Guest first monkey in space Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 Does any one have suggestions for what I could do as extracurricular activities? I do some hospital and hospice work up until now since the start of this school year. Starting next year, my junior year, I plan to pick up some more activities including spending a couple hours a week with a group of mentally/physically disabled adults and sometimes kids, where we go to the movies, drink coffee, and such...I think this is worthwhile. Also, for 2.5 hrs/wk, I will also be helping disabled individuals at my school with their fitness, under direct supervision, of course...where they are to do activities out of water as well as in water to improve thier hand/eye coordination or whatever else they need to do. So if I apply next June, this would be the total extent of my activities (volunteer and EC's). As for GPA, let's say I am doing very well. MCAT? Who knows...I am shooting for 30. Letters of recs? Got that covered. Other than that, does anyone else have suggestions for me so I can become a stronger applicant? I don't really want to join the clubs around here because all the ones I have been to are very poorly run...I want to do something where I could be helping someone out. I think that's probably wiser than listing futile clubs/organizations. Also, are there specific things that admissions committees smile upon? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 Do whatever you enjoy. From experience interviewing, adcoms are really on the lookout for people who do activities with no interest in the activities themselves save for what brownie points they can get with an admissions committee. Remember, volunteering is not about earning points towards med school. Make sure whatever activities you do you can talk about in a positive matter and from a stance that they have improved who you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KatieKat Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 Since all the clubs around you are poorly run, you could always join one to help make it better! The sense of community that student organizations and clubs give within the construct of a large university is really important. Being heavily involved in a club, university orientations etc also shows strong leadership, which med schools definetely look at! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fox Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 I think UWOMed2005 is right. A lot of my extracurricular activities came from high school, undergrad and community sports. I LOVE fitness and athletics and I have done these things outside of school since elementary school and although it may seem unimportant, they show you are well rounded and work well with teams etc. I also got involved in coaching, which shows leadership, but was something I liked doing. With volunteering etc., almost everyone applying to med does it and the ad coms know that. Basically it puts you on a level playing field and allows you a little exposure to medicine. For me, the biggest thing was working in a clinical setting. I work in emerg and it has been such a learning experience and really showed I was interested in medicine. I think what is really important in interviews is to show WHY you're intertested in medicine, and I learned stuff about myself that allowed me to answer that question (from this job) and about health care and the profession itself (and I never once said I wanted to help people, which is a very standard answer). In the end you really should focus on what makes you you, and do those things that interest you so that you can set yourself apart from everyone else. Another important thing to keep in mind is dedication. Last year when I didn't get an interview at CAlgary they said if I had volunteered longer (more years) it would have been seen in a more favourable light. Hope this helps a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 Do what you like. Do what you would do anyway even if you weren't going to apply to med. If you like sports, do something sports related. If you are in to drama, do that. If you play an instrument or sing, do that. If you like children or seniors or the homeless, volunteer with them. Admissions committees are not looking for certain EC's - and the thing that they hate most of all is seeing an applicant that ONLY did a certain activity to put on their resume. If you don't enjoy working in soup kitchens, DON'T DO IT. If you hate children, don't work with them. You will get a lot more out of volunteering with a group that you enjoy working with....and they will enjoy the time that you spend with them more too if you have a reason for being there other than 'I need to do this for my med app'.... There are people that got into my class that have just about every (and any) extracurric you can think of. We have student politicians, yearbook editors, athletes, musicians, people that spent tonnes of time volunteering in hospitals....and people that have NO time volunteering in hospitals. This isn't to say that you should expect to get in with NO volunteer work at all...just that there is much more that you can do as a volunteer then work in a hospital...You should have some idea of what you are getting yourself into in med, but volunteering in a hospital is far from the only way to do that! The point of using extracurrics in the application is for the ad comms to get to know you a bit and see that you have some interests beyond medicine, that you have participated in your community and that you have hopefully learned something about other people and how to work with them/deal with them through your volunteer work. Do what you feel shows who you are, that you can learn something doing and that you will enjoy doing...that is what they want to see...there is no checklist of extracurrics that is essential to a med school application and treating it like there is will likely do more harm to your app then good. Originality sticks out! The schools are all looking to have diversity in their class....doing the 'standard' EC's will probably not be beneficial to you! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest first monkey in space Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 Thank you to all that either replied or at least read my post. It's very reassuring that there are so many people out there that care. If any of you have anything to add, please feel free to do so. I will take this advice to heart. I realize now that it's quality, not quantity, but the following question still stands: why do people who are engaged in multiple clubs and activities, even if they just do it to put it down on their resume, etc. have a better chance at acceptance as well as scholarships? This really confuses me. If anyone could shed some light on this, you have my gratitude. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 They might not. I haven't seen any studies on the subject, and I have a few classmates who never volunteered, who never played a sport, or never played a note. But during an interview, someone who has volunteered or had a wide range of activities is usually more interesting to talk to. "I dunno" isn't the most interesting answer to "so what do you do in your free time." And med schools are looking at people who know how to balance their time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 How do you know that resume-padders generally do better? You say it like it's a fact. I haven't been involved in medical school admissions, but I've certainly evaluated student applications in a variety of contexts and in those experiences, at least, we've been able (I believe) to tell the difference between people who are genuine and people who pad their resumes. Certainly it's not 100% reliable. But wouldn't you rather be somebody who does things that make a difference than somebody who spends an entire undergrad doing nothing but trying to get into medical school? I sure would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fox Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 I think one of the reasons that people who have lots of extracurrics on their resume get into med school is due to the type of person they are, not because they did so many things. I have always been a really outgoing person who always needs to be busy..... therefore I was involved in a lot of activities to satisfy this aspect of my personality. When I was in high school and undergrad I had no intention of going into med (so all my extracurrics were for interest sake, not to put on my resume). So, having said that, people who get involved with a variety of activities because it's in their nature to do so will probably fare well in the interview process since these people tend to be well rounded and are generally (and I stress this word) personable and outgoing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 40 hours a week!?! If that's the criteria to avoid being labelled a resume padder, then I guess I am one myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 Lol Uwomed2005! Okay, okay, I deleted that part of the post. I didn't mean to be so obnoxious ... Mostly I was annoyed by the original post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jmh2005 Posted April 19, 2003 Report Share Posted April 19, 2003 First Monkey, I also agree with UWO2005s advice...spend time doing something you enjoy and also, something that will help you grow as a person...you really should be able to demonstrate that you learned something valuable from your experiences as well...what about leadership activities? i.e. treasurer of a school club, co-organizer of an event, etc...What about taking a correspondence summer course...these are other things you should consider...med schools like to see well-rounded applicants as has been said, people who have given their time to others, people who have shown leadership, people who have the ability to learn independently. Another thought...much of the work/volunteering you are doing seems somewhat more directed towards rehabilitation...should you get an interview in the future, you may be asked why you choose the work you did and why is it medicine that you desire vs. something in the rehab sciences (i.e., OT/PT/SLP)...just something to think about, coming from someone who was in rehab but realized she wanted medicine... Every school in Canada has their own way of selecting the applicants and some put more emphasis on EC's than others...some even have crazy points scales and such (i believe some schools out West...)...so you also need to look at what each school requires and how much emphasis they put on EC's, depending on where you wish to attend in the future... Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest first monkey in space Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 See, the thing is, I have been a very secluded person all throughout high school. All I did was study. All I did when I got to college...for...almost 2 yrs now is study...and some minor volunteering. I have started to get out of my comfort zone now, but am not much of an athletic type nor to I enjoy any activities. As previously mentioned, do what you enjoy, but I don't enjoy the normal stuff that other people find fun. I'd rather just study. So do you think this would make me a weak applicant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ssup Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 first monkey, A few observations: Possibly the reason you don't have any activities you enjoy is that you've spent that last few years dedicating your life to just studying...you haven't taken the initiative to try new experiences and see whether in fact you would enjoy them. Of course, this is all based on my understanding from what you've written in your posts. Maybe start off by trying a few varied activities and see whether anything interests you... If it is the case that you have tried a variety of activities and simply enjoy nothing in life other than studying (which I find somewhat hard to believe) than why not pick extracurricular activities that emphasize this passion for learning: For example, you could volunteer tutoring your peers or younger students...maybe target a disadvantaged youth group and add a touch of community service to the experience. Or if you enjoy academic work so much, maybe you can experiment with some research and lab experience.... I think the point is that there are plenty of potential opportunities to become involved...as long as you keep an open-mind and a sense of adventure! that's my two cents for ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest first monkey in space Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 Thanks for all the help everyone has given me. Ssup's idea of tutoring and researching was excellent. I had never consider those before. If anyone has any other good suggestions, I'm reading. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Whitbourne Posted April 22, 2003 Report Share Posted April 22, 2003 My extracurriculars have always been sort of solitary. Did some hospital stuff, but the most valuable has been in woking in a small group of writers in a review group. Don;t worry if you aren't into athletics; just do what you like. Besides, it'd be boring if it was all just jocks, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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