oneschoolonedream Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Impact of volunteering abroad on applications? is this Controversial? Will it have a negative effect on an application? Are there people in Ottawa med that can comment on this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMislove Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 From another thread : "Not that it is bad to volunteer abroad, but the impact of that in recent years on medical school applications has been subject to heavy criticism. Most people are now aware that it's basically a vacation or "voluntourism" and the impact of what you do while you are abroad isn't what most people think/say it is. There are many local opportunities for volunteering where you can get better, more valuable experience than in developing countries."- robclem21 http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/92905-back-up-options-for-spending-a-year/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I would have thought that volunteering with our aboriginal population would be far more meaningful on so many levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robclem21 Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 From another thread : "Not that it is bad to volunteer abroad, but the impact of that in recent years on medical school applications has been subject to heavy criticism. Most people are now aware that it's basically a vacation or "voluntourism" and the impact of what you do while you are abroad isn't what most people think/say it is. There are many local opportunities for volunteering where you can get better, more valuable experience than in developing countries."- robclem21 http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/92905-back-up-options-for-spending-a-year/ This my favourite citation to date... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_jacob_45 Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 I volunteered abroad twice (both places where I had prior connections though, such as family living there, and I'd been to both countries before) and it seemed to be received very positively in my interviews. Both volunteer programs were very reputable though and it was a significant time commitment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artier Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 It is controversial. It probably will have a positive impact on your application but you could just get that from volunteering locally and saving yourself a lot of time and money. I don't really see the point of volunteering abroad unless you have personal reasons for volunteering in a specific foreign community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMislove Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 This my favourite citation to date... When you do CaRMS, it will pretty much be what distinguishes you from all the other applicants, you're welcome . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispy_Dorito Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robclem21 Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 As I said before, it won't be viewed negatively. Why would it? However, it just isn't the same impactful endeavour that it used to be. 5-10 years ago, volunteering abroad used to be this amazing extracurricular that would distinguish you from others because you care so much about all the orphans and healthcare in developing countries (ala doctors without borders). Over the years though its become better known the limited impact/opportunities you can have while there (especially since all these companies started marketing it to undergrads) and it doesn't really carry the same weight on an application. I agree that learning about culture and sparking interest is huge, but I wouldn't do it solely on the basis of improving your application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.