Better use of E.C. time?

[tdod]

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So, I have to decide how to use my time during sophomore year. Already, I do 2 hours per week at a nursing home, basically conversing with residents. I also get an additional 40hrs of doctor shadowing each winter break. I want to add one more thing, and I'm deciding between:

Dog shelter Volunteering (take care of dogs). Advantages :

• I LOVE dogs
• The schedule is very flexible (great for ochem year)

Typical hospital volunteering. Advantages:

• clinical setting

Thoughts? (I start research next year, to minimize time commitments during ochem).

 

[Ellie Arroway]

I would look for more clinical volunteering, with an understanding that "typical hospital volunteering" isn't usually the only thing out there. Does your city have any free clinics? Does the hospital have any research volunteer programs? If you are really a dog person (with actual experience training a dog or two - maybe you have a dog?), can you somehow get involved with folks that take theraphy dogs to hang out with folks in the hospital? There are ways to make your interests and career goals work with each other.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

So, I have to decide how to use my time during sophomore year. Already, I do 2 hours per week at a nursing home, basically conversing with residents. I also get an additional 40hrs of doctor shadowing each winter break. I want to add one more thing, and I'm deciding between:

Dog shelter Volunteering (take care of dogs). Advantages :

• I LOVE dogs
• The schedule is very flexible (great for ochem year)

Typical hospital volunteering. Advantages:

• clinical setting

Thoughts? (I start research next year, to minimize time commitments during ochem).

I mean Ochem or Orgo or whatever is not as bad as people say it is, you could really start with the research now. Having 3 years experience is a lot better than 2 years. Plus, everything you have above is on almost every other application. Try to do something... idk cool.

 

[davidbm95]

So, I have to decide how to use my time during sophomore year. Already, I do 2 hours per week at a nursing home, basically conversing with residents. I also get an additional 40hrs of doctor shadowing each winter break. I want to add one more thing, and I'm deciding between:

Dog shelter Volunteering (take care of dogs). Advantages :

• I LOVE dogs
• The schedule is very flexible (great for ochem year)

Typical hospital volunteering. Advantages:

• clinical setting

Thoughts? (I start research next year, to minimize time commitments during ochem).

I think the obvious route is the hospital volunteering for many reasons:

1) Clinical experience beats any other experience when applying to medical school.

2) You could gain better knowledge of medicine while volunteering.

3) Hospital volunteering can lead to other things such as shadowing or research.

4) Volunteering at a dog shelter is irrelevant to medical school and if you want to be a doctor you should love working at the hospital anyways... Maybe you want to be a vet...