Best extracirrucular activities?

[psyzk]

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I was wondering if anyone could provide some input on choosing extracirricular activities. I'm already volunteering at the hospital, but I want to start volunteering in the community and get leadership experience too. I found several options, and am planning on choosing two. Which would look the best on med school apps?

Ronald McDonald House
Big Brothers and Sisters
Tutoring Reading/ Writing to Adults
Native Culture Preservation Society
Day Program for patients with Alzhiemers/Dementia
Finding Housing for Homeless
Native Forest Restoration Project
Aquarium Interpreter/Tour Guide

What else?

 

[Janieve]

Which would look the best on med school apps?

Anything you wholeheartedly enjoy and is meaningful to you.

Trust me. If you're not doing it because it means something to you, either you'll burn out on it or the adcom will be able to tell you did it just to make your application look good.

NEVER do something just to make your app look good. It's interview suicide.

 

[psyzk]

These are all things I am interested in and would have no qualms dedicating many hours to. They were narrowed down from a larger list of opportunites available to me. I guess I just wanted to know what med schools are looking for in aplicant's extracirricular activites. I'm worried mine aren't diverse enough.

 

[Janieve]

These are all things I am interested in and would have no qualms dedicating many hours to. They were narrowed down from a larger list of opportunites available to me. I guess I just wanted to know what med schools are looking for in aplicant's extracirricular activites. I'm worried mine aren't diverse enough.

*Extracurricular, *applicant.

Like I said, pick the ones you're MOST interested in. I think it's better to have two or three things you're really devoted to than seven or eight that you go halfway for. Narrow it down to two yourself. You've got enough variety there to go around.

And again, STOP THINKING OF IT IN TERMS OF "what looks good to med schools". Think of it in terms of "what I will enjoy, learn from, and be able to discuss extensively". Those are the best ECs.

 

[MisterVeil]

Med schools are looking for things you're interested in, or passionate about, things that you've dedicated time to, and things that have given you meaningful experiences.

So in other words, what Janieve said.

 

[Catalystik]

If all of the options are of equal interest to you, then I think it's fine to consider which might be more likely to provide additional experiences that strengthen your application. Which have potential leadership roles to fill that you feel drawn to? Which provide teaching opportunities that would be most satisfying to you?

 

[Frazier]

I was wondering if anyone could provide some input on choosing extracirricular activities. I'm already volunteering at the hospital, but I want to start volunteering in the community and get leadership experience too. I found several options, and am planning on choosing two. Which would look the best on med school apps?

Ronald McDonald House
Big Brothers and Sisters
Tutoring Reading/ Writing to Adults
Native Culture Preservation Society
Day Program for patients with Alzhiemers/Dementia
Finding Housing for Homeless
Native Forest Restoration Project
Aquarium Interpreter/Tour Guide

What else?

Dude I already do each one of these activities [that is the "best" part].
You will not be unique. Sorry. 🙁

 

[bravofleet4]

ooh what's an aquarium interpreter?

 

[quiltlady]

An aquarium interpreter helps different species communicate. Starfish don't really understand sharks, sting rays don't talk to penguins, things like that.

 

[munchymanRX]

I was wondering if anyone could provide some input on choosing extracirricular activities. I'm already volunteering at the hospital, but I want to start volunteering in the community and get leadership experience too. I found several options, and am planning on choosing two. Which would look the best on med school apps?

Ronald McDonald House
Big Brothers and Sisters
Tutoring Reading/ Writing to Adults
Native Culture Preservation Society
Day Program for patients with Alzhiemers/Dementia
Finding Housing for Homeless
Native Forest Restoration Project
Aquarium Interpreter/Tour Guide

What else?

All those opportunities, and not a single orphan-deworming program or stint in the peace corps among them. 😛

Seriously though. Pick the two you're most interested in and that you think you'll have the most fun with. When you're applying, you'll thank yourself because you'll be able to talk about those activities passionately and genuinely. Acceptance to medical school (outside of grades and MCATs) isn't algorithmic. They're looking for human beings and not robots, so prove that you're not a soulless machine and go with what you'll get the most enjoyment out of.

 

[Vadoff]

An aquarium interpreter helps different species communicate. Starfish don't really understand sharks, sting rays don't talk to penguins, things like that.

I LOL'd.

 

[NickNaylor]

Curing cancer
Alleviating world hunger

 

[Janieve]

Curing cancer
Alleviating world hunger

Not competitive enough. Let's throw in a few more.

Plug BP's oil spill.
Save sea creatures from BP's oil spill.
Clean the gulf of Mexico.
Eliminate toxic recreational drugs (invent Soma?)
Become a senator.
Win a Pulitzer.
Cure the common cold.

 

[MisterVeil]

An aquarium interpreter helps different species communicate. Starfish don't really understand sharks, sting rays don't talk to penguins, things like that.

👍

 

[MonsterHospital]

TUTORING! easy to find gigs for it, and if you want to do it for money, it pays well. flexible hours, and if you want to add more volunteer experience to your app, you could always do it for free! bonus points for tutoring in science courses, or to underprivileged populations. i had tons of tutoring on my app and it helped me in my interviews.

 

[ghost08]

Get EMT Basic certification. Then ride on the ambulance where you can have real patient contact.