How do you view students e.c.s and what is your take on mine? A lot of premeds go through a mad dash for e.c.s. I've personally done a couple hundred of hours in research and internships. one working for developing solutions to the issues with the New York water supply in the catskill reservoir and I was going to be published but that fell through. One where I worked a global non-profit called "global healthshare" and researched to develop innovative solutions such as solar panels for rural Indian hospitals, food purification techniques to resolve aflatoxin associated issues in food in Uganda. I also set up their websites and polished their research grants (that alone was 5 units of research for two quarters). I was also going to help the professor on his prime research project that involved transplanting an enzyme from tobacco to rice, but no matter how much I followed up he didnt follow through. I also worked part time at cvs (8 hrs a day 3 days a week for a quarter), 8 hrs a day 2 days a week for two quarters at a winery (I basically did generic catering and wine recommendations while trying to find time to study for ochem). I also worked under a cosmetic dentist as a receptionist, took notes for her and helped patients for a nearly a year on and off and did about 40 hrs of generic busy work plant biology research. That was what I did as undergrad and I really didn't get much time to volunteer experience in the medical field until I graduated (I only got time to shadow a psychiatrist, cardiologist, and like one other doctor). Now that I graduated I am working for a gi doc as a volunteer scribe and planning on completing 500 hrs of volunteering with her in the next few months so that will be my e.cs. Is that enough Ecs to show that I was doing stuff? Is it bad that I'm doing volunteering late before I apply this year? (As opposed to several years as an undergrad). I really think that not doing it until i graduated was a good idea as it allows me to focus on what I'm doing and really analyze and try and understand the patients and their pathology, as well as patient-doctor interactions. It was really hard to get the time to fit much in and courses such as organic chemistry required me to spend 6-10 hrs of studying a day. I have a 3.62 gpa and a strong improvement trend as well and I am the first person in my family to graduate from college. For a little bit I also tutored in premed courses and math as well, but I had to stop that. It was also tough balancing school with the responsibilities I did have and I had to cut back to keep my gpa and continue doing well in school.
