For which med schools do ECs not matter as much?

[Strategy99]

I am a first year science student with very little ECs. I know for sure this will be the weak point of my application and it is worrying me a lot.

 

My question is: how important are ECs really? How important is the autobio sketch (where you list 48 items)? Do schools analyze each and every single activity or do they barely look at it at all?

 

As long as I have things to talk about in my interview, I should be fine, even without a decent amount of ECs, correct? The thing is, despite having very little ECs, I believe the very few I do have are very good, but again, very few. Which med schools are not as high on ECs, and which are?

 

Any insight into this is appreciated! Thanks

[tooty]

In general, the schools that have definitive cut-offs for GPA and MCAT don't require much in ECs. Schools like Western and Queen's are pretty relaxed. Mac, UT, Ottawa will look at your sketch as part of your assessment.

[future_doc]

GPA is king. Generally speaking, med schools want well rounded, active citizens, not just brains. And physicians have certain characteristics, e.g., effective communicators, leaders, deonstrate initiative, problem solvers, compassionate, personable etc. Most if not all of these characteristics can only be demonstrated to adcom from your activities, and if you have no activities, you are not making yourself a competitive applicant.

 

So, you ask how important are ECs. Well, activities, be they ECs, volunteering, sports, whatever, theyallow you to grow as an individual. The issue is not really to what extent adcoms scrutinize the autobio sketch, rather the issue is that you want to be able to demonstrate to adcoms that you are an active citizen, that you participate in the community and these items factor in for the selection of whom is selected for interview. And at the interview stage, whether you discuss your experiences or not, your backgrounds plays into how effective you will be in marketing yourself to the interviewers.

[thatonekid]

In general, the schools that have definitive cut-offs for GPA and MCAT don't require much in ECs. Schools like Western and Queen's are pretty relaxed. Mac, UT, Ottawa will look at your sketch as part of your assessment.

Queen's seems to be looking at the sketch this year as well.

[simpy]

I am a first year science student with very little ECs. I know for sure this will be the weak point of my application and it is worrying me a lot.

 

My question is: how important are ECs really? How important is the autobio sketch (where you list 48 items)? Do schools analyze each and every single activity or do they barely look at it at all?

 

As long as I have things to talk about in my interview, I should be fine, even without a decent amount of ECs, correct? The thing is, despite having very little ECs, I believe the very few I do have are very good, but again, very few. Which med schools are not as high on ECs, and which are?

 

Any insight into this is appreciated! Thanks

 

The above posters are correct, however they're only looking of the impact of ECs on paper.

 

The thing about an EC is that you get out of it what you put in. Even being on a club executive is important because it will allow you to develop communication skills. If you're not involved at all because you're intimidated or a little socially awkward (I don't mean this as an insult, I certainly was both of these until a couple years ago), getting out of your shell will increase the depth of your character.

 

Honestly, in some ways you can think about doing an EC as interview preparation. It will give you experience, wisdom, and the capacity to communicate effective answers to interview questions.

 

In this way, virtually all schools will look at ECs in some respect. If you don't have ECs, you would need to truly excel academically to compete against the swarm of people in the 3.8-3.9 GPA range who have good ECs (there are MANY people like this). Your GPA should be very close to a 4.0, you should be very personable and a good communicator, and your MCAT scores will need to be strong.

 

In other words... Get involved. Not getting involved by this point is not a big deal - at all. Find a couple volunteer activities to get into. A rule of thumb is 10 hours per week, but take on more if you're able (although don't do what I've done, and take on an average of 45 hours ECs per week. It doesn't help you past a certain point). Do something that you're interested in - maybe it's research, maybe hospital volunteering, maybe tutoring. Or maybe it's sports, clubs, or other activities. It really doesn't matter - do what you like and it will help you develop as a person.

 

But as has been pointed out, GPA is king. You will need to maintain a very good GPA to get into medical school. But what extracurriculars help you do more than anything is learn how to balance. Yes, every extracurricular you take will probably impact your GPA. But if you can balance several extracurriculars and maintain academic success, you'll be a stronger candidate than someone with fewer extracurriculars, and you'll be far more prepared for an interview as well.

[Madz25]

I am a first year science student with very little ECs. I know for sure this will be the weak point of my application and it is worrying me a lot.

 

My question is: how important are ECs really? How important is the autobio sketch (where you list 48 items)? Do schools analyze each and every single activity or do they barely look at it at all?

 

As long as I have things to talk about in my interview, I should be fine, even without a decent amount of ECs, correct? The thing is, despite having very little ECs, I believe the very few I do have are very good, but again, very few. Which med schools are not as high on ECs, and which are?

 

Any insight into this is appreciated! Thanks

 

You're only in first year. Plenty of time to add more ECs if you feel you're lacking in that area. Why not get out there and do something instead of worrying about not having enough?

 

Either way, for ECs, it's quality over quantity.

[Guest copacetic]

in canada (especially ontario) medical school is so competitive that your GPA ought to be your top priority. ECs you can always add. GPA however cant be changed. I did alot of ECs and a difficult undergraduate program thinking it would matter. at the end of the day it was all pretty irrelevant. GPA and MCAT cutoffs are such that even if you've developed the cure to cancer, or started an international charity lifting millions out of poverty, none of it will matter unless you've made the cut off. having said that i dont regret doing all the ECs that i did. they were my strength and helped me develop as a person.