DO Is it ever considered that you put too much ECS on your app?

[WesternRedCedar]

Basically,

I have a lot of work experience and extra curricular experiences. Many of my leadership experiences have been for 100+ hours, for 1+ year commitments. I have made it a rule to only include things that have a lot of hours and/or had a high impact on me.

EC's:

1. Physician Shadowing( 70+ hours, FM, OMM, and specialist. 50+ hours are with the FM; ongoing)
2. Rehabilitation Aide( 1year +; weekly commitment; ongoing)
3. Medically related experience( 2+ year; biweekly commitment; ongoing)
4. Medically related experience ( 2+ year; lump sum hours within shorter span of time, not a mission trip, but similar in that a lot of hours in a shorter amount of time)
5. Volunteering with children in a non-medical context(4+ years, ongoing, summer camps, day camps during the year; ongoing)
6. Medically related fundraising campaign-leadership(3+ years, ongoing)
7. University political leadership role (4+ years, senior position, large amount of hours and exposure)
8. University leadership role ( 3+ years, senior position, large amount of hours and experience working with people)
9.University political leadership role (1 year, high impact)
10. Medically related experience( 6 months, 50 hours, vulnerable population)
11.University leadership role (2+ years, high hours, and high service)
12. Community volunteer role with underserved youth(1 week per year, for 3 years)
13.University leadership role(1 year, senior position, high impact)
14. Club leadership role(1 year, first experience with leadership at university)
15. Community volunteer roles(3+ years, various exposure)
16. High school volunteer role(5+ year, same organization, with progressive increase in responsibilities)


As you can see I already have a lot of meaning(to me) entries, that show my service to the community and my long-term involvments. I have many other volunteer roles such as free clinics, flu clinics, and such, but they were never in an organized fashion, and not continuous, so I haven't bothered to add them in.

Do you think that I should trim it down even more? I don't want the ADCOM to read it and get bored but at the same time I don't want to "undersell" my self either, since I have really only included things that I have genuinely done for long term and have shaped me to be who I am!

Thanks for your opinions.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[WesternRedCedar]

My work experience is similarly long, have worked throughout college and summers, since high school.

Medical related work experience:
1. Teaching Assistant
2.Undergraduate Researcher(4 months full-time, 8 months part-time)

 

[WesternRedCedar]

@Goro @Catalystik @gyngyn

 

[futuredoc331]

I'm just an applicant like you, but I have a feeling that your long list of ECs will help you and should not be cut down. I think the key question adcoms will have in regard to ECs is "Are these ECs genuine or did they do them simply to pad an application?".

Your list shows altruism and genuine interest. This can be seen by the amount of time you've spent doing things that are all related to a few core areas.

I'd keep it like it is and even add some of the things you kept off if they were genuine.

 

[WesternRedCedar]

Oh trust me, all mine are genuine! I purposely made them vague so as not to be identifying.

My ECs were mostly before I decided to apply to medical school. It is just how I was raised, it was a way to get out of the house and have fun giving back, without costing an arm and a leg like organized sports - but still learning valuable life skills.

The most recent 3 entries, (1,2,3) were all started after I decided to pursue medical school, because i felt it was necessary to get shadowing and clinical experience to really "make sure" i wanted to go into medicine, and not just because it looked interesting on paper. These experiences, have been great to say the least.

As for fluff, i'm hoping an ADCOM would notice that the quality and hours put into them would remove them from being categorized as fluff, and they're things no one would do for so long if they weren't enjoyable!

Given my exhaustive list, should I bother to include a "hobbies" entry? Despite my very busy extracurriculars and work commitments, I am not a drone and do have hobbies! Or is this a no -no for medical school applications?

 

[WesternRedCedar]

Bump

 

[WesternRedCedar]

Bumpp