Activities in Medical School

[PennyT_Med]

Hi everyone,
I’m an MS2. I’m wondering what are some suggested extracurricular activities to help you stand out in Med School?

I am currently doing research and some volunteering with different clinics but I feel like everyone is doing that!

All of my friends are doing so much besides studying and I feel like I’m not doing enough. All of them get good grades plus being so involved! My grades are ok but not the best.
Im just a little worried that I won’t be able to match!

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[annoyedpsychiatrist]

my favorite activity during med school was tinder.

in all seriousness i dont think people realistically expect you to do major activities during med school as you likely dont have the time to have a personal life+do well in med school+ take on major projects. Maybe volunteering is never a bad thing.

remember too, quality over quantity. Residencies wont be impressed because jon smith was the president of the psych comittee at their school.

 

[M&L]

my favorite activity during med school was tinder.

in all seriousness i dont think people realistically expect you to do major activities during med school as you likely dont have the time to have a personal life+do well in med school+ take on major projects. Maybe volunteering is never a bad thing.

remember too, quality over quantity. Residencies wont be impressed because jon smith was the president of the psych comittee at their school.

tinder hahhaha. oh my god I am crying hhhahahahah

 

[M&L]

Hi everyone,
I’m an MS2. I’m wondering what are some suggested extracurricular activities to help you stand out in Med School?

I am currently doing research and some volunteering with different clinics but I feel like everyone is doing that!

All of my friends are doing so much besides studying and I feel like I’m not doing enough. All of them get good grades plus being so involved! My grades are ok but not the best.
Im just a little worried that I won’t be able to match!

research - publish a few first author papers

 

[annoyedpsychiatrist]

tinder hahhaha. oh my god I am crying hhhahahahah

yeah meeting random people after studying 12 hours was great, it was kinda like forest gump "never know what you're going to get" sorta thing. Though the opposite sex didnt seem to care at the time I was a med student, but it did seem to make a difference being a doctor..

it can be very easy to feel inadequate/inferior during medical school no matter how hard you work. Most people with realistic expectations and no red flags tend to do ok in the match, OP.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Ones that will make you stand out include those that are too difficult to begin now anyway for example published bestselling author, olympian, start up founder etc

 

[Esmolol]

Med schools these days are like the needles on a hedgehog. Everybody stands out in all possible directions…

 

[operaman]

Research most important.

After that, do things you care about. Doesn’t matter what it is or how much, just a handful of things that actually interest you.

If that’s volunteering in a free clinic, then go ahead. Won’t really make you stand out per se, but you’ll learn some things and feel like you’re doing something meaningful for someone. If not, skip it and find something else that’s interesting.

You don’t need a ton, but you also don’t want that entire section of your app to be blank.