intouch Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Hey everyone... There seems to be a really strong consensus against putting blood donations in the NAQ section of the med school app. Obviously, I'll trust the expertise on the board here, but I am left wondering why it is a no-go. Seems to me that an activity that is totally voluntary, fairly uncomfortable, and for some, performed as often as possible in order to help others, especially medically, would be quite relevant... I've read through people's descriptions of their NAQ's and it seems a lot less than this is making it onto apps with no protest. Anyone have a good theory here? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 put in what you are comfortable putting in and don't listen to others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intouch Posted August 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Ultimately, what I put in or not on the "low end" of my NAQ's will depend on the amount of space I have left. I was asking why people hold the opinion that mentioning donating was not acceptable. It seems to be a pretty strong opinion in some.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imhotep Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Hey there, I agree that ranking your NAQ should be done to promote your experiences in the best possible way. If there is room for the blood donation, DO include this as I have heard from various admins, past interviewers, and members of the faculty that UBC views this as a plus. I always find it amusing as to how others wrinkle their noses at this. The truth is that without your gift and those of others, alot of people would die, (ie most often heart surgery and chemotherapy is useless and doctors cannot help without blood). If it helps to convince you, I included blood donation in my application, and they took me in - so it did not hurt me in the end. Lastly, keep on donating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmackj Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 they would not like applicants to put down two visits to the blood bank in the past 4 years. However, regular contribution (ie. close to once every two months) would show dedication in contributing to society so it would looked at very favourably by the adcom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neisseria Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 Why would blood donation be unfavorable? Unless you are doing it purely to buff your med CV to the detriment of personal health. This might be a joke but when they used to give rejected applicants advice, one year they said "you should try contributing to society, like blood donation...". The next year >50% of applicants are 'regular blood donors'. The point is blood donation is favorably looked upon as long as you aren't doing it just for medical school application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayven Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 The problem I have with writing down blood donation is what happens when it comes up during the interview? What has donating blood taught you? What did you take away from it? If it's about simply giving back to society then do I write down my charitable donations from every year? How about sending my used clothes to the Canadian Diabetes association? What about the generous tip I left for the struggling student waiting on my table last night? I actually regularly donate blood but I don't plan on writing it down as an EC or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neisseria Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 That essentially boils down to, why do you donate? I'm sure you have some good reason or else you wouldn't do it on a regular basis since it is uncomfortable and somewhat troublesome. "I want to help people because I can" is cliche for sure, but it is the motivation for a lot of charitable acts. In fact, one thing you could do is put all your philanthropy as one activity if that is a big part of your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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