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"average" extracurriculars - what does this mean?

citrinez

By citrinez
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citrinez Newbie

citrinez

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I see ppl write "I have avg EC'S" when they post stats all the time, but I just want to know what the heck 'avg Ec's' means...bc it seems like everyone has diff experiences and what not. What is considered avg? or what amount of activities (i.e. quality vs not so quality) activities do ppl do per school yer or summer? Do some ppl only have summer EC's and nothing in school year?

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uofthopeful07 Newbie

uofthopeful07

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i don't know what it means either

 

it could mean average as in, the 'TYPICAL' premed activities (volunteering, research etc.)

 

or it could mean average in that, there isn't much depth to the activity, average commitment shown over time, no progression over time (e.g., same role over the years, never develop it into a leadership position)..or in terms of reserach, maybe you've never published spoken at a conference. or it could mean you aren't the all-star (volunteering, research, leadership, athletics...blah blah blah!)

 

anyway, this is all very subjective and my take on what they mean. since you are curious.

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blinknoodle Newbie

blinknoodle

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The best person to answer would be whoever wrote it!

Personally, I find this board can be very intimidating - you see people with 4.0 GPAs, volunteered in hospitals since grade 9, published manuscripts, travelled to Uganda to hand out eyeglasses, varsity athletes and student council vice-presidents. Sometimes you just feel average, even if you have some/all/none of the above, or don't care to compare the depth/breadth of your experiences.

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Smurfette Newbie

Smurfette

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Do some ppl only have summer EC's and nothing in school year?

 

Interesting. I guess some people probably do. Most of my EC's are during the school year (or continuous...like sports which I do year round) with the exception of work experience including research.

 

I consider myself to have "average" (or maybe slightly above average) EC's in that I have a little bit of most things (research, volunteering, some student involvement, sports), but I haven't really excelled in anything or made a really significant contribution to anything (no varsity sports, no publications, no overseas trips, no saving a school of children from a burning fire, lol).

 

But of course, the definition of "average" varies. I guess people use the term "average" as compared to what they see among their pre-med friends and peers.

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lost__in__space Newbie

lost__in__space

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i would say "average" would be a couple of volunteer placements, a couple of clubs and maybe an intramural sport or 2 or something along those lines...as for varsity athletics and volunteering overseas, i have both of those now but rowing sometimes is a total drag...... volunteering overseas definitely not, it was life changing for me, character building, inspiring and just incredible and I totally recommend it and I'll be going on a couple more volunteering trips before I do my final OMSAS applications :-)

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lost__in__space Newbie

lost__in__space

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I consider myself to have "average" (or maybe slightly above average) EC's in that I have a little bit of most things (research, volunteering, some student involvement, sports), but I haven't really excelled in anything or made a really significant contribution to anything (no varsity sports, no publications, no overseas trips, no saving a school of children from a burning fire, lol).

 

you didn't get the memo that saving children from burning schools is the new UWO prereq?? :eek: better get on that!! :P

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AMmd Newbie

AMmd

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I feel I have below average ECs. I'm the anti-intimidator:cool:

we are still scared of you darla.. jk jk...

 

law, can i burn down your shelter so i can rescue the kids and then i will help you build it back again... hum in a 3rd world country preferably... :D

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clkt Newbie

clkt

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I think I am very average. 1 hospital volunteering placement, 1 sport, music - just a hobby, nothing competitive/spectacular, a lot of research but no papers, and 1 leadership thing. I think the only aspect of my application that made me average instead of below average is the volunteering and sport was ~6 years, music was 10+.

What I consider above average: a combination of research papers, leadership position in student union, competitive in several sports, instructor in another sport, awards in national academic competitions, summer job or exchange in another country (NOT the standard volunteering in Africa though)

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vip_138 Newbie

vip_138

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I think people are forgetting it's not about quantity. It's about quality!

 

as much as i'ld like to think that, i think in the end, it might actually depend on quantity to an extent. When you have a couple lines to explain each activity, and each school is reviewing thousands of applications, the thought of 'resume padding', or just the fact that one person has 'more' things will probably get them an interview. I know the schools try to account for this but this is a hard task. I think the interview itself can kind of weed out some ppl that concentrated on quantity instead of quality but as far as the whole application process, i think realistically quantity is a big determinent (granted lots of ppl get in with little to no EC's but if you have lots vs. few EC's, the former is gonna have a better chance). Maybe i'm wrong, i haven't quite decided whether i'm a realist or a cynic.

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The Law Newbie

The Law

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Hmm, I'm not really sure about that. I think presentation has a lot to do with things (duhh) and being able to articulate the importance of each event. Spending an hour/week on 5 little things isn't more important than spending 10 hours/week on one major thing. Of course, you should also diversify your experiences! (Keep them fresh. yo.)

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