Guest BlazinKhan Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 Hey everyone, I'm a first year student and am curious to know how to impress Canadian med schools with EC's. I managed to get an executive position for the Pre-med club at my school and am in various academic and social clubs. Now my first question is, am I wasting my time with these clubs? Do med schools even care if you were a member of a certain club or do they just look for publications, research positions and your GPA/ABS. My other question is very broad and has probably been answered several times so I apologize since the search didn't provide me with anything. What kind of EC's should I get involved in to impress med schools? I have A LOT of interests so there isn't much I wouldn't enjoy doing, I was thinking about coaching for a soccer team during the summer and I am pretty well set for this research position. Thanks for any replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest choti Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 The point isn't to have amazing extracurrics to impress medschools...the point is to have extracurrics YOU enjoy and YOU derive a lot of satisfaction from...these are the activities you will learn the most from. And bc you have learned from them, you will a lot to say about them on your applications and your interviews. I know I for one didn't have particularly amazing extracurrics...but I personally gained a lot from them and this came out in my interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UTMed07 Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 I don't think there is a list of "this-will-impress-med-schools" ECs. What people can do during their spare time depends very much on their background, financial situation and the opportunities around them (i.e. where they live). Personally, I think the question you ask ("What kind of EC's should I get involved in to impress med schools?") should be "What can I do to learn more about medicine and decide whether it is right for me?" as that I think is more important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sensodyne Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 I agree w/ the others. Don't volunteer at some hospital b/c you think that's going to look good on your application. Your chances are that you'll end up folding towels (like I did) and never see a doctor in action. Seriously, what will you say during your interview--3 or 4 years down the road--when they ask you what you learned from that hospital experience? or how about going to Africa and helping orphans. ok..that's an extreme example and I do know that a lot of people cherish that kind of experience. However, I'm not that altruistic and wouldn't do that even if it meant that that would get me into med school. my point is that you should be doing something that will make you a better person in the end but at the same time that gives back to the community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ploughboy Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 BRIAN: Look. You've got it all wrong. You don't need to follow me. You don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves. You're all individuals! FOLLOWERS: Yes, we're all individuals! BRIAN: You're all different! FOLLOWERS: Yes, we are all different! DENNIS: I'm not. Monty Python's Life of Brian, Scene 19 Hey there, Disclaimer: My trimester two exams start in a couple of days, it's late, I'm tired, and I am probably a little rougher around the edges than usual. I mean all of what I'm going to say in absolutely the nicest possible way, so please don't take offense as I don't mean it personally. I'm writing this because I think your question is an important one, and I want to help you. I've been where you are now, on the outside looking in; and now I'm on the inside looking out and going: "wow, there are a lot of foramina in the base of the skull!" I don't think that there is a secret to impressing medical schools, but if there is a secret it's this: don't be a dork. Med schools are looking for bright, passionate and compassionate well-rounded human beings. GPA and MCAT cover off the "bright" part, but the rest is entirely at your discretion. It's great that you're involved in your school's pre-med club and other social clubs, 'cuz there's a lot more to undergrad than keeping your nose in the books. However, don't focus so much on "impressing" med schools. Do things that you enjoy and have a passion for. If that's coaching soccer - great! Writing poetry - wonderful! Running a Scout troop - fantastic! Growing prize-winning rhododendrons- splendid! Working in a lab - spiffy! An after-school homework program for ninth-graders - tremendous! A sex-ed column in the campus newspaper - cool! Prayer leader at your local religious institution - nifty! Playing bass in an anarcho-punk thrash band - astounding! Posting on ezboard at 2AM when you should be studying cardiac physiology - friggin' weird, man... What I'm trying to say is that when you get right down to it, the details don't matter. There isn't a magical checklist that if you get 9/10 points on you're likely to get into medical school. There are 133 people in my class, and there aren't any two of us who have the same set of experiences. Some of us have a passion for horseback riding, others live to swim and are more at home in water than on land, and others you don't dare ask about flying unless you've got a half an hour to spare to listen to them rave about the last time they were out at the airport. Be a unique and interesting human being, not a pre-med clone. To answer your question about whether you're wasting your time with the clubs that you're in I'll ask you a question in return - do you feel like you're wasting your time? If you enjoy the clubs, and the responsibility that comes with being on the exec, then it's probably time well spent. If these clubs are just another hoop that you feel you have to jump through on your way to medical school, then there are probably better uses of your time. Find them. Do things that you enjoy. Do them not because you think they will impress a medical school, but because you have a passion for them. Do things that you would do even if you weren't applying to medical school, and the rest will follow. It's a Zen thing. Again, please don't take offense BK. I'm not trying to pick on you specifically. It's just that I see so many pre-meds focusing on the superficial details of the process, rather than the underlying fundamentals, that I feel an overwhelming need to offer advice and bizarre analogies. I hope this helps... Best regards, pb -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.0 (FreeBSD) iD8DBQFECTPt/HNgbK3bC2wRArXdAJ9CxY5Lu2E4OPRd032iB3zX4ECwbACgg8O6 7LDGokSxtf50KiekTDkpF+4= =+/7C -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JewelLeigh Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 My suggestion is commitment. Do somethings that you enjoy, and stick with them! An EC or volunteer experience that you have been involved in for 3-4 years is much more impressive than having a massive list of ones that you begin 2 months before applications are due....to me anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest strider2004 Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 I'm going to give a little analogy here. Bear with me. Impression a med school is like impressing a girl, let's call her Suzie. You don't impress her by being president of the Suzie Fan Club, or doing activities that you think Suzie would enjoy doing, or trying to be friends with Suzie's friends. You impress Suzie by being confident, passionate about the things that you enjoy. Suzie wants to get to know you as a person, know what are your likes and dislikes, and see that you have direction in your life. So for now, do things in your life that you will enjoy. In a couple of years, you'll meet that med school named Suzie and the two of you will have a conversation. She'll ask you questions to get to know you, and you'll ask questions to get to know her and maybe, just maybe, you two will click. The good thing is that there are many Suzies in Canada and I'm sure you'll click with one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treehuggingbiologist Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 The good thing is that there are many Suzies in Canada and I'm sure you'll click with one of them. That had to be the oddest analogy ever, yet strangely true. Medschools, like women, appreciate individual. But I know for one i'd be more nervous on a date than in my medschool interview though :lol To my knowledge though, its not what you did so much as what you learnt doing it - for example volunteering in a hospital can be thoroughly boring folding towels as someone mentioned previously. Alternatively, you could have witnessed an accident where someone around your age was brought in with multiple lacerations (sp?) on her face and seen how the entire medical team worked as a unit as soon as she came through the ER door. Or that time when you were talking to a patient and they were telling you about how they escaped the holocaust and moved to Canada from Poland back in the 40s. As long as you can bring someone out of it, it doens't matter what you do IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noncestvrai Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 I'll use your advice for my date tonite, except her name is not Suzie. I got into med school, let's see... noncestvrai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treehuggingbiologist Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 DON'T BE A NICE GUY!! Trust me on this one. Be a jerk. How many single jerks are there out there? And how many single nice guys? ... Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlazinKhan Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 haha, treehuggingbiologist knows his stuff, I don't even want to get started on my whole theory about how women love jerks at a young age and at a older age they just look for material resources (ex. the nice guy doctor). Anyway before I go on a rant about that, thanks for the replies, and everything is so much clearer now especially because of the woman analogy ... Guess I'll do whatever I enjoy and hopefully I'll get some good experiences out of them that I can use in my interview and such and even if I don't, hey atleast I enjoyed my University life. Oh and ploughboy thanks for that reply, I really needed to hear that since its the truth and right now I do enjoy all the clubs I am involved with so I'll keep it that way in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noncestvrai Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 I guess I'm not too nice then...since this is the second date. Of course, I have heard of the ladder theory, I just play it enough not to be in the friends corner...you hate to be the non-gay-gay friend... Ah well, it was a lovely night after a rough week in ophtho, I needed a nice night out with a cuty. noncestvrai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest strider2004 Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 ladder theory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest everyoneloveschem Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 The ladder theory is brutal!!! Google it. You should find a somewhat cynical website with a complete explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treehuggingbiologist Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Ladder Theory for those who are unenlightened. I particularly like the "kicked in the head as you attempt to switch ladders" comment. So very true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jochi1543 Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Ladder Theory for those who are unenlightened. I particularly like the "kicked in the head as you attempt to switch ladders" comment. So very true! Let's put it this way - I sure as hell wouldn't be dating a dude who's big enough of a loser to read every word of that website and actually act on it.:lol :lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DancingDoc Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 well put jochi.... well put Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest geekpunk Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Gotta' agree with the gents in this thread. Sadly, ladder theory is oh-so-very true. Pretty much every guy has experienced being on the "Just Friends" ladder at some point. It's a fact of life. :\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jochi1543 Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 I personally have never told a guy I'd "rather be friends" - I have enough balls to just tell him we're not a good match, I have 13 husbands, and he needs to leave me the hell alone, NOW. If I'm interested, we're gonna date, if I'm not interested, I'm not gonna date OR be friends with you. Now, some reasons I have rejected guys recently: 1) he called me Wednesday night and said he wants me to come to this bar to hang out with him and his friends. Said he knows the bartender, and would be able to get discounted drinks, then added "But of course you'd still have to pay for the drinks!" OUT THE DOOR, you pathetic loser. 2) Expresses fascination with me, then e-mails back and forth with me for a week without ever suggesting a date. Friday I take initiative and ask what he's doing this weekend. Answer: "Saturday I'll go out with friends, Sunday I'm watching football. What about you? If I don't hear from you today, just tell me about your weekend on Monday!" Um, hello, moron, are you COMPLETELY unable to pick up any sort of signals from females? Your stupid ass should've jumped right there on that opportunity and said "What I'm doing this weekend is going out with you, my dear!" Yeah, keep waiting for that e-mail Monday, you sucka, cuz it ain't coming. 3) I ask him why he won't apply to college if he's not satisfied with his job, he starts CRYING. Need a diaper change? Urgh.:x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest uwkin Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 HAHAHAHA!!!! didnt you people get that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DancingDoc Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Plus gents I'd like to hope you aren't all that shallow.... I know the girls aren't, right ladies? (come on, need some support here!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jochi1543 Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Instead of wasting his time to write that stupid website, that tool should've spent it getting a new hobby so he'd actually have something to TALK about with chicks. Maybe then he'd get laid. Besides, if you are going into dating with this kind of attitude, why the hell date anyway if you're only after some ass? Just post an ad on Craigslist in Casual Encounters.:x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treehuggingbiologist Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 While i respect your point, i will reiterate that every guy here seems fairly nice. And thats where the problem is. You can be a very nice guy, and girls just don't care. You said yourself Jochi that you emailed the guy back and forth a few times and eventually *you* took the initiative. How many nice guys has that happened to? I'm not even talking about getting laid here, i'm talking about nice guys having a girl look at them twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Zuckman Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Hey guys, Ya, I do the whole bad guy, jerk thing every now and then and chicks dig it. But there has to be a hint of niceness in the background. It's important to keep it subtle. Chicks love the cocky and funny attitude. Make fun of them in a fun way and they love it. Don't ever compliment them at first...that shows desperation. If you want a hot babe...keep her wondering...act like your talking to a regular joe and she'll keep wondering 'all the other guys think i'm hot but this guy shows nothing'. Trust me...works every time. When you make fun of them it has to be not so serious. Guys often think 'don't make fun of girls because that'll hurt their feelings'. Oh, sooo wrong. I make fun of how old they look all the time..but in a fun way. They keep guessing and start thinking you're a major challenge...and girls like what they can't get. Anyway..that's my dating advice. Zucker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GP2B Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 i've been reading this thread for a couple of days and now i have to chime in! i got married this summer to a really NICE GUY... not an ounce of jerk to be found. i think that what women are attracted to is confidence rather than "jerkiness". unfortunately, jerks tend to be confident and that may be why girls are attracted to them... thankfully, i fell for a confident nice guy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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