Guest KatieKat Posted October 8, 2002 Report Share Posted October 8, 2002 What's the difference between a volunteer activity and an extra-curricular activity? Thanks people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimmyMax Posted October 8, 2002 Report Share Posted October 8, 2002 Hey, The difference is somewhat subtle and may blur depending on how you interpret what it is your role was. This is kind of tough to define, but the way I see it, an extracurricular is usually something you join, like a club or a group. An example might be a sports team, a musical ensemble or a campus club (ie: drama club). A volunteer position can be defined as donating your time doing something you might otherwise be paid to do (ie: usually something entailing some responsibility). An example might be working at the local hospital, food bank or helping with a special event. That's just my opinion, but I hope it helps! Best of luck! Timmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MayFlower1 Posted October 8, 2002 Report Share Posted October 8, 2002 KatieKat, I agree with TimmyMax. Volunteer activities are things you do "out of the goodness of your heart" that under "normal" circumstances would be done for pay. Some other examples of volunteering (from my perspective) would include: coaching a kids sports team to support your local community; joining a St. John Ambulance brigade to donate your time towards providing first aid at public/private events; donating your time in a veteran's hospital or "old age home", helping nursing staff or serving meals; being a scout/guides leader; helping out (without pay, of course) at a doctor's office doing odd jobs, etc. Some other extracurriculars might include: toastmaster's; organized clubs; competitive and non-competitive sports; hobbies. Just my 10 cents. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JS28 Posted October 9, 2002 Report Share Posted October 9, 2002 Hi, That's a good point. I've put down most things as extracurriculars, even though a lot of them were school-based volunteer activities (e.g. peer helping/tutoring, etc). Would it look bad that I have 5 times as many extracurriculars as volunteer activities (which i classified as community-based), even though some of my extracurriculars were volunteer as well? Do schools really look closely at our autobio sketch, or just skim through how balanced we are (between the different categories)? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MayFlower1 Posted October 9, 2002 Report Share Posted October 9, 2002 JS28, In my opinion, peer helping and tutoring (if it's not paid) are two examples of volunteering. I'm not sure what other people on the board think, however, you might want to consider changing them to volunteer on your sketch if it's not too late. If it is too late (i.e., you've submitted) I wouldn't worry about it too much. With respect to whether schools "skim" or "examine" your autobiographical sketch...I can't speak for all schools, however, I believe UofO goes over them with a fine toothed comb. The autobiographical sketch not only allows them to see that you're balanced...it also provides them with a "peek" into your life so far. I believe they use it to get an initial impression of your maturity, and many other of the characteristics which they believe make a "good candidate" and, ultimately, a "good doctor". You'll hear people in this forum talking about "knowing yourself" before going into the interview. Don't take this advice lightly...know your sketch inside out...but also know why you are at the interview, what you want to accomplish (i.e., other than just succeeding at the interview) through becoming a doctor, etc. Cheers. Peter P.S. By the way, I had an interview this year but didn't get accepted for this academic year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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