- Joined
- Dec 31, 2014
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 0
Last edited:
a
- Thread starter TheQuestioner
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2015
- Messages
- 197
- Reaction score
- 73
I was sorta in your position too. I've been accepted, and I'm sure my ECs are nothing compared to yours (working, TAing, tutoring, ER volunteer..). Don't take my word for gospel, as I have also been concerned about mine, but I don't think it's the hours you put in, just that you were committed to something you want to do. So a few points:
Shadowing the physician is good. If you think you've seen everything from them, try to shadow another specialty (I especially enjoyed Orthopedic surgery)
hospice is good, as I've seen goro say that the hospice really shows you want to work with sick people
autism and mentoring volunteer, you're fulfilling a need in your community for the long term
Research need not be medically related (know someone who got interviews and did research in psychology lab), and not all schools require it (it helps though). I didn't have much research
Pretty much, as far as the other competitive students, you're not competing with them, you're competing with yourself. It's not a numbers game, just "would you make a good physician, and spend your working life with sick people". If you can put in 3-4 hours a week in a hospital ER or something, I would recommend that. Everyone's done that, and my interviewer asked me about mine.
Shadowing the physician is good. If you think you've seen everything from them, try to shadow another specialty (I especially enjoyed Orthopedic surgery)
hospice is good, as I've seen goro say that the hospice really shows you want to work with sick people
autism and mentoring volunteer, you're fulfilling a need in your community for the long term
Research need not be medically related (know someone who got interviews and did research in psychology lab), and not all schools require it (it helps though). I didn't have much research
Pretty much, as far as the other competitive students, you're not competing with them, you're competing with yourself. It's not a numbers game, just "would you make a good physician, and spend your working life with sick people". If you can put in 3-4 hours a week in a hospital ER or something, I would recommend that. Everyone's done that, and my interviewer asked me about mine.
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2015
- Messages
- 2,120
- Reaction score
- 2,007
What do you mean your ECs aren't competitive? They seem really, really diverse and you appear to like working with mentally disabled populations, which you can speak to at length during interviews.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2013
- Messages
- 1,828
- Reaction score
- 1,814
I personally think your ECs are awesome. I also have relatively nonstandard ECs (mental health advocacy being the bulk of my volunteering/leadership and working at a psych hospital being all of my clinical experience), and all of my research is in psych. Both of the schools I've heard back from thus far have yielded IIs despite my relatively low LizzyM of 68. Obviously means nothing until I have an acceptance, but I do think it at least means that my activities were sufficient!
Dealing with special needs individuals is some of the hardest, yet most rewarding work around. Be proud.
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2012
- Messages
- 2,780
- Reaction score
- 2,492
Your ECs are fine. Don't compare yourself to the people on SDN. They are a very small subset of the pre-med population that are very on top of their game. They aren't representative of the majority. They will make you feel inadequate, but that's fine because it will push you to do more.
Lots of cookie cutter applicants with 100-200 hours of generic ED volunteering get in. Just make sure you have good stats and hold your course. You're way above average. And once you're accepted, the ECs you did or didn't do won't matter since they won't define you as a medical student in any way.
Lots of cookie cutter applicants with 100-200 hours of generic ED volunteering get in. Just make sure you have good stats and hold your course. You're way above average. And once you're accepted, the ECs you did or didn't do won't matter since they won't define you as a medical student in any way.