volunteering question

[Green22]

Hi, I am a sophomore in undergrad, and I am volunteering on a senate campaign (Republican in Alabama). I am wondering if this is something that would be good to put as volunteer experience on applications when I apply to med school in the future or not?

Thanks.

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[Goro]

Hi, I am a sophomore in undergrad, and I am volunteering on a senate campaign (Republican in Alabama). I am wondering if this is something that would be good to put as volunteer experience on applications when I apply to med school in the future or not?

Thanks.

I'm a firm believer in civics, and involvement in politics is rare amongst pre-meds. So by all means, list it. Be prepared for flak from the SJWs though.

 

[Green22]

I dunno; Republicans in Alabama seem to be having a bad year

Alabama has earned the "triple crown" of scandal with all three branches in scandal at the same time and bonus for looping in both the state AG and US Senate. At one point the scandalized Governor was being investigated scandalized speaker of the house for possible impeachment that would have been overseen in trial by the scandalized chief justice. And the scandalized governor gets rid of the state AG who is investigating him by appointing him to a US Senate seat

1) Governor Robert Bentley was forced to resigned after having a long-time affair with a political consultant on the state payroll. His wife of nearly 50 years has filed for divorce. So much for family values
2) Before the above resigned, he appointed Luther Bell, the Alabama Attorney General who was investigating the corruption above to the US Senate filling Jeff Sessions seat. So much for the investigation
3) Roy Moore, who has been twice elected to the Alabama Supreme Court and twice suspended from the post for refusing to uphold decisions from the US Supreme Court concerning placing the 10 commandants in his court as well refusing to enforce gay marriage decisions, will now challenge Luther Bell to the US Senate seat
4) Mike Hubbard, speaker of the Alabama State House of Representatives was removed from office in 2016 and sentence to 4 years in prison on 12 felony ethics charges.
5) The State House of Representatives has recently been ordered by a federal court to redraw the 12 district lines where they were making race the predominant factor

I used to have a political blog with a few friends specifically to point out scandal and corruption, both current and historical, usually from a humorous point of view, for all parties.

After all that typing, you have still offered no advice to me. I did not ask for a political discussion but advice about volunteering and applications.

 

[Green22]

My advice was the first sentence "I dunno; Republicans in Alabama seem to be having a bad year"

Do you want an adcom who sees you are working for an Alabama Republican Senate race and the first thing they relate that to the scandals that have plagued the state for the past 2 years? Do they wonder if you are working for the former State AG who seems to have taken the "bribe" of dropping investigation and taking an appointment to fill a senate seat by that man he was investigating? Or working for the former Chief Judge, twice removed for not following federal courts in defiance not unlike the pre-civil war succession? Or they relate this all to the former Senator, now US Attorney General with his own very dated views on drugs and the rest of the baggage he carries by being associated with the current administration? who If it was any other state, it is unlikely to have made much national news and therefore no downside risk.

Do you really want to be connected to all that because these are likely they only things that an adcom will know about Alabama Republican Politics?

As I said; I dunno; Republicans in Alabama seem to be having a bad year

That's a lot of typing just to say you don't know. Sure you can pin negative aspects to any politician. Didn't ask for you to exploit x group of people. Just asked a question about volunteering. Just political volunteering experience on an application (the candidate or even party don't have to be listed). My question had nothing whatsoever to do with actual political matters, yet that's what you turned it into. Thanks for wasting my time.

 

[westbill]

Hi, I am a sophomore in undergrad, and I am volunteering on a senate campaign (Republican in Alabama). I am wondering if this is something that would be good to put as volunteer experience on applications when I apply to med school in the future or not?

Thanks.

It's a good idea, notwithstanding the potential negative connotations so comprehensively articulated by a previous poster. I may be wrong, but I think it unlikely you would be smeared, judged, or otherwise implicated by the nefarious deeds of Alabama pols. Volunteering such as yours suggests interest in the body politic and an engaged activism. If you felt it necessary, you could no doubt adequately explain in your application the reasoning that led you to volunteer as you did.

 

[Green22]

It's a good idea, notwithstanding the potential negative connotations so comprehensively articulated by a previous poster. I may be wrong, but I think it unlikely you would be smeared, judged, or otherwise implicated by the nefarious deeds of Alabama pols. Volunteering such as yours suggests interest in the body politic and an engaged activism. If you felt it necessary, you could no doubt adequately explain in your application the reasoning that led you to volunteer as you did.

My main reason for volunteering wasn't because I was particularly excited about the candidate I volunteered for but because I highly dislike his opponent (it's a runoff election).

 

[jm192]

It'll be a double edged sword, but I'd list it. If nothing else, it's another time commitment that shows you can balance more things.

I did college Republicans, and I made a few hundred phone calls for a very well-known Republican Senator. It was an interesting conversation at the time, and I certainly ran across my share of Republican ADCOM people on the interview trail.

As Goro said, the SJWs of the world will give you hell. Republican=Trump=You're a racist ba$****.

But by no means should you engage in any passionate political discussions. You could find the right person and strike gold, you could also completely keep yourself out of a school.

Health Care and the way it's paid for is a very sensitive and emotional subject. If you don't think ACA is good, then you clearly hate poor people and don't want them to have access to health care.

If you support it, you're a naive idiot who doesn't understand how the health care system works.

If they ask anything about it, I'd smile and say "I think it all starts with high quality primary care."

 

[Planes2Doc]

I'm a firm believer in civics, and involvement in politics is rare amongst pre-meds. So by all means, list it. Be prepared for flak from the SJWs though.

This. Even though I'm living in the south, I feel like an outcast as a Republican. I also can't post political stuff on Facebook because SJWs are so prevalent. There's a big double-standard.

I'll go ahead and say this... If you felt the need to post this question on a forum, it means that the warning light in your brain is going off, and you should probably not do it.

 

[jqueb29]

I'd absolutely list it. If you really don't get accepted to a school because an SJW got all "muh Trumps" on you, then you really just dodged a bullet by not going to a school like that. Unless you're an extremist like white nationalists or Antifa dorks, adcoms shouldn't (and hopefully aren't, though i certainly can't guarantee that) be accepting or rejecting applicants based on anything other than merit.

 

[Goro]

After all that typing, you have still offered no advice to me. I did not ask for a political discussion but advice about volunteering and applications.

That's a lot of typing just to say you don't know. Sure you can pin negative aspects to any politician. Didn't ask for you to exploit x group of people. Just asked a question about volunteering. Just political volunteering experience on an application (the candidate or even party don't have to be listed). My question had nothing whatsoever to do with actual political matters, yet that's what you turned it into. Thanks for wasting my time.

Just a word of warning...gonnif gave you very good answers; I understood exactly what he was getting at.

So lose the thin skin, and don't be so quick to offense, otherwise, during your clinical rotations your preceptors will skin you alive.

 

[Planes2Doc]

I'd absolutely list it. If you really don't get accepted to a school because an SJW got all "muh Trumps" on you, then you really just dodged a bullet by not going to a school like that. Unless you're an extremist like white nationalists or Antifa dorks, adcoms shouldn't (and hopefully aren't, though i certainly can't guarantee that) be accepting or rejecting applicants based on anything other than merit.

I see what you're saying and agree on principle. But unfortunately, there's way more demand than supply. A lot of applicants don't have the luxury to do something like this. I'm sure people go to religious schools and tolerate it because... Medical school is medical school.

 

[reaction mechanisms]

Just a word of warning...gonnif gave you very good answers; I understood exactly what he was getting at.

So lose the thin skin, and don't be so quick to offense, otherwise, during your clinical rotations your preceptors will skin you alive.

Agreed. Shame on you OP for such disrespect. Tisk tisk..


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