I'm just wondering how I'm supposed to handle these. I know they always look for those things on applications, but between work, school, and life, that won't leave me much, if any time for doing extra things like volunteering or shadowing. I could do this after I finish school, but that would further delay the process.
Any suggestions on how to handle this? Did anyone else have a full plate and how did you handle the ECs which seem to be such a huge part of the application?
| QUOTE (zanMD @ Oct 12 2003, 06:00 PM) |
| I'm just wondering how I'm supposed to handle these. I know they always look for those things on applications, but between work, school, and life, that won't leave me much, if any time for doing extra things like volunteering or shadowing. I could do this after I finish school, but that would further delay the process. Any suggestions on how to handle this? Did anyone else have a full plate and how did you handle the ECs which seem to be such a huge part of the application? |
Hi there,
Extracurricular activities are not a "huge" part of the application. You should have some physician shadowing experience but this should not come at the cost of your GPA and MCAT which are the "huge" parts of the application. If you spent a couple of days with a physician during the holidays, you could easily fulfill this part of your application.
You don't need to spend "hours" doing something. You can do things that are as simple as volunteering one Saturday morning per month at the Red Cross or working with the homeless during the holidays when you should be out of school. Even better, try to do something that you can incorporate your entire family into so that you "multi-task". Volunteering at a soup kitchen is a great family activity. Many volunteer agencies will take any time that you can give even if it is just a couple of hours here and there.
The worst situation to find yourself in would be presenting an application with tons of extracurricular activities and a poor GPA/MCAT. I can tell you from experience, that you will have difficulty convincing an adcom that you can handle a rigorous medical school curriculum.
Try to find something that is not time-consuming or something that you can do when you are out of school such as on spring break or during the holidays. Good luck!
Natalie
To add to Natalie’s excellent comments:
There are a couple of reasons why EC’s get some scrutiny. Most people applying to med school say “I want to help people” in their application somewhere. It’s generally part of the motivation. If you’ve done things in the past that show you have an altruistic streak, you’re showing that you really DO like to help people, you’re not just saying it because you know AdComs want to hear it.
ECs CAN involve medical experience of some sort but absolutely do NOT have to. If your past volunteer or professional experience does not involve any real good contact with medical professionals, you’ll definitely need to do something, as AdComs want to know that YOU know what you’re getting into. For lots of people, ECs “kill two birds with one stone” - they get volunteer experience in a medical setting. It’s not necessary to do it that way, though.
If you’ve done volunteer stuff in the past, that counts. So if you were a dorm counselor, or a den mother, or a church outreach coordinator, any of that is fine. It doesn’t have to be going on at the same time as your coursework and MCATs. Remember the important thing is to show that you care about your community, that you’ve been involved, that you want to help people. Sounds corny but it does matter.
Thanks gals, you’ve given me some great ideas for ECs. If I had outstanding GPA/MCATS, I’m assuming they would overlook ECs then?
I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going finish my prereqs while working full time- I have an 8-5 kind of job currently, and I don’t have flex time- and it’s not the kind of job I really relish just quitting-can’t exactly trade it for a retail job 
So I’m guessing I’ll just have to begin my “journey” when I’ve done all I can do without quitting, then quit and live off of loans. I had hope to get everything squared away and go right from my job into med school, but it looks like that’s not going to be possible.
Hopefully my wife will be making enough for us to survive!
I am not in medical school but I am applying and I do not think that great GPA/MCAT will make adcoms “overlook” EC’s. You do not have to have a ton but you do have to have some. I know some schools scrutinize this more than others because it has come up at some interviews. They (adcoms) want to know that you are really doing what you say by “I want to be with people, help them directly through medicine” so like Mary and Dr. Belle said EC’s will somewhat demostrate this aspect about your motivaton for medicine. I bet that you already have are doing some of these…and you may not be aware. Good luck and remember you can do a couple of hours per week on Sat or Sun things like Big Brother, Red Cross, homeless shelter, etc…
Hi folks! First time poster(mainly because I have not yet developed the courage to post some questions I have) As to the ECs… There is a group called The Jaycees which is a young leadership developement organization. We do numerous activities and fund raisers for good causes. One recipient of some of our fund raising is the Jaycee Burn Center located in Chapel Hill,NC. I’m not certain but I do believe The Jaycees all but built this place. I had the opportunity to tour the Burn Center, but chose not to. The ones in our group who did tour The Burn Center presented their tour at a meeting and many did this tearyeyed. Young children having the dead skin removed appeared verrry painful. People with missing digits,scared for life,…you get the picture. And we are all volunteers putting back into the community. Leadership skills are developed chairing or siting on the committee making all the decisions for the particular project. Also, you can do as much or as little you have time to contribute. Men and women age 21-39 are welcome. If interested and can’t locate a local Jaycee chapter, try the local Chamber of Commerce. AND the group is made up of all working people who also must bubget their time. I got a lot out it so maybe you could too. They ALWAYS want new members.
Something else I do is Volunteer Firefighter in a rural area. The down side of this is that normally when you help someone in need, they are at a lost(home,contents,car,very very rarely a life). I really love doing this type of volunteer work. But remember, this can and does have some hazard involved. Could be this is one reason why it can be so exciting!
I’m to start as a volunteer on our local Rescue Squad soon. Medical Responder class is about 60 hrs. and is the min. qualification allowed. EMT class is about 110 hrs. and allows a little more responsibility. If you go this route you may get some volunteer “credit” and some clinical exposure, and possibly be responsible for saving someone…making a difference before anyone else arrives.I hope this never happens to me,but I hope I’ll be prepared and rise to the occasion. These requirements are for NC.
Good Luck
Hamp
I also think that adcoms can see through when you do something to just “check the block” on your application. I think it is much better to pick one thing and be dedicated to it versus listing 50 things that you did just to fill space (which you could actually do the year I applied but I think they’ve limited the number now). I agree with Dr. Belle’s recommendation about volunteering through a local organization for a few hours on the weekends and the holidays. Many organizations are very grateful for any time that you can give them. One place you might think about is volunteering at someplace like a homeless clinic or someplace similar… You would get a chance to work with physicians as well as help provide a much needed service to the community.
Tara
An excellent rule of thumb for balancing obligations and alloting time for Extra-currics: A boatload of ECs will not make up for weak GPA/MCAT…but, with competitive GPA & MCAT in your armamentarium, a few ECs can make you stand out from the crowd. So, your focus should overwhelmingly be on your academic performance balanced with family & job stuff. Once that portion is successful, then , and only then, would I fret much over obtaining ECs.