I dont know if this could be put on my application anywhere...I just thought Id ask what yall think. When I was a sophmore in college I lived in the dorms. I ended up living with a handicap student ( I dont know exactly what he had but it seemed like a mild form of downs syndrome..he was able to attend our college with their special needs program). While living with him, I didnt take care of him but I did end up cleaning up after him (like in the bathroom when he would pee on the floor and wash his dishes since he never cleaned up after himself, etc). My college had required number of hours of volunteering each semester and they counted my hours towards living with him. Would this count anywhere on my app or not really? Thanks!
Could this be Volunteer/EC/anything??
- Thread starter camshark
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2011
- Messages
- 4,972
- Reaction score
- 2,955
Nope, not really. Only place you could use this is maybe in your personal statement.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2007
- Messages
- 1,863
- Reaction score
- 31
Why not? How is it any different from taking care of a sick relative? I put that as one of my activities and no one has said anything about it....I even have 4 interviews.
Also OP's college counted it towards his volunteering hrs.
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2011
- Messages
- 4,972
- Reaction score
- 2,955
I just don't see it counting for that much. However, this is only my opinion. If you have one of your 15 spaces to spare, it certainly would not hurt to use it. I think you could get alot more value out of this experience by making it part of your personal statement and using it for a reason you want to enter medicine.
- Joined
- May 19, 2011
- Messages
- 600
- Reaction score
- 2
This sounds like something you can talk about in an interview if you were asked how you've been involved with health care related stuff, but I don't think its very marketable for the AMCAS. I think adding smaller fillers like this to the AMCAS weakens it rather than strengthens it.
Also for what its worth, it doesn't take someone with down syndrome to be a bad roommate...turns out I've had to do the exact same things for past roommates before - its a shame I didn't get volunteer credit for it (or paid for that matter)
Also for what its worth, it doesn't take someone with down syndrome to be a bad roommate...turns out I've had to do the exact same things for past roommates before - its a shame I didn't get volunteer credit for it (or paid for that matter)
- Joined
- May 22, 2008
- Messages
- 17,394
- Reaction score
- 9,129
So you want to count cleaning up after your roommate as an activity on your application to medical school?
No, you shouldn't list that as an activity. It doesn't matter if he's handicapped or not. I would hope that you have more significant/meaningful activities to discuss than that.
No, you shouldn't list that as an activity. It doesn't matter if he's handicapped or not. I would hope that you have more significant/meaningful activities to discuss than that.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2007
- Messages
- 1,863
- Reaction score
- 31
1) Roommate was disabled
2) He cleaned up his pee pee. If OP smelled the urine it also doubles as clinical experience
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2009
- Messages
- 2,045
- Reaction score
- 207
Just say as a volunteering thing you lived with a handicap dude and helped him out lol
if that is truthful then go for it
if that is truthful then go for it
- Joined
- May 22, 2008
- Messages
- 17,394
- Reaction score
- 9,129
1) Roommate was disabled
2) He cleaned up his pee pee. If OP smelled the urine it also doubles as clinical experience
I'm not saying the experience couldn't be discussed, but definitely not as a standalone entry in the activities section. This is something that, if it's going to be mentioned, should be mentioned in the PS. If living with a handicapped roommate was formative for the OP, then an anecdote about this experience might make for a good intro.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2011
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 1
Agree 100%.. It might be something interesting to talk about if it comes up in an interview, and it is a potential topic to mention in your personal statement, but it should not be listed as an activity. I'm sure you'll have other things to list in the activities section other than this anyway!
