No leadership in clubs?

[cristinayang16]

Hi SDN!

So I am going to apply the next cycle but I just wanted to know how much is lack of leadership going to affect your application? I have shadowed physicians and am volunteering at two hospitals and am in three other extra curricular activities as well as working in a lab. I also did Dale Carnegie training. Problem is I have literally no leadership experience? I technically have this school year to get some leadership in but I was wondering how should I go about finding a leadership position? Any tips?

Thank you!

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[Gurby]

What are the "other EC's" you do? The most natural thing would be to just get more involved in whatever those activities are.

You like hiking? Organize trips places.
You play an instrument? Start an ensemble and run rehearsals, manage performance schedule, etc.
You train martial arts? Start a club, bring in guest instructors, organize outings to tournaments, etc.
You like playing painball? Start a team, organize outings, etc.
You play an intramural sport? Get more involved in running the team, practices, look into how the league is run and see if you can get involved in some way.

 

[Doctor-S]

What are the "other EC's" you do? The most natural thing would be to just get more involved in whatever those activities are.

You like hiking? Organize trips places.
You play an instrument? Start an ensemble and run rehearsals, manage performance schedule, etc.
You train martial arts? Start a club, bring in guest instructors, organize outings to tournaments, etc.
You like playing painball? Start a team, organize outings, etc.
You play an intramural sport? Get more involved in running the team, practices, look into how the league is run and see if you can get involved in some way.

@Gurby's suggestions sound wonderful.

If you can't find anything, look at your local meetup.com groups (e.g., hiking groups).

Volunteer in an animal rescue group or animal shelter near you - ask for leadership opportunities.

 

[ed*26]

It sounds like you're spread pretty thin. If you're concerned about your application it may be better to focus on just one of those extra curriculars and gain leadership rather than pursuing all three at a regular member level, or even volunteer at just one hospital rather than two. They're looking for quality, not quantity.

Also, leadership is by no means restricted to just clubs -- do you train people in your lab or in volunteering? You may not be able to specifically select "leadership" from AMCAS' drop-down menu, but you can still talk about it on your app. MSAR doesn't give leadership data so it's mostly guesswork on how exactly that will affect your chances. In general, though, the more selective schools will want to see evidence that you are a leader.