Regarding International Volunteering and more

[dhaliwrs]

Hey guys, been browsing this forum for quite a while and definitely got some good information out of it, so I thought I'd sign up finally.

 

I just have one question regarding international volunteering that I didn't manage to find using the search function.

 

I'm doing a princeton review MCAT course right now, writing it on Aug 6th and then flying out to India for a month with my family on Aug 7th. As it turns out my family knows quite a few doctors in India, and I have a chance to spend a week or two shadowing/volunteering down there. That volunteering will probably be done in mostly small town clinics and rather small scale operations. My main question is would med schools generally prefer international volunteering through organizations or in more orthodox places, or will my international volunteering be just as valid as any other?

 

I know its too early for me to add in a "whats my chances section" into this thread, having not written the MCAT yet, but some feedback in where I need to improve would probably be helpful in any case. At the moment my overall GPA is sitting at a 3.81, with a 3.79 in my major field. I just completed my second year of a biological sciences degree, and have generally completed most of the requirements for admittance. So far the only volunteering I've really gotten is the local hospital (stuck in the giftshop for the most part), however for the next semester I've arranged a transfer to a youth alcohol/ER type program. No research as of yet, but again I'm emailing some prof's about next semester. Not very many extracurriculars either at this point, except for a black belt in Tai Kwon Do from a few years ago. I'm guessing I'll need more volunteering/extracurriculars?

 

And my last question is regarding summer courses. I took organic chemistry as a transfer course at UofA over last summer and was curious as to whether my marks in both of those courses would count towards my gpa when I apply. As it stands, On my UofC online transcripts it only states them as a transfer course with no mark listed. Having gotten an A in both, it would probably help if they counted.

 

Sorry about the long thread, thanks for the replies.

[NLengr]

My main question is would med schools generally prefer international volunteering through organizations or in more orthodox places, or will my international volunteering be just as valid as any other?

 

All volunteering is regarded as equal. There are no extra points for being overseas or with certain organizations.

[silvrsleuth]

i agree that international experience of any kind is not going to hurt you - personally, i think it reflects quite well on you if you've travelled (volunteering or not) because it often indicates a certain adaptability and awareness of other issues.

 

like any EC, i think it's all about how you sell it. shadowing a doctor in a small clinic in india would be an amazing opportunity! a lot of structured volunteering for students takes place in smaller communities with smaller organizations- it also means that those doctors are probably responsible for a lot of different things, so you may get the chance to observe in a way that you couldn't over here.

 

when i was volunteering in east africa a few years ago, i used my 'free time' to assist at a nearby local clinic. because of my experience back home doing point-of-care HIV tests, i spent a few days actually running blood tests for patients, armed with a translator, because they were so short-staffed (I wasn't giving people results, obviously, but i was taking their blood, running the test, and telling the nurse, who gave their results in their language). this was a tiny clinic in a tiny town with 1 doctor who came in every few days when they could, two full-time nurses, and one expert in traditional medicines (THAT was really cool to learn about. I also spent a few days measuring out herbs for people!). i learned SO much there... on top of the regular volunteering that i was there to do. plus, even just following the doctors and nurses around, and watching them provide care to people in need who have really no where else to go... it's pretty amazing.

 

do anything you can, and i really doubt anyone's going to 'frown' on anything you do, as long as it's clear what you learned from it.

 

and yes, i would argue that you need more EC's then gift shop volunteering. there was a thread recently on favorite places to volunteer. don't know where you're from, but my advice there was to look into local community health centres, rather than just hospitals, because you often get to do more. someone else suggested long-term care facilities, and those can also be great places.