extra-curricular

Is it a red flag on my med school application if I only spent a little over a summer (4 months) as a PCT at a large hospital in my area? I am still getting clinical hours in other ways through clinics I’m volunteering at and looking to get into scribing/MA work at local practices in my area. I...

Hello! I've been hoping to get some advice on my current standings and what to do before I apply for the 2023-2024 cycle. I was actually planning to apply this year but a family problem came up so I'm hoping to use another gap year to help build my EC. Just as reference, my GPA is about 3.73...

Hello everybody, I wanted to get some advice on what y’all would focus in terms of EC’s to build the best application I can. Medical school is the goal for me, and I would be happy with getting into anywhere because I just really want to help people in the hardest of times, but I also want to...

Hi, I was browsing through the forums and saw some discussion about basic research being more valued than clinical but wanted to know if this was true. I know it is harder to publish in basic research so that would make sense, but I was wondering if it would improve my chances if I added a basic...

Hi, I'm currently a 19 year old Canadian premed student in the 3rd year of my undergrad. My GPA is ~3.9, and i was wondering if being the owner of a small investing business that i founded would make my application more competitive to med schools? I have also developed my own website to help...

When considering your long term goal of attending medical school, selecting extracurricular activities that will set your application apart can seem overwhelming. This blog post will provide you with strategies for finding and selecting activities. In choosing activities, it’s important to...

I am interested in MD programs. My cGPA is 3.88. I don't have MCAT scores yet. The ECs I have so far are: - research experiences in 2 labs (1 first authored publication) - 1 club chair position - several club exec positions - interned at a company for 16 months as an electrical engineer -...

You want to write about all your fantastic non-school and non-work endeavors so that you really stand out from your competition, but when you start to think about it…you draw a blank. There must be SOMETHING you can show for how you use your free time, but what? Have you found yourself in a...

Hey! I am applying for the 2017 Fall/Summer cycle and just wanted to share my stats and get stats from other applicants or current students. School: FIU Major: Psychology Undergrad GPA: 3.68 Pre Req: about 3.6 (depending on the school & courses) GRE: V 148, Q 152, AW - 3.5 Volunteer: 175hrs OT...

The last few summers, I have built up volunteer hours at my local hospital. About half of my hours were spent with patients, playing games, talking, etc., which I know is considered clinical volunteering. However, the other half of my hours was spent copying and organizing papers, equipment...

Title says it all, I have 6 on going experiences, 3 of which started in March. Do I list the # of weeks as the number I expect to complete over the next year or so, or simply the 10-12 weeks I have already completed?

Getting ready to appy in early July. As the title states, I was pretty involved on campus during my undergrad. Should I list my undergrad extracurricular's as well as my postbacc extracurricular's? Thank you!

I have made a thread like this one before but I just need to know for a peace of mind. I am a biology major and a fine arts minor I am a junior and will be getting ready to submit my application for med school in about a year. I went to a private liberal arts college for 2 years and I am...

This question is hard to phrase, but I'll try my best. Which kind of extracurriculars is looked upon most favorably by med school admission officers: the "Zero to Mother Teresa" type (applicant has HIGH intensity and commitment of ONLY typical pre-med activities such as shadowing, research...

So my sister is having a baby in London and her bf passed away in a car wreck this week. So I have to go live with her for a year until things become normal. I am flying out next week. Target: DO cGPA:3.36 sGPA:3.21 Major: Biochemistry major, Biology and Business(to increase my cGPA lol) Mcat...

I'm kinda confused on how you would fill in hours spent for hobbies/interests. For example, if I were to put Cooking/Baking, how would I put the hours for that? Also, it seems it is required to insert an end date, which doesn't make sense because I still engage in that activity. Also, for...

Hello everyone! I have a quick question. I've been volunteering in a transgender health clinic for the past year, and given the recent issues with the transgender population in media/law/etc (ie North Carolina bathroom issues), I was wondering if this would be viewed negatively since it is...

Hello I used to attend one of the UC school (Bioengineering) but dropped out after a major depression strike. While i was attending i was able to manage 2.9 gpa in both science and pre-pharm prereq. Recently I applied to a community college to start over and retake classes after taking a year...

Hi I was just wondering is it possible to model on the side while you are in med school? I would obviously spend most of my time studying but for some free time I want to model, maybe walk in some shows. I got scouted and plan to go to med school in New York. Is it a waste of time or is it okay...

Hello everybody! I am a 28 year old and thinking about applying to medical school. I wanted to become a doctor in highschool but I did not do as well as I hope in undergrad and thought that I should become more realistic and settle as a medical technologist. But after working for 4 years, I know...

Hi everyone! I am a senior who is about to graduate and was originally planning on applying to PA school, but had a recent change in heart and decided to try for medical school instead. I have been honestly shifting back and forth from these two options and am trying to weigh the pros and cons...

I used to volunteer at an animal sanctuary for rescued factory farmed animals. Every year they put on a Thanksgiving celebration for the rescued turkeys.

I'm a freshman at UCLA, and I have just decided that I want to go to med school. My GPA so far is around 3.95, I had a 4.0 before i got an A- in chem 14B with Lavelle last quarter. I have been doing all the med school requirements, since they overlap with the neuroscience major prerequisites, so...

Hey guys, Im a graduating senior this upcoming June and have been pre-dental for the last couple of years. I am a Biopsychology major so I have taken all the prerequisites for dental school; Bio, Gen Chem, Ochem, Physics, Physiology, and a quarter of Genetics. I currently have around a 3.2...

So I'm currently in my 4th semester at Texas A&M, and I feel like I'm not involved in enough things on campus, but I also feel like my schoolwork doesn't allow any extra time to join more organizations. Currently, I am a member of the Pre-dental society, and I volunteer at a local hospital on...

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum I need help with my situation. I am in my 5th year of Kinesiology and Health Science Bachelor of Science in York University. I want to apply for Optometry in Canada and USA. My GPA is not so high right now it is at 2.75/4 and I still have a few courses...

I recently met with my pre-med advisor who told me I need more leadership experience. As of now I have been a manager at a plasma center for 3+ years and am not planning on leaving anytime soon. The problem is that this experience also counts for my patient exposure. (I have other forms of...

Hi, I am a freshman, planning on applying to med school after my junior year so that I do not take a gap year, ideally. Right now, I am involved with several volunteer-based clubs at my university, but looking forward, I would like to get any advice on how/when to gain clinical experience such...

Hi SDN! I need some advice on what to do! Graduated from a top 25 undergrad with a 3.46 cGPA/3.21 sGPA, 33 MCAT. I applied to ~30 MD schools this cycle and its not looking good currently. A little more about my app for reference: - my science GPA is definitely hurt by a few classes: C- in...

Hello All, Just need some advice regarding letters of recommendation and my extracurricular past. I am aiming to apply to Osteopathic medical school in 2016 and enter school 2017 and have just begun studying for the MCAT. - Went to West Point for 2 years where I knocked out my pre-med...

Fellow peers, I am currently a junior. Over break, I wanted to review where I stand in building my application. I would like your feedback as to how my ECs look at the moment. Student Government Representative- Freshman year-present Volunteered for Disability Service Club ~15 hours Hospital...

Hello, I am currently on my University track team which looks very good on resumes etc I've been told. On the other hand I am wondering if it is worth it because I have to practice 4 hours a day five days a week when I could instead be studying. Does anyone know if they even take into...

Hey everyone! So I'm applying in a few months for my first time and need a little bit of help. I have had a completely full semester and worked full time for the past few years. Anyways because of this I have no extra curriculars except the fact that I will be a certified personal trainer soon...

My EC's so far include: phlebotomy certification/experience volunteering with IVHQ -medical/healthcare in Bali (2 weeks) DO shadowing Student Networking Team Coordinator for The National Society of Leadership and Success JSU chapter Community Service Committee Head for The NSLS JSU chapter...

Hi. I am a prospective physics major (sophomore) in decent liberal arts college. I'm working on pre-med requirements. I searched this forum on physics, and all I got is how difficult physics is (which is not the case for me). I like physics and am good at computational skills so I am not...

I am a high school student in Canada, and I was just wondering if EC's matter for applying to an undergrad school or even medical school? Also, does being bilingual look good or appeal to universities? Thanks!

Hello Everyone! Quick question on the OTCAS application; Is it necessary to type in all the extra curricular activities? I have them set up on my resume already, but should I plug them in again? Thank you in advance! :)