Join clubs or not join clubs

For residency apps, it really doesn't matter unless you take a leadership position.

I have heard from upper class folks that getting involved with tons of clubs will NOT give you an edge....unless it highly meaningful with a leadership position not just one semester but for a longer time...so do not sweat it.

abuse them for their free food and discounts

Clubs are for gunners who long for their premed past....I say study hard and be solid in your rotations, enjoy your life and don't stress over what's needed for residency apps -but hey, that's just me

I would agree with leadership positions. Sometimes you have to have elections to get these positions, and it happened to me a couple times - you can lose. But there are plenty of leadership positions out there that you can apply for - like a yearlong position on one of the AMA committees - it is a lot less work than serving on a convention committee. I actually applied twice for the convention committees for the AMA conventions and did not get a spot but was able to serve on an AMA committee and loved it.

should i run for a class officer...president or vice president? OR should i study and do well on step I????? pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee helpppppp.

do whatever the heck you want and stop posting these silly questions! you were mature enough to get into medical school and should be able to figure this out for yourself.

on a side note, I doubt if even "leadership" positions mean anything, because let's face it, there is virtually nothing involved anyway.

thats not a silly question...i am asking whether leadership is important for residnecy applications or not? i just started and so i dont know these things. someone might answer and say they are very helpful, while someone else might say that you can get in to a great residency if you just studied and did well on the boards (plus some volunteering, some club involvments, and research). okay. so now instead of bashing my posts, maybe you can help next time.

Yes, class president does help out. You do end up getting to know a lot of the faculty as well as the deans that eventually write your letters. I've also had several residency directors directly state that it is something that they look for in the app process and interviews.

For other clubs (peds, surgery, AMSA) I don't know if they take those things as seriously, but definitely if you are interested and can do a good job, go for it.

No, it's not worth it. The most important criteria are board scores, class rank (AOA) and research experience. Those three come before any leadership role. Yes, a leadership position like Class President will help but think of the time you will waste in this position? With that time, I could better prepare myself for the boards and my classes. I would much rather be in the top 5% of my class with a 600+ COMLEX, 230 + Step I score than above average scores and Class President. Class President will not compensate for lesser scores or class rank; remember that!

After seeing how much work my class president had to do, I would definitely not recommend doing this unless you are one of those people who never study! Maybe a less time consuming position if you enjoy being active in your class. As for clubs, join a few that strike your interest. My school didn't have that many choices and I wish it had.

fourthyearmed said:

After seeing how much work my class president had to do, I would definitely not recommend doing this unless you are one of those people who never study! Maybe a less time consuming position if you enjoy being active in your class. As for clubs, join a few that strike your interest. My school didn't have that many choices and I wish it had.

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Exactly, just look at the people who graduated in the top 10% at your school. I can assure you that none of those people are class President and if they are then they are extraordinarily gifted and can get by with less studying. For the past 2 years at AZCOM, none of the major class officers were in the top 10% of the class. That should tell you something. Leadership positions are nice to put on the CV but they are practically meaningless when compared to board scores, class rank, LOR's and research. Always remember that! Trust me, residencies are going to open their doors to people who nail a 240+ on the boards and not someone who was class "president"

Of course, class president is nothing, probably if you're like the university student council president, maybe there's a bit weightage

So, is it accurate to say that, bang-for-the-buck style, doing research in your chosen field gets more weight per unit time than any club activity?

fine fine. something like this happened to me in undergrad. i guess ill just study and enjoy my life and screw being a class officer. i saw that the people who got into top med schools didnt do any of this leadership crap, or very little. BUT, then can you all tell me how i could start studying for the boards as an M1. im not joking, if im not gonna get involved, i am gonna start studying for the boards now and am going to have fun outside of school. but i just dont know if its possible to study for step 1 now???

thanks everyone.

Several of the residency directors for our university all have stated that being class president is an automatic grant for interview in their programs. So take it for whatever it's worth, but it can make a difference. It is time consuming, but it is totally possible to do well in class and still be productive officer if you want. It will not make up for poor grades, or a sub standard board score, but it will be something that might make the difference in the end.

Lastly, do it because you want to, not because it looks good on a CV. If you are great at it, people will notice, invite you to their houses, and get your input on student perspective etc. I can say that you will get a ton of "face time" with almost every faculty member, dean, and residency director not only in your med school, but also at the univeristy level.

If it isn't something that you enjoy, don't bother, because the opposite is true as well; if you suck at being a class officer, everyone will notice (including the deans, teachers etc).

UseUrHeadFred said:

So, is it accurate to say that, bang-for-the-buck style, doing research in your chosen field gets more weight per unit time than any club activity?

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Without a doubt! Honestly, when you become and MS3, you will look back and laugh at the fact that you even questioned if leadership positions are more important than research. Research is almost a requirement for certain fields while Class President is not. If you are applying for a cardiology fellowship as an intern, that program could care less about whether you were the treasurer of your class.

If you can finish in the top 5% and still be Class President, more power to you. Class President does look good but it takes a major back seat to your
1. Board Scores
2. Class Rank
3. Letters of Recommendation
4. Research

In my experience, Class President really only helped those who were marginal students to begin with. All the Class Presidents that I knew of were essentially average students who needed that label to be competitive for some program. But all the people who could walk on water never needed such a title because their class rank and board scores would essentially let them go wherever they wanted. Yeah, if you don't have great board scores or grades, then every little thing helps. Maybe being Class President will give you a slight edge over the next average to above average candidate. Trust me, you don't need to be Class President to match in a field like dermatology if you are have a high class rank, killer boards and great LORs and research.

DW said:

abuse them for their free food and discounts

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did someone say free food.