Class Officers

[BloodySurgeon]

Is there any advantage of being class president, vice president, or treasurer? Would this help at all for residency matching?

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[penguin24]

If you want to make friends and have fun at school, become a class officer. If you want to hang w/ people outside of school, do community work as part of a Student Interest Group w/ your buddies.

If, however, you want to match into a competitive field in a strong program, then focus on Step 1, AOA, M3 honors.

There's nothing wrong w/ doing extra stuff in med school, but the problem arises when one does extra stuff and thinks it will help one match into Ortho at U Penn. Just think about what your goals are and plan what you have to do to achieve that.

If you want a top residency, I suggest doing Extracurricular stuff only if it involves a minimal time commitment. On your CV it really doesn't matter, as long as you fill it w/ a bunch of 'fluff' to make it sound like you're a noble character.

 

[engineeredout]

Being a class officer requires a lot of time during a time when you don't have much time. Do it because you want to, not because you think it will look good several years from now.

 

[Doctor Bob]

ok, I'll take the opposing stance.

I was asked about it on every interview I went on so it made for a good talking point and tangible example of good time management, interpersonal skills (which I actually don't have but can fake from time to time) and all the other things that interviewers have on their checklists.

The ability to do what everyone else at your school is doing (studying for the boards, studying for your rotations, etc etc etc) and balance the position of class officer looks good.

And if you're in the military/HPSP, then it's a huge plus on your application.

That being said, if you do it and end up doing poorly in your classes then it only hurts you because it shows you don't know how to prioritize.

 

[penguin24]

ok, I'll take the opposing stance.

I was asked about it on every interview I went on so it made for a good talking point and tangible example of good time management, interpersonal skills (which I actually don't have but can fake from time to time) and all the other things that interviewers have on their checklists.

The ability to do what everyone else at your school is doing (studying for the boards, studying for your rotations, etc etc etc) and balance the position of class officer looks good.

And if you're in the military/HPSP, then it's a huge plus on your application.

That being said, if you do it and end up doing poorly in your classes then it only hurts you because it shows you don't know how to prioritize.

My whole point is that not everybody honors M3 clerkships, gets AOA, and >240 step 1. It takes more effort to do that than to check BP's on Sat w/ your interest group at the local shelter.

BTW, your interpersonal skills comment is great

 

[loveboatdoc]

Our class officers are top and center on our class composite photo, with their offices listed under their names.

This photo has been enlarged (huge) and is permanently posted/framed in the hallway on the med school's first floor.

So, if you want a tiny bit of fame for the generations to come to view....

 

[2012mdc]

My whole point is that not everybody honors M3 clerkships, gets AOA, and >240 step 1. It takes more effort to do that than to check BP's on Sat w/ your interest group at the local shelter.

BTW, your interpersonal skills comment is great

This is very true. If one is concerned with having a bare CV I would suggest smaller positions - we have committee chairs at our school in addition to the typical class positions. You could also get involved in a smaller position in AMA, AMSA, or SNMA etc - makes it easy to get involved when you want to, stuff to put on CV and talk about on interviews, but you don't have huge responsibility.

Find something that is/sounds like a leadership position but that doesn't have a large time commitment. If you already know what specialty you want to do start an interest group if one isn't already in place.

The general consensus I've seen on SDN is that this type of stuff really doesn't matter but I think it can't hurt to have something on your CV - as long as it's not obvious BS. BUT NEVER let this extra stuff affect your grades - I kept my priorities straight and didn't do positions where I knew I would be distracted at test time and wouldn't be able to get away. I actually took some flak for not getting involved in certain stuff but that's life

I just don't want to have to lie or tell the truth and say "sports, working out, videogames, and drinking" when they ask what else did I do besides study and do research.

 

[Law2Doc]

ok, I'll take the opposing stance.

I was asked about it on every interview I went on so it made for a good talking point and tangible example of good time management, interpersonal skills (which I actually don't have but can fake from time to time) and all the other things that interviewers have on their checklists.

The ability to do what everyone else at your school is doing (studying for the boards, studying for your rotations, etc etc etc) and balance the position of class officer looks good.
...

That being said, if you do it and end up doing poorly in your classes then it only hurts you because it shows you don't know how to prioritize.

I agree with this in part. You ARE going to be doing interviews for residency, and they are more than likely to ask you about your leadership skills, strengths, time management skills and the like. So it does give you some nice talking points once you get to the interview.

On the other hand, it isn't going to wow a PD that you were a class officer, when looking over your CV, to the point that it would actually help you get an interview. They are going to give that interview to the dude who spent that same time doing research, or who spent that time shadowing/networking with people in the specialty, or who did a bit better on the Step exams.

So the short answer is don't bother doing it for a line in your CV. If you are the type that has to be president of every organization you join, go for it. If, as Bob suggests, you are in the military and they value this kind of thing, go for it. But other than those situations, know that the dude who doesn't even bother to vote in class elections may be at a competitive advantage for residencies than the person who spends a few hours a week being class officer. PDs simply don't value this the way that adcoms may have for med school admissions.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I agree that it helps and it would definitely be a talking point, but it is all about cost-benefit. My class president slaves away on his work, I'd rather have my pubs and ECs.

 

[MossPoh]

I agree that it helps and it would definitely be a talking point, but it is all about cost-benefit. My class president slaves away on his work, I'd rather have my pubs and ECs.

I'm a class officer, albeit a lower level one (I still invest a fair amount of time in it), and I still have pubs and ECs, as does our president and VP. My grades have actually gone up during the period too.

They aren't necessarily mutually exclusive things. I didn't do it for resume padding as much as truly wanting to improve things though. I've gotten the ball moving on a lot of stuff that helps future classes and was a personal challenge using many of the project management skills I learned in undergrad.

 

[penguin24]

I have mixed feelings on how impt 'talking points' are during interviews.

Ex: A guy sees a cute girl in my class. He notice she is wearing a jade bracelet. So he goes up and introduces himself, tells her how he like her bracelet and how jade is really cool, etc, etc.

In this case, the guy talked to her about her bracelet, but the guy doesn't even care about Jade, bracelets, or even jewelry in general. He talked to her b/c she was cute, but since you can't just go up to a girl and talk to her about her cuteness you have to come up w/ something.

So if the girl goes and tells her friends about the guy she met, I think she would be mistaken if she thought it was her cool bracelet that got the guy's attention. If she didn't have the bracelet, it would've been her shoes, eyes, whatever.

I feel the same way about walking away from an interview thinking that it was my cool extracurricular activities that caught the PD's attn, even though that's what was talked about during the IV. Even though grades/boards were not mentioned, I feel they pull much more weight than my story about going back-packing in India and riding an elephant.

 

[justaregularmed]

I think it would ultimately on the program and their appreciation for leadership. If they care about it, it'll come up in some fashion and some way and they will evaluate you. I however don't think the PD idly sifting through ERAS will stop on your name if all you have going for you is some class position. If you want to stop them cold do something about your picture, Not that I would recommend it.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I'm a class officer, albeit a lower level one (I still invest a fair amount of time in it), and I still have pubs and ECs, as does our president and VP. My grades have actually gone up during the period too.

They aren't necessarily mutually exclusive things. I didn't do it for resume padding as much as truly wanting to improve things though. I've gotten the ball moving on a lot of stuff that helps future classes and was a personal challenge using many of the project management skills I learned in undergrad.

I'm not saying that you can't do anything besides student council, I'm just saying that you can do less. If it is important to you, that's all the justification you need.

 

[TobiasFish]

Alcohol consumption is directly correlated to class officer status.