What extracurriculars should be written down?

[VicsTown]

I still have 2 years left to graduate but I am worried about my extracurriculars.
The hospital near my college is very, very hard to get into as a volunteer- so are the labs here and any shadowing requires a certain GPA that I don't have (I am going to get my Masters or PhD before medical school to improve my GPA).
I am in a sorority so we do a lot of philanthropy and fundraising work- (ex. donations to places, organizing events, participating in a ton of events). Does this count as extracurriculars?
What are ECs that should be written down?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[NeuroLAX]

Never heard of a hospital being "hard" to get into for volunteer. I've heard of a college course for shadowing, but that is different than actually going out on your own and finding a private practice physician to shadow, which is what most people do. Nevertheless, you should spend some time perusing SDN's extracurricular threads, as the topic of extracurriculars has been discussed ad nauseam. Just because it isn't medically related doesn't mean that it won't count.

 

[Beekachu]

I still have 2 years left to graduate but I am worried about my extracurriculars.
The hospital near my college is very, very hard to get into as a volunteer- so are the labs here and any shadowing requires a certain GPA that I don't have (I am going to get my Masters or PhD before medical school to improve my GPA).
I am in a sorority so we do a lot of philanthropy and fundraising work- (ex. donations to places, organizing events, participating in a ton of events). Does this count as extracurriculars?
What are ECs that should be written down?

I sympathize with your troubles getting in as a volunteer at the hospital. For me, the hospital that is on-campus (and therefore most convenient without a car) had a waiting list for almost all positions when I applied to volunteer. Try branching out to other hospitals or look into local clinics.

But the real reason I wanted to respond is because getting a PhD/Masters for GPA improvement is ridiculous and a waste. 1) your graduate grades won't factor into your GPA that med schools look at, 2) the grades are not valuable because of inflation, and 3) unless you want the PhD for other reasons/enjoy research, grad school will not be a pleasant experience. If you have 2 years left, just focus on getting stellar grades as an undergrad.

 

[gettheleadout]

First of all, it depends what you mean by "written down;" definitely keep track of your involvement and time, but you might consider combining the various experiences under a single heading on your applicant such as "Various Service" and describe your involvement as diverse and continuous via your sorority.

But the real reason I wanted to respond is because getting a PhD/Masters for GPA improvement is ridiculous and a waste. 1) your graduate grades won't factor into your GPA that med schools look at, 2) the grades are not valuable because of inflation, and 3) unless you want the PhD for other reasons/enjoy research, grad school will not be a pleasant experience. If you have 2 years left, just focus on getting stellar grades as an undergrad.

Very good points. OP, if your GPA is bad enough you could consider a postbacc or, if your GPA is in the low 3.X range, an SMP.

 

[boshtrich]

If you have lots of non-medical volunteering (most likely what the philanthropies from your sorority are) I would suggest applying to all the Jesuit schools and including all of it on your AMCAS. I have been accepted to Creighton and the dean has explicitly said that they do not accept students who do not have non-clinical community service, regardless of clinical experience and academic stats, and that they place a premium on volunteering for the under-served. The Jesuit schools seem more willing to accept students with less clinical experience but more service based ECs. Hope this helps!

 

[NeuroLAX]

If you have lots of non-medical volunteering (most likely what the philanthropies from your sorority are) I would suggest applying to all the Jesuit schools and including all of it on your AMCAS. I have been accepted to Creighton and the dean has explicitly said that they do not accept students who do not have non-clinical community service, regardless of clinical experience and academic stats, and that they place a premium on volunteering for the under-served. The Jesuit schools seem more willing to accept students with less clinical experience but more service based ECs. Hope this helps!

Should have known that before throwing my money at Georgetown this cycle. What a bust.