AMCAS application work/activities

[schnauzr]

I'm still in 2nd year, so I won't be applying next year.

But I still checked out the AMCAS application process,,

and I found out that for the work/activities section, we can add up to 15 work/activities.

It striked me as a bit too few, esp. compared to 40-something for Canadian med schools.

Anyway, whether 15 or 40, the thing I'm worried about is that

I don't have ANY activities that I've committed for more than several months.

The longest volunteering I've done lasted for about three or four months.

How do I measure up to other applicants?

All work/activities with three months commitment can't look good.

I'm thinking that "how committed I was" isn't as important as "what it meant to me personally as an aspiring premed student",

 

but I have a bad feeling about this.

Any advice?

[Madz25]

The reason AMCAS only has 15 spots is because they want you to focus on the Jobs/ECs/awards that were the most significant.

 

Quality is definitely better than quantity. I think med schools like to see committment. If an activity really meant something to you then why not keep up with it? I personally think it's always better to have fewer long term ones than many short term ones.

 

Med school admissions process is so subjective. The person reviewing your files may be turned off at the fact that you have no long term committments or wont care about them at all and will focus more on your grades/MCAT. There is a lot of variability so it's tough to say.

 

It definitely doesn't hurt to have long-term activities but it CAN hurt to only have short-term ones.

[schnauzr]

Thanks for the rep.

All I have to do now is turn back time to my first year and get workin'!!!

Why didn't I do anything in my first two years....???

I have to pinch myself.

[omegaxx13]

Thanks for the rep.

All I have to do now is turn back time to my first year and get workin'!!!

Why didn't I do anything in my first two years....???

I have to pinch myself.

 

Second year is not too late at all. Remember you still got a whole year + 1 summer (16 months), during which you can well do something substantial.

[sonyvaio2700]

I'm still in 2nd year, so I won't be applying next year.

But I still checked out the AMCAS application process,,

and I found out that for the work/activities section, we can add up to 15 work/activities.

It striked me as a bit too few, esp. compared to 40-something for Canadian med schools.

Anyway, whether 15 or 40, the thing I'm worried about is that

I don't have ANY activities that I've committed for more than several months.

The longest volunteering I've done lasted for about three or four months.

How do I measure up to other applicants?

All work/activities with three months commitment can't look good.

I'm thinking that "how committed I was" isn't as important as "what it meant to me personally as an aspiring premed student",

 

but I have a bad feeling about this.

Any advice?

 

 

Go with quality not quantity. Also dont do your typical "cookie cutter" premed stuff. Do something unique. eg. volunteer overseas as a pastor, be a big brother.

 

Even though volunteering and shadowing at your local hospital is almost a must...diversify yourself.