definitely put down clubs in which you actually did something. It depends on the type of club whether simple membership is worth listing. For example, I was involved with my school's physiology students association (as an executive), which included planning events such as academic seminars and movie nights. The members of the club who simply attended these academic seminars and movie nights wouldn't really be adding anything substantial to their application by listing that as an activity. I'm also a member of the U of T Karate club (not an executive), yet I plan to list that on my sketch because I attend classes several times per week and also perform some teaching duties. Simple membership in that type of club demonstrates dedication and a great deal of time, as opposed to membership in something like the physiology students association, which involves eating free food and watching an occassional movie or seminar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Koppertone Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 I was a member of a premed club, which involved not just movie night, etc. but also going to lectures by doctors who talked about different experiences, etc. I wasn't a member of the executive, but I was also honest in reporting what I did in that club and didn't overexaggerate my role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Zen Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 I agree with Turquoise and SteveUofT too about the nature of the clubs. I have a friend who has been a (mere?) member of the UBC dance club for years, he is now in the "Gold/Champion" level of competition, never having been an exec. I hardly think his involvement in the club is negligible or lacking in effort. It's just that his role isn't administrative. . . but he helps dj events, set stuff up, take them down, as well as his own persuits of dance. . . he's not into med or anything, but if he was, it'd definitely be something to put down, and a great accomplishment at that. So i guess with most things with med applications, club membership/involvement and listing them is a judgement call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avisee Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 I think it sort of depends on what level of discussion you're talking about. If I were just a regular member of a club, then I would list it on a numbered sketch of activities I am involved in. However, I would not mention it in an essay response unless it were a supplementary activity to corroborate my development through some more meaningful activity (eg, joining a language club and then traveling to a country where they speak that language). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jazz Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 I'll say list everything and as previous posters mention, be honest about your involvement. You never know what you might get marks for, so it's important to maximaze your pre-interview score. I doubt you'll get marks taken off for being a member of a few clubs so you have nothing to lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thecod Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 yes, i was talking about the 48 item list, not the essay. maybe i wasn't clear in that. i didn't apply yet, so i forgot the difference. if i was a member of a club who attended a few meetings, i wouldn't mention it in the essay :rollin but i would mention it in the numbered list, because it does say to list anything since age 16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CTU24 Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 i agree with avisee on this...it's all about context it is nearly impossible for someone to include 48 major things on their sketch, so minor things like club membership is appropriate to illustrate one's social side on the other hand, this would not be appropriate to discuss in an essay and make it seem like it is more important than it is. in an interview situation, honesty rules. Be honest about your involvement and your interviewrs will repsect you for that. CTU24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 When I was an undergrad, I was on the end of evaluating applications for a few things (nothing related to med school applications). I was amazed to see people who I had never met or heard of listing clubs and activities that I was in charge of as things they were involved in! I suspect that these were people who had "joined" by subscribing to a listserv or paying a membership fee but had never actually showed up to anything. Needless to say, this was not something that supported their applications. :\ I agree with what everybody else has said - list things that you could talk about, and be honest, and you can't go wrong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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