Question about extracurricular

[jun921201]

Hi

 

I am in 2nd year BMSc.

I was wondering how much extracurricular activities I need for medical school.

I know that it never hurts to have too much extracurriculars, but I was interested in the minimum standard that every medical school applicant should cover.

 

Roughly how many years (hours) of hospital volunteer experience does one need? It seems almost mandatory that I need to volunteer at a hospital.

 

Do I have to be heavily involved in different clubs around the campus? And not just a regular club member, is it necessary to secure an executive position?

 

How much research experience does one need? I heard that this is a great way to meet the profs, but I can't relate how it will help for medical schools unless the research is about medicine.

 

I saw a lot of my peers travelling abroad to developing countries to volunteer. The other stuffs I can at least try to do, but this is something that is impossible for me due to personal reasons. This worries me because I seem to be the only one who is not (can't really...) doing this. Is it true that doing these kinds of volunteer work really put someone at an advantage over others who only volunteered locally?

 

I would appreciate all the help I can get.

 

Thank you in advance.

[CharmingHedgehog]

I'm pretty sure there is no "minimum" to your ECs. Remember quality of quantity. Also,, hospital volunteering is not a requirement at all. Remember why you are volunteering at a hospital: a) easy to get (maybe) see what doctors do.

If you are just there selling coffee to visitors for a month, try finding something else to do. At least sell coffee for 3 years, and establish relationships with the staff and/or patients or something.

 

It would be beneficial to join clubs, but mainly because YOU ENJOY IT! It also shows the ad com that you have other interests.

I know many with no research experience, others with PhDs, and we are all in medicine.

There is not a check list the adcom checks off as they read about your ECs. You want to appear to have a variety of interests, like people, and have the potential to fulfill some of the CanMEDs roles.

If you fake it on your ECs, you have to fake it again in the interview and through to residency, as these are some of the qualities everyone is looking for.

I can't emphasize enough -- you don't have to do anything everyone else is doing. Do what you like. If you are interested in going abroad, and are able to do so, do it. Otherwise, find somewhere else within your country, province, or city to volunteer in. People need help everywhere.

 

I am a 2015 UWO med student. I did not travel abroad to volunteer, I did not volunteer in a hospital, I did not volunteer at all, I was a part of maybe 3 clubs in total, I was not an exec on any clubs, I did not do research.

What I did was: webmastering for class, faculty, and national student council, worked all four years and during the summer, wrote math contests in high school

[repede]

Find something meaningful outside of academics that you enjoy, and do it. That might be clubs. That might be research. That might be hospital volunteering. Or it might be something completely different - volunteering at a community centre, or tutoring high school students would work.

 

There are too many rumours about medical school. The following are all commonly heard but false.

- You have to be involved in lots of clubs, and be execs in a few of them.

- You have to do research.

- You have to volunteer in a hospital.

- You have to go to a 3rd world country and volunteer.

[DeeDoc]

Find something meaningful outside of academics that you enjoy, and do it. That might be clubs. That might be research. That might be hospital volunteering. Or it might be something completely different - volunteering at a community centre, or tutoring high school students would work.

 

There are too many rumours about medical school. The following are all commonly heard but false.

- You have to be involved in lots of clubs, and be execs in a few of them.

- You have to do research.

- You have to volunteer in a hospital.

- You have to go to a 3rd world country and volunteer.

 

I'm pretty sure the bolded are very important. If not for Canadian schools, for American schools.