Alpha Epsilon Delta

[USCguy]

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I'm thinking of joining this Premed society. Just wondering if anyone else was a member or if it really added a boost to the application? Thanks

 

[siriceman64]

I'm thinking of joining this Premed society. Just wondering if anyone else was a member or if it really added a boost to the application? Thanks

Not to shoot down all of you AED members but frankly AED is pretty worthless in my opinion. I'm not saying that it doesn't add to your application. I got involved pretty heavily in an on campus EMS group and I thought the points/events and junk that AED and AMSA pre-med did were pretty silly. From my perspective, service is important so if the AED pre-med society at your school is very involved, I say go for it. You only get out of organizations what you put into them. I thought AED and AMSA pre-med were just "for the name" groups to belong to for you application. So...the answer to your question is probably yes...but then again I only went to one meeting of each and decided it wasn't for me.

 

[mj1878]

I agree.

EVERY premed student out there thinks getting into AED is like putting gold trim on their applications. Guess what? Applicants who have AED on their application are a dime a thousand.

Do something useful, instead of simply dressing up your application.

Help out some disadvantaged youth, read books on tape for blind students on campus, or ANYTHING that isn't self-serving. AED is made up to make premeds feel good about THEMSELVES. And, truthfully, the admissions committee is going to care a LOT more about you doing something selfless and service-oriented than being a part of AED. They'll glance past that puppy faster than you could believe. Do something interesting to make yourself stand out on paper. Trust me. Just like Mayo, Lettuce and Tomato are the basics of every burger, every premed's application has these bare minimums:

-A grade point average, usually 3.0-3.6
-A science GPA, usually 3.0-3.6
-An MCAT score, usually 23-33
-Great LORs
-Volunteered in an ER
-A real passion to be a doctor
-AED
-Great healthcare experience, usually over two years' worth.

Got all these?

Yes: Congrats. Get something else much more interesting into that application.

No: You're way behind. Take your medical career seriously and stop being lazy. Then, go to the "Yes" column above and continue.

 

[daveyjwin]

I'm also going to agree with the above. Everyone has some sort of pre-med society on their application, so you having it is not going to make you stand out above all the rest. I'd say skip that and spend your time doing community service something or other that is fun. For Instance, I spent my extra time in college coaching little league in the summer and peewee hockey in the winter. It was really fun, I learned responsibility and organization, and it showed a dedication to my community and to "giving back." I was actually asked about both these experiences in 2/3 of my interviews, and I think these helped me application greatly, way more than meing a member of the pre-med society would have.

 

[Jamers]

I'm thinking of joining this Premed society. Just wondering if anyone else was a member or if it really added a boost to the application? Thanks

Hey, I am president of the local chapter here. Any honor society helps to boost your resume, esp. if you take a position on the board .

 

[DrBowtie]

I wouldn't call it an "honor" since if you should be applying to medical school you qualify. I'm in it and we have speakers come to talk about their research and specialty and have some service activities.

 

[BobBarker]

I really think that AED/AMSA do absolutely nothing for your application. Heavy clinical shadowing will go much, much further than almost any stateside volunteer experience towards getting you into medical school.

 

[CatsandCradles]

I agree.

EVERY premed student out there thinks getting into AED is like putting gold trim on their applications. Guess what? Applicants who have AED on their application are a dime a thousand.

Do something useful, instead of simply dressing up your application.

Help out some disadvantaged youth, read books on tape for blind students on campus, or ANYTHING that isn't self-serving. AED is made up to make premeds feel good about THEMSELVES. And, truthfully, the admissions committee is going to care a LOT more about you doing something selfless and service-oriented than being a part of AED. They'll glance past that puppy faster than you could believe.

I second that. AED at my school did nothing. It's better to have done some type of social service work with dedication at like a soup kitchen or volunteer at an inner city school (and our inner city schools need help.)

AED is nice to have on your ACOMAS resume, but unless it does something social or provides service for the community at your school, then perhaps it needs to be reconsidered.

 

[lilzelda]

Theres a pre-med society?

 

[VTbarrelracer]

I'm actually an officer in the AED chapter at my school. I would say that it would depend on how much and what exactly your chapter does. We not only try to bring in good speakers to talk about applying, being a doctor, different specialties, etc but we require that our members participate in a set number of "special events" which are volunteer activities that range from helping with the Women's Center to fundraising for certain charities to many others. If your chapter is active and can provide you with avenues to get volunteer experience and provide you with useful info. for applying, then yes, you should join. I was able to put several volunteer experiences on my application because of participating in AED. However, if they don't do anything, then its prob. a waste of money to pay the dues. Of course, depending on how your chapter is run, it also makes a difference in how much you actually put into the chapter. If you join and don't do anything, it doesn't do you any good (and gets your membership revoked in our chapter). If you do join, get leadership positions, and then actually do stuff, then it is a great organization.