Besides the typical pre-meds EC's...

[04291991]

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I find there's so much banality when it comes to people posting their ECs on these forums. It's always research @ X institution, volunteer at Y hospital, shadow physicians for Z hours.

Grant it, these are GREAT experiences, but I think it'd be interesting to share some credentials or activities that may be unique to yourself that the general permed population can't say they have or done that sets you apart from everyone else.

Please share!

 

[KTownGT]

SCUBA diving, starting a fraternity on campus(and holding positions), tutor, other sports activities...

Things that you find fun and can see yourself participating in it years from now.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

...it'd be interesting to share some credentials or activities that may be unique to yourself that the general permed population can't say they have or done that sets you apart from everyone else.

Please share!

...so that hundreds if not thousands of competitors can then glom onto your awesome, unique EC and proceed to hit the banality-conversion button? Gunner's gotta gun, you know.

I kid.
My EC's are unique, but I'm non-trad.
Officer in Navy for 5+ years.
Mountain search and rescue EMT.
Managed some pretty large business operations.
Not stuff that really fits into the average pre-med's schedule.

 

[Geekchick921]

I was a theatre major in undergrad, and I took all of the stage combat courses my school offered, as well as extra classes at the professor's studio with a few other students, and wound up TAing the 101 class as an upperclassmen. When I graduated college, I was SAFD certified in unarmed, single sword, quarterstaff and rapier & dagger. It was a ton of fun.

 

[04291991]

...

I kid.
My EC's are unique, but I'm non-trad.
Officer in Navy for 5+ years.
Mountain search and rescue EMT.
Managed some pretty large business operations.
Not stuff that really fits into the average pre-med's schedule.

wow 5+ years.... Are you currently in med school right now?

 

[Pons Asinorum]

wow 5+ years.... Are you currently in med school right now?

Start in August. My active duty was from 2001-2006.

Edit: aka I'm old.

 

[04291991]

👍 good luck to you, sir.

 

[UpQuark]

swimming and TAing.Thasss about it folks

 

[rHinO1]

non-trad

1) supervised 55 employees for a transportation company for 2 years.
2) occupation health and safety officer for a company with 500+ employees for 1 year.
3) paid safety consultant for 2 years at company above.
4) full-time emt 1 year
5) independently taught bls for 5 years, ran this as a small business. Taught over 1000 students.
6) volunteered at a residential drug and alcohol rehab.
7) coached youth soccer and little league baseball.
8) Paid hospital employee, similar to an ER tech/cna, for surgery department at a busy hospital, 5+ years.

Edit: 9) 2 years research, 1 presentation, and a publication pending.

 

[juliedi]

SCUBA diving, starting a fraternity on campus(and holding positions), tutor, other sports activities...

Things that you find fun and can see yourself participating in it years from now.

woot woot, me too! (Someone came up to me at a Second Look for one school and said, hey, I think I remember you... you're the SCUBA girl, right? 👍)

As to other "non-typical" ECs, I talked a lot in interviews about my sorority (I was VP for a year, not totally unique but still non-medicine related), engineering activities I was involved with during undergrad, my job running a program that teaches homeless children how to swim, and serving as interim office manager for the same company.

 

[CougarMD]

I was a theatre major in undergrad, and I took all of the stage combat courses my school offered, as well as extra classes at the professor's studio with a few other students, and wound up TAing the 101 class as an upperclassmen. When I graduated college, I was SAFD certified in unarmed, single sword, quarterstaff and rapier & dagger. It was a ton of fun.

This makes me jealous.

Teach me, Obi-Wan.

 

[BadHorse]

He hunts medical malpractice lawyers, but believes in using every part of their bodies.

His Erdos number is zero.

A board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon once shadowed him.

He is the most interesting applicant in the world.

I don't always prescribe anticoagulants, but when I do, I prefer coumadin.

 

[Geekchick921]

He hunts medical malpractice lawyers, but believes in using every part of their bodies.

His Erdos number is zero.

A board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon once shadowed him.

He is the most interesting applicant in the world.

I don't always prescribe anticoagulants, but when I do, I prefer coumadin.

Stay clotless, my friends.

Dude, that was awesome.

 

[Tappinfool66]

ECs:

-I'm going to be TAing Organic Chem I this fall
-I plan on doing Project Shine (a program in which you help immigrants learn English)
-I'll also be doing the standard volunteering thing (I wanna try and do it in a free clinic though instead of just doing boring tasks in a hospital)
-Previously shadowed two general/vascular surgeons in the OR

Non-ECs but things that make me 'unique':

-I'm seriously thinking about switching my major to Spanish (WOO!!!)
-I took a year and a half off from school to take care of my father (he had 3 strokes). Definitely not an EC but certainly something that has taught me a lot, about both caring for people and life in general

 

[SLC]

Organized and carried out large scale H1N1 vaccination campaign (4,000 vaccines delivered by myself and fellow students who volunteered to help me).

Traveled to Indonesia and East Timor to do medical outreach for a summer. I volunteered as a civilian with the US Navy aboard the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship. It gave me a ton of cool stories during interviews.

Part of the Navy thing but I'm an official Shellback now (google it if you don't know) it's not something that civilians typically get to do.

Did my own semi-independant neurobiology research for a year.

Atypical major (though still health related)

Shadowed for hundreds of hours as I trained volunteer docs to use my clinic's EHR system.


Other non EC things that make me unique:

I'm married and have two children (ages 7 and 3). (interviewers were interested in knowing how I managed everything while being a father at the same time).

First generation college student.

Semi-fluent in Portuguese (don't worry, I didn't claim fluency), but I have enough facility to translate for medical encounters, which I did in East Timor.


It was all this stuff that got me into med-school. I'm sure my app stuck out like a sore thumb in that pile of generic EC's and typical pre-med GPA's.

 

[SLC]

I do have to say, this is a great idea for a thread. Future pre-meds can get some real inspiration from seeing how people have set themselves apart in the past.

That's some nice thinkin' OP!

 

[felixthekat]

I find there's so much banality when it comes to people posting their ECs on these forums. It's always research @ X institution, volunteer at Y hospital, shadow physicians for Z hours.

Grant it, these are GREAT experiences, but I think it'd be interesting to share some credentials or activities that may be unique to yourself that the general permed population can't say they have or done that sets you apart from everyone else.

Please share!

I fence, only sabre though, epee and foil are boring I started a business my sophomore year. It was successful (my GPA can attest that I spent more time on it than on academics). I fly airplanes, Piper Cherokee and Cesnea 172 are my favorites. I currently work in a health care field not well known outside the US, and spent the last 10 months (I come back in May) in several locales in South America setting up clinics inside health centers (at least 2 are still operational; they others died soon after I left).

oh yeah I have clinical research exp both in a hospital and in school, volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and shadowed several physicians in several areas (even a few non-physicians for comparison). I am also non-trad, majored in foreign languages, have a crappy GPA, and above average MCAT

How has this helped? Who knows? I am applying for the first time in June.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

...I currently work in a health care field not well known outside the US...

Color me interested. Botox? Crystal therapy? Cranial?

 

[Narmerguy]

I do have to say, this is a great idea for a thread. Future pre-meds can get some real inspiration from seeing how people have set themselves apart in the past.

That's some nice thinkin' OP!

Translate: This is a great source for people to get of ideas to do to stand out.

Eh, do people really get inspiration from seeing what other people have done? I'm not talking about reforming national homeless policies or starting a national nonprofit organization to fight hunger in US schools...I mean like doing random stuff that interests us?

I don't know, I'm always shocked at the people on this forum that use this kind of language. Hard for me to take them seriously since it seems really bizarre.

Just me.

 

[rhcarolina]

He hunts medical malpractice lawyers, but believes in using every part of their bodies.

His Erdos number is zero.

A board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon once shadowed him.

He is the most interesting applicant in the world.

I don't always prescribe anticoagulants, but when I do, I prefer coumadin.

Pure gold 👍

 

[nickmx50]

non-trad:

1. created customer service program for major automobile company that ending up leading the nation in customer satisfaction scores.
2. amateur motocross racer

 

[flatearth22]

Do you have any other passions besides medicine?

Genuinely enjoy whatever it is that you do. Don't force yourself to do stuff just to put it on a CV.

 

[HBSlim]

Supervisor in a medical laboratory.

Coached a 10 y/o baseball team to a state championship.

Lead/Solo violin in multiple community major works (Handel's 'Messiah', Vivaldi's 'Dixit Dominus', etc)

 

[flakpilot]

You can look at my mdapps but:
-Private Pilot since I was 18. +86 hs. Some aerobatics. Getting 2 more licenses this summer and planning on joining Civil Air Patrol
- Volunteer at a pilot's organization. We fly to the bahamas and help build houses there.
- Attended medical school for 1 and 1/2 years in third world country.
- Play the guitar
- Have had the opportunity to travel several countries

I do these things because I love to do them. Specially flying. Not just to have them on my CV.

 

[BushidoBrown]

Is the OP's handle his birthdate?

 

[04291991]

Is the OP's handle his birthdate?

I thought most people would just glance at number handles but I guess not you... Yes it is 😀

 

[04291991]

He hunts medical malpractice lawyers, but believes in using every part of their bodies.

His Erdos number is zero.

A board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon once shadowed him.

He is the most interesting applicant in the world.

I don't always prescribe anticoagulants, but when I do, I prefer coumadin.

Someone plz deifier what this means lol

 

[thelullaby99]

.

 

[rhcarolina]

Someone plz deifier what this means lol

Deifier? Not sure what that means exactly, but if you mean something along the lines of "clarify," he's making a reference to the Most Interesting Man of the Dos Equis ad campaign....

 

[rhcarolina]

Decipher!

 

[Sesom]

Something mundane on the outside could be anything but that. It's what you get out of an experience that counts.

 

[bajoneswadup]

ECs:

-I'm going to be TAing Organic Chem I this fall
-I plan on doing Project Shine (a program in which you help immigrants learn English)
-I'll also be doing the standard volunteering thing (I wanna try and do it in a free clinic though instead of just doing boring tasks in a hospital)
-Previously shadowed two general/vascular surgeons in the OR

Non-ECs but things that make me 'unique':

-I'm seriously thinking about switching my major to Spanish (WOO!!!)
-I took a year and a half off from school to take care of my father (he had 3 strokes). Definitely not an EC but certainly something that has taught me a lot, about both caring for people and life in general

Lol, so basically you've shadowed. Nice!

 

[chidoman]

.

 

[cbrons]

I find there's so much banality when it comes to people posting their ECs on these forums. It's always research @ X institution, volunteer at Y hospital, shadow physicians for Z hours.

Grant it, these are GREAT experiences, but I think it'd be interesting to share some credentials or activities that may be unique to yourself that the general permed population can't say they have or done that sets you apart from everyone else.

Please share!

Not toot my own horn, but I think my thread here http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=783462 in the EC section has some strong advice on being unique.

 

[phonyreal98]

I play multiple brass instruments and the piano and am a music minor.
I worked in several fast food establishments.
...wow I sound lame.

 

[04291991]

Deifier? Not sure what that means exactly, but if you mean something along the lines of "clarify," he's making a reference to the Most Interesting Man of the Dos Equis ad campaign....

Decipher is what I meant to say yes, lol and thanks for doing just that. 👍

 

[n3xa]

2. amateur motocross racer

*jealous* I still have yet to get my butt on two wheels.. someday. *le sigh*

I used to autocross and do hpde, but every time I look at the price of an event I'm like but that could be a secondary application or two!
🙁

 

[sc4s2cg]

I run!

 

[ridethecliche]

A couple:

-2 Summers of volunteer/internships with different HIV/AIDS NGO's in Uganda helping run education/public health programs.
-Bike raced (cycling) through college.
-Currently work at an ID clinic.
-Photography.

 

[kansaskid]

-Peace Corps two years in West Africa as a health volunteer

-Martial arts, black belt with training in forms, hand to hand, weapons, self-defense, general kicking a** power

-Peer Sexual Health Advisor in college

-Write middle grade fiction novels in spare time (and am working on getting one published now)

 

[Richard Hammer]

I'm running for Mayor of my home town of ~15,000 (it's only a 40minute commute to school).

I also do SCUBA, Skydiving, tutoring, build BEAM robots, and have published research where I'm the only author.