Are these EC's weak?

[EC156]

-No leadership positions in school organizations. Only basic membership in ski club and the premed club
-No research experience
-2 weeks of volunteer work in Ecuador & Galapagos Islands where I stayed with a host family and helped them with work around their ranch
-1 season's worth of ski patrolling at my home mountain
-3 semester's worth and 1 summer's worth of volunteering at a hospital- 2 semesters in an ICU and 1 semester in the emergency department
-2 semester's worth of tutoring physics

I plan on shadowing in the upcoming summer as well as doing another volunteer program in a different Spanish speaking third world country. My reasoning behind not having leadership positions is because I feel like there are so many organizations that get ruined by students who just want to pad their resume's. I don't want to become officer of a club I won't care for at all. The one organization I care for (ski club) is being run terribly by a careless group of students who won't graduate until I do so unfortunately there's nothing I can do to change that. I want to make sure that everything I put down on my resume genuinely means something to me and so I don't want to blindly join organizations and gain leadership positions in them. I occasionally compete in random ski competitions for fun around the area (unfortunately none of which I ever place well in ). I also occasionally put together some fun little videos of my friends and I skiing. I actually won a video contest hosted by my local mountain a few years ago with one of my videos. Would med schools care at all to see things like this? Should I still incorporate that I occasionally participate in competitions around the area and won that video contest?

What worries me most is that I have no leadership positions to show for and that I have no research experience... with a 3.6 cgpa and 3.25 sgpa coming from a state school should I wait another year to seem like a more competitive applicant? I also have yet to take the MCAT (probably will take it over winter break).

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[TheShaker]

I think your clinical experience is fine and leadership experience isn't a necessity. It's more of a luxury that adds a sparkle to your app but I don't think it's crucial by any means. Maybe try and get some research in there and shadow and you should be fine.

 

[Josh7]

Weak if you're planning to apply to the research powerhouses but otherwise that's not too bad.

 

[Ismet]

your 3.25 sGPA is more of a concern than your EC's. and what winter break are you planning to use for your MCAT? first test date isn't until jan 24

EDIT: are you a troll, or have you just changed your mind about your career 3 times in the last 3 weeks? (past post history)

 

[EC156]

your 3.25 sGPA is more of a concern than your EC's. and what winter break are you planning to use for your MCAT? first test date isn't until jan 24

EDIT: are you a troll, or have you just changed your mind about your career 3 times in the last 3 weeks? (past post history)

Yes its true that I've been changing my mind a lot in this past semester actually. I'm still trying to decide between optometry or medical school at this point which is why I didn't include any information about things I've done toward optometry school in my post. I've never looked into when the MCAT's were yet but I figure I might as well take it soon and have the score even though most people would say this is a terrible approach to taking the MCAT

 

[TheShaker]

Yes its true that I've been changing my mind a lot in this past semester actually. I'm still trying to decide between optometry or medical school at this point which is why I didn't include any information about things I've done toward optometry school in my post. I've never looked into when the MCAT's were yet but I figure I might as well take it soon and have the score even though most people would say this is a terrible approach to taking the MCAT

I hope you don't mean that you're going to take it with limited studying.

 

[ChartaBona]

Yes its true that I've been changing my mind a lot in this past semester actually. I'm still trying to decide between optometry or medical school at this point which is why I didn't include any information about things I've done toward optometry school in my post. I've never looked into when the MCAT's were yet but I figure I might as well take it soon and have the score even though most people would say this is a terrible approach to taking the MCAT

That's because it IS a terrible approach.

 

[Spinach Dip]

Uhhh... I'd have to agree with those above me.

Take the MCAT, but you have to STUDY for it. Spend months going over practice tests and problems to get your self prepared. Don't do it just for the heck of it.

BTW, if you want a good idea of what's on the MCAT, go to this website: www.e-mcat.com There, they have a free version of an old MCAT test that you can use to get a decent idea of how you'd score if you took the test right now, without any study.

 

[gettheleadout]

Uhhh... I'd have to agree with those above me.

Take the MCAT, but you have to STUDY for it. Spend months going over practice tests and problems to get your self prepared. Don't do it just for the heck of it.

BTW, if you want a good idea of what's on the MCAT, go to this website: www.e-mcat.com There, they have a free version of an old MCAT test that you can use to get a decent idea of how you'd score if you took the test right now, without any study.

Not worth wasting AAMC 3, just take a practice test free online from Kaplan or TPR.

 

[Spinach Dip]

The AAMC tests give the most accurate score, though.

This guy just said he is going to take the MCAT without studying. I was trying to suggest he at least have some idea of what he's getting into. I mean, who knows, he may score a 32 on the practice test and be set for the real thing. The least he can do is be informed by using the most accurate (free) predictor there is.

 

[mcloaf]

Yes its true that I've been changing my mind a lot in this past semester actually. I'm still trying to decide between optometry or medical school at this point which is why I didn't include any information about things I've done toward optometry school in my post. I've never looked into when the MCAT's were yet but I figure I might as well take it soon and have the score even though most people would say this is a terrible approach to taking the MCAT

Sounds like you've already decided optometry.

 

[Narmerguy]

Moving to WAMC.