The Importance of Volunteering

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AryaV

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Hi SDN Community,


I've posted sporadically of my situation on SDN; but basically I am a Liberal Arts candidate to postbac with a high GPA (3.982 in Undergrad, hopefully higher by year end) and strong recs (a very strong rec from my shadowing doctor, and a very strong one from my Philosophy professor) but close to no volunteering. I hope to do at least 70-100 by application time, but also do have 50+ hours of shadowing. Would I still have a good chance to the top programs (Bryn Mawr, Goucher, Johns Hopkins, etc.)? I had looked up others in my situation, but I am unsure if my situation fits (because I have shadowed, just not volunteered). Thanks very much

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For those top tiers its not the hours of volunteering but rather the quality of what you did.

Did you just sign up for some random program just to fill hours or did you devote your time to something substantial and learned something from the experience. And even this is optional if your other extracurricular show that you made an impact in your community and learned through it. It is not a checklist, they are trying to figure out how you devoted your time to others.
 
Hi MangoPotato,

Thanks for answering my question. That's fair enough. I think I did learn a lot with my shadowing experience, and it does show up in some of my personal statements (but not in a cheesy way). I have also done some volunteering, and think I have learned much from it. I am committed to about 100 more hours of volunteering throughout the year; could I say, while applying, that although I have done only 30 hours of volunteering, that throughout the year I am committed to much more? Would that seem to make up for my lack of experience? Thanks very much for your help.
 
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Hi MangoPotato,

Thanks for answering my question. That's fair enough. I think I did learn a lot with my shadowing experience, and it does show up in some of my personal statements (but not in a cheesy way). I have also done some volunteering, and think I have learned much from it. I am committed to about 100 more hours of volunteering throughout the year; could I say, while applying, that although I have done only 30 hours of volunteering, that throughout the year I am committed to much more? Would that seem to make up for my lack of experience? Thanks very much for your help.
The average matriculant to MD schools has something like 400 hours of volunteering. So, I would try and do more if possible.

Edit: Whoops just saw that you are asking about postbacc programs. In that case I have no idea, sorry.
 
In addition to demonstrating your commitment to service and checking off the "volunteering box", volunteering is another way to verify whether medicine is the right path for you. Stat-wise I predict that you'll have a very successful cycle come medical school applications if you keep your current course during post-bacc classes. I would use the volunteering opportunities to convince yourself that this is worth sacrificing your next 10+ years for. Best of luck!
 
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Hi Moko,

Thanks for the advice. I have signed up for volunteering for the whole year, so I can get a good sense of what it means to get into the medicine profession. It's just that I probably won't much of that completed before I apply in Winter, and I also don't want to wait a year in order to complete these hours. Would I be able to address this concern to the programs (tell them that I have a minimum of volunteer expericence, but am committed to 100+ hours of it throughout the year before post bacc?)
 
Hi Moko,

Thanks for the advice. I have signed up for volunteering for the whole year, so I can get a good sense of what it means to get into the medicine profession. It's just that I probably won't much of that completed before I apply in Winter, and I also don't want to wait a year in order to complete these hours. Would I be able to address this concern to the programs (tell them that I have a minimum of volunteer expericence, but am committed to 100+ hours of it throughout the year before post bacc?)

There's no spoken minimum, you just need enough time to get experiences that support why medicine is right for you. Generally speaking, the more the better, but definitely not worth delaying a whole year for.
 
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