Getting in (Part 3) - Extracurriculars
My family hasn't celebrated Christmas since I was probably in Grade 7, so we don't do the gifts thing. But personally I love shopping with someone in mind, especially when they don't expect it. Today I bought a bunch of stuff (from vacation) for some of my closer classmates, and I'm excited to give it to them when school starts again. I should probably be a little more careful about budgeting, though, but what's the point in having money if you can't be generous with your friends?
Anyways, let's talk about med school admissions!
When it comes to extracurricular activities, there really isn't a secret formula, or an ideal 'amount' of activities. I'll talk about what I did to get admitted, but I don't believe extracurriculars should be your biggest priority. MCAT and GPA still are the two biggest hurdles because they are more objective evaluators. If your numbers aren't good, you'll have to do tons of activities or have life experience to compensate.
Leadership: Most significant time consumer for me in undergrad was student government. I worked up the ladder through the finance portfolio and took on jobs as VP of Finance or Treasurer of several societies. I liked the money aspect because I got fairly good at it, and I enjoyed the job; and while being President at any of these societies might look more impressive, it's far more important that you deliver results. You need to be able to say in your essays, or to your interviewer(s), what you accomplished from a position of leadership, or the specific goals you met while working within a team.
Why they care: There are tons of small-group sessions in med school, and ideally collaborative teamwork in medical practice, and you're always working with fairly intense personalities. It's important to show that you've handled the stress, worked with challenging people, and been willing to take charge.
Bottom line: It's not crucial to be the head honcho at any of your groups; medicine needs leaders and followers. Instead stick with areas that you are passionate for, so that you can produce some results and be more than Member of *insert club name*.
Research: I started doing research in my first year and completed two honors research projects in biology and physical chemistry before my fourth year started. Don't let anyone tell you that freshmen can't do research, you just have to approach the right professor. Find someone with research that interests you, not just the most famous prof (i.e. don't go LOR hunting). Also recognize that you don't have to do research in a medical field; I did a bunch of stuff in quantum physics that might never have medical applications, and it was a great experience, at arm's length from all the pre-med gunner crazies. Focus on your interests, and seek opportunities to write papers, proposals, grants. All these skills will come in handy. My biggest piece of advice here: start small, don't jump right into a huge project. A friend of mind received a highly competitive research grant for her first project, and realized she hated it a month in, but couldn't get out of it without alienating her prof. Start with some volunteer work, once a week.
Why they care: Med schools care because so many specialties are also academic positions, so it's important to show you've at least kept an open mind to research and publishing. If you really don't like lab work (which is ok!) there are other forms of research you can do as well - public health, econ, etc. which are also looked on favorably.
Bottom line: Use it to explore your interests, it doesn't have to be in biology/medicine; it's also a great way to see what grad school might be like. Make sure you find a PI that you can get along with, and keep the LOR in mind. Be honest about your interest in med.
Volunteering: I volunteered in an ER for a little over two years, and I found it really helpful to see doctors, nurses, PAs, clerks, etc. work in a medical setting and see some cases. No one in my family has an MD, so without this I would have no idea about medical practice. If you're as clueless as I was (still am), definitely get on it. However, it's hard to do anything really significant in your role as a volunteer, and there's very little to distinguish yourself on paper from all the other candidates who did the same thing.
Volunteer organization are also bothersome to advance through. I worked in a *degenerative disease* Society, where I was a volunteer for a year-and-a-half before I got a position with the committee, while others got the same position with no volunteer history, simply by knowing the executives. It was still a great experience, but there can be a little more nepotism in not-for-profits, perhaps because no one of us are getting paid.
Why they care: How would you know you really want to be a doctor if you've never seen their work? Also need to demonstrate that you care about people and not be a robot.
Bottom line: It is a great experience, and good for building a balanced profile. Hospital volunteering shouldn't be the defining factor of your CV, though. You don't have to do too much of this to prove you care about people, but it's important to take on a leadership role if you have the chance.
Athletics: I used to run track in high school, but wasn't good enough for varsity. So I don't have much to say about this, but it would be really impressive if you could maintain a rigorous academic course load and still be involved in sports.
Exchange: I know quite a few classmates who went on exchange, even more who made it to med without one. I've lived in different places in my life, and financed much of my own expenses in undergrad, so going on exchange wasn't that alluring. If you can afford it, and if you want to see some more of the world, do it. But logically, don't fly halfway around the world to learn something if your own university can teach it better. However, the biggest factor that stopped me from doing exchange is that it would have conflicted with all my other activities - student gov't, student rep stuff, newspaper editor, committee meetings, etc. There's plenty of good stuff to do at school.
At the end of the day, your profile needs to make sense. Try to avoid the shotgun approach by doing everything - pick and choose activities that you're truly passionate about, and there should be a logical progression from position to position. Make it a narrative, what is your story?
Alright I think I've covered the bases but let me know if I missed anything, or if you disagree. Happy New Year tumblr!
