Do I have a chance with no volunteer and no research?

[scarface]

UT also has a reputation for being a research school. But it has brought to my attention that the majority of the class do not have any research experience. So that myth has been dispelled in my eyes.

 

My question would be, how many students are admitted to UT without any research AND volunteering experience? I would ask how many are admitted without any volunteering experience, but then realized, that extensive research experience would make up for lack of volunteering.

 

The only reason why I ask, is I have no interest in research or volunteering. All my extracurricular energy has been channeled into employment and athletics.

 

I have no interest in volunteering because I"m not being paid for my time. I know it sounds very selfish, but if I were to share the conditions under which I grew up in, you would understand why I am materialistic (or maybe you wouldn't and still label me as selfish, greedy, evil, and evil ).

[mac_attack]

You're an awful selfish person. you should not be going into medicine!

 

hahahaha j/k

 

I had to make up a lot of my volunteer hours during the summer because I'm just too busy during the school year. However, it really killed me that I had to trade a few shifs to meet volunteering commitments. I agree that in a way these requirements are just cheap, i mean free, labour for hospitals/clinics etc. I can understand non-profit organizations. But volunteering in places like hospitals and clinics can get to you SOMETIMES.

 

Personally, I really think it depends on where you volunteer. I had a couple placements that were amazing learning opportunities and I would rather be there working for free, but at least building my knowledge and my resume with something more worthwhile than shift work. But I have in the past also volunteered in places where I ended up doing things for people that I should have been paid for. To have me do parts of their job for them is just lame and unfair. I had one doc go for lunch early on three occasions, while I finished up interviewing patients who were still in the waiting room, and had apparently shown up late for their appointment so he couldn't interview them himself. As I said they all know we want to volunteer 1000s of hours because us premeds are all in competition for that 1% shot of becoming a doctor. Hmm, maybe in the future I'll take advantage of this too.

[Kuantum]

I don't think I've met too many people who have gotten in with neither volunteer or research. However, there are probably a few that do. People have many different circumstances, and schools often allow you to explain yourself if your application should be looked at a little differently. I don't know if lacking volunteering AND research counts as that, but I might think so. The reason I say this is just because, in my experience I have never met anyone. I don't know everyone who has entered medicine, but quite a few.

 

Not to make you feel bad, but I know of someone who had a 39R and a near perfect GPA (when converted to OMSAS around a 3.95) who was rejected because they lacked volunteering and not surprisingly, a personality. However, this is an extreme case, I don't know if it was the lack of volunteering or personality or both that did it for them.

[Ollie]

UT also has a reputation for being a research school. But it has brought to my attention that the majority of the class do not have any research experience. So that myth has been dispelled in my eyes.

 

My question would be, how many students are admitted to UT without any research AND volunteering experience? I would ask how many are admitted without any volunteering experience, but then realized, that extensive research experience would make up for lack of volunteering.

 

The only reason why I ask, is I have no interest in research or volunteering. All my extracurricular energy has been channeled into employment and athletics.

 

I have no interest in volunteering because I"m not being paid for my time. I know it sounds very selfish, but if I were to share the conditions under which I grew up in, you would understand why I am materialistic (or maybe you wouldn't and still label me as selfish, greedy, evil, and evil ).

 

Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of med school admission requirements is not to get a class of med students stamped out by a cookie cutter. The requirements are for your benefit as well as the profession's and your future patients'.

 

For example: Are you a well-rounded person, and are you this way because you like to be, or just to get into med school? That's why things like diversity in your experiences and long-term commitments are important. Can you handle a busy schedule? It's important to know that you will be able to function with the busy lifestyle you will have in med school and as a physician. How do you know you want to be a physcian? If you've never made an effort to find out if you are good at the types of things physicians do, then how do you know that you'll enjoy the job? Can you handle being around sick people and counselling them and their families?

 

So, if you think that your experiences will allow you to answer these questions (and others) then you might be OK. If you've never volunteered but have managed to get these experiences elsewhere, then that's fine, as long as you can explain yourself.

 

Also if you want to be a physician, then you'd better get used to not being paid for your time. Doctors do tons of stuff that they can't bill for, like paperwork and pretty much anything done over the phone.

[EMD]

Do I have a chance with no volunteer and no research?

Volunteering and research aren't requirements per se. Ergo you have a chance. That said, I think most reviewers prefer someone with a breath of experience-- and prefer candidates that can demonstrate some insight into the challenges physicians face. Also, if you're interviewing for med school, I think you'd have rough time convincing the interviewers you can handle what medicine entails, if you haven't dealt with patients in some way. As for being materialistic-- I tend to think you'd be happier elsewhere... and that you'd deprive someone else of a spot in which they could make a greater impact. That's my $0.02.

[bumblebee]

Volunteer work is not necessary for admission. But, keep in mind that it can be an excellent way to gain experience in a health care setting. You can use the opportunity to speak to medical students, residents and physicians. Admissions committees will want to know why you believe medicine is right for you. It's impressive if you can convey a mature attitude towards medicine based on some personal experience. You can definitely get this from activities other than hospital volunteer work, but it's something worth considering.

[Sparkles]

How many hours of volunteering is good to have on a resume?

[Taylor]

Volunteer work is not necessary for admission. But, keep in mind that it can be an excellent way to gain experience in a health care setting. You can use the opportunity to speak to medical students, residents and physicians. Admissions committees will want to know why you believe medicine is right for you. It's impressive if you can convey a mature attitude towards medicine based on some personal experience. You can definitely get this from activities other than hospital volunteer work, but it's something worth considering.

 

Very good answer. I had virtually no volunteering experience, but had extensive research and athletics.

 

It's all about getting your priorities across. We've got an OHL-level hockey player, Varsity athletes from Canadian and American universities, people who've devoted their lives to something OTHER than the typical premed routine.

 

It's great that you've done sports and worked, it gives you a unique perspective but you HAVE TO GET THIS ACROSS! (during the interview or essay). Showing dedication towards something is important.

[studentz]

I would disagree with the OP's claim about the research experience of UofT students. I would struggle to name 5 students in my class who don't have any research experience whether it be a summer program, graduate degree, honours thesis etc. It's true that many people don't have wet lab research backgrounds, but the vast majority have some type of experience even if it isn't in the medical sciences. Research isn't required, but it is unquestionably highly valued and regarded at UofT and I think the opportunities to do research here, which aren't matched anywhere else in this country, attract a lot of students.

 

I'm not privy to your personal background, but I've met and worked with literally dozens of people who come from less-than-ideal socioeconomic conditions who have managed to devote significant time to bettering their communities without consideration of rewards or recognition. A large proportion of my class contributes to various volunteer efforts simply to help a cause; for these people there is no hard personal benefit that can come from these activities. I don't know many people outside the pre-med group who volunteer only to pad their CVs. I would strongly advise you to NOT state that you didn't vounteer because you wouldn't have been paid.

 

It is true that unless you can explain why you volunteered somewhere, what you contributed and what you got out of the experience, volunteering likely won't help your application. But this is true of any activity.

[charmin]

To Studentz- I know UT meds is fairly big class (around 200), and I'm just wondering if you happen to know the research background of every single one of your classmates. Because if you do, that's very impressive. I'm sure you know at least half the class fairly well (in regards to whether or not they have research background), but ALL of your classmates? I'm sure there's a number of students at UT meds who have no research experience at all, and I believe their website says a student will not be penalized for a lack of research experience. Of course that's all speculation, and I will concede that you are in a better position to comment.

 

To the OP- I don't agree with your values, but at the same time I respect them. I don't know what your economic situation is, but I understand you probably have living expenses to cover in addition to tuition, and my guess is that you refuse to take a loan. If that's the case, that's very commendable. As studentz mentioned, there are definitely people in a similar economic situation as you, who've managed to work 30+ hours a week PLUS devote a siginifcant amount of time to volunteering, while maintaining the grades to get into meds. But don't feel like you have to compare yourself to them, everyone has different capabilities. By all means, it's great to volunteer, but you've got to cover your essential needs first.

 

I definitely agree that you should not state on your essay/interview that your lack of volunteering is due to the fact that you weren't being paid (but it's not lack I felt you had the intention of stating this), however, I'm assuming you have a genuine desire to help others, and if you were in a field that paid you well for it, you would be successful and could make a greater impact than the person whose spot you deprived of (in reference to EMDs post). Again, I don't know what your true values are, but if you are not volunteering because you don't enjoy helping others or giving back to your community, then perhaps medicine is not the best field for you. . .

[studentz]

Hi Charmin,

 

I don't know if you're in med school already or not, but the first day of orientation is filled with the inevitable "where and what did you do in undergrad" type of icebreaker.While I'll concede that I don't know the specific academic background of every person in the class, I didn't say that I did. Rather my comment was in reference to the OPs suggestion that less than 1/2 the class has any research experience and I would take that bet any day, especially given the definition of research experience that I provided in my previous post (i.e. including the year-long honours projects that are mandatory for most honours programs in undergrad). It's likely that more than 5 don't have research experience (though I still can't name more than 5 who do not), but certainly the vast majority do. The composition of each class is partly determined by self-selection among applicants with >1 acceptance. The research opportunities here play a big role in the decisions of many applicants especially those who are considering academic careers. Again though, it (especially wet lab research in the basic medical sciences) isn't mandatory and the program itself doesn't push basic science research on anyone. The only mandatory research here is in the 2nd year DOCH (community health) course.

[charmin]

No not in meds, but my MCAT doesn't make the cut for Queen's and Western, don't have the GPA for Ottawa, and I'm definitely not going to pin my hopes on Mac and NOMS. Therefore, in Ontario, U of T seems to be my best chance. I don't have any research experience, but unlike the OP I do have volunteer experience. So when I see comments like yours I get a bit antsy, sorry if you took it the wrong way, and thanks for elaborating. And you raise an excellent point, the students who choose U of T over another school are probably more research inclined, so the class composition reflects the self-selecting bias of the applicant pool. And since most applicants to meds have some type of research experience, I bet it would be hard to name people in med schools other than U of T who do NOT have research experience. Sure they exist, but they are in the minority. Ditto for volunteer experience.

 

I just don't see myself trying to get research experience for the sake of having it on my application in hopes of increasing my chances at a school that has a reputation for being research inclined (I'm not interested in rewriting the MCAT any time soon, but I'd probably be more open to that than doing research)