Advice needed on Extra-curricular Activities when applying for a university

[Jamesgz]

I am currently in grade 11, but I dont know what extra-curreicular activities I should do... I will need 5 GOOD ones on my resume. What did you guys put on your resume?



I have:
- First Aid Practice + Competition

- Jazz Band (Saxophone) + Piano (Not very good. Didn't go test my grade. But I started when I was 5 and is continuing playing level 6 pieces)

- Around 60 hours of community service

- Working for a TV testing company in China (Translating English emails, replying English phone calls)

- Air Cadet (Dislike it a lottttttt. Nothing big accomplished in it and also not a leader in it since I joined air cadet late. I wanna quit it. But if I keep doing it, it would be a total of 2 years in air cadet on my resume.)



What else should I put on my resume? I need you guys' help

Some options are:

- I will find a kid to tutor at my school somehow.

- work at MacDonald or something

- Sport team

- Model United Nations

- etc...

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[mcatjelly]

What is this all for?

 

[Jamesgz]

What is this all for?

Future resume for schools like UBC, UofT

 

[mcatjelly]

Okay, so college?

You're already off to a good start. Here's a challenge for you: what do YOU want to do? If you don't like the Army Cadets, don't do it. And I would advise against tutoring or working at McDonalds given the very ambivalent manner in which you listed them off.

I say this because really, ECs serve three purposes: 1) to show you're well-rounded, 2) to demonstrate your ability to balance multiple obligations, and 3) as meat for your college essays. If you actually like what you're doing, colleges will see that, and it'll make it a much easier part of the application for you.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Just do what you like. Besides clinical and volunteer experience, all the medical schools care about are whether you were engaged in meaningful activities. ECs are a lot more meaningful if you enjoy them.

I can offer an opinion on Model United Nations, as I just finished one recently. It is awesome if you generally like people and are passionate about the issues faced by the world. I am personally interested in global health and health politics and am investigating a dual MD/MPH, so MUN is right up my alley, but it's good for developing people skills necessary for physicians as well.

 

[Para-dox]

I advocate quality over quantity. When I was in high school, I had a few ECs but became very involved with them. As such, I echo the above sentiments on doing what you enjoy.

Curious about that Chinese TV company though -- seems interesting (I'm a Chinese Studies minor as a non-Chinese person haha).

 

[Jamesgz]

Thanks for all the help. Bump~

 

[hippo_crates]

I'm in MUN right now actually and if you want to you should definitely do it. It offers a lot of good experience and it can be really fun and interesting.
A bit of a warning though, it's a ton of work and depending on your school, it can require some major commitment. At my school we take it pretty seriously and my teachers, since it's actually a class here, try and push us to take it seriously and put all real effort into it.