Volunteering

I searched for this and couldn't find much for pod schools.

Is volunteering important for Adcoms? I haven't had a "steady" volunteer job in the last couple of years. I've done random stuff on the weekends and stuff through my fraternity, but nothing like hospital volunteerism 8 hours a week like I used to.

I imagine I'll get interviews without any steady volunteerism, but I also know that something like 80% of med school matriculants did steady volunteering (no info on pod school).

Any thoughts? Is it worth doing some some volunteering this summer to pad my application, or don't bother? Realistically, I'd rather not volunteer this summer so I'd only be doing it for the application and not "for the right reasons" - if you know what I mean.

I am interested to see answers for this question too. My pre-health advisor tells me my internship and work in a PT clinic is enough but I still feel I need to volunteer somewhere.

I would say no. Its been years since I did any volunteering(none of which was medical). I got interviews at all the schools I applied to without mcat scores yet and got conditionally accepted everywhere I interviewed. Never once was my volunteering mentioned.

Originally Posted by RockFoot

I would say no. Its been years since I did any volunteering(none of which was medical). I got interviews at all the schools I applied to without mcat scores yet and got conditionally accepted everywhere I interviewed. Never once was my volunteering mentioned.

That's what I figured, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't shooting myself in the foot by not volunteering....

If you can, then you might as well do it. It looks better than not doing it, and it gives good experience (beyond just "needing it for the app") and a first-hand look at the health industry.

Obviously I'm talking about health-specific volunteering.