Distribution of Extracurriculars

[sous chef]

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Hello all, I wanted to get some forum members' take on my extracurriculars. I've shadowed a couple of doctors for ~50 hours and have volunteered at a local hospital for ~250 hours over 3.5 years (Will this be a red flag? I did it over summers/breaks and enjoyed it enough to do it every year.) I also serve on the board of directors of a small non-profit that establishes and assists in medical mission trips as well as health fairs. I'm also scheduled to go on a mission before applications roll out.

For my non-clinical ECs, I've acted as a mentor for youngsters, as well as tutored at-risk youth in underserved populations. My hours doing this work is ~150 and might be tripled (should I become part of another program I'm interested in). I was also wondering if the fact that my extracurriculars aren't heavily skewed into clinical volunteering would be a detriment to my application. It isn't a lack of interest in medicine, it's that I'm particularly interested in assisting underserved populations (which include at-risk youth). I'm afraid that the distribution of extracurriculars may reflect on my interest in medicine negatively.
I'm worried that it'll be construed as me not having done enough.

Additionally, I have a choice between applying for a scribe position or applying for a program that assists at-risk youth (which I mentioned earlier). I'm interested in both, but I was wondering if going for the at-risk youth program would be detrimental to my application (as opposed to me having been a scribe). I plan to apply this cycle, btw.

Thank you in advance.

 

[sous chef]

The neurosis runs deep in this one


As long as you have enough clinical exposure to adequately show that you have seen doctors/hospitals/healthcare enough to understand what being a physician is about ur fine. You seem ok in that regard. When you discuss the medical mission trips, be sure to express your direct involvement with the small nonprofit. Medical missions and tourism is becoming slightly suspect by adcoms as there are large organizations promoting this where students pay big bucks for a minimal service trip that seems more like a vacation and just an EC creator. Yours in different and real.

Your fear is wholly unfounded. In a 2013 AAMC survey where 127 medical admissions offices respondent, healthcare experience, community service/volunteer experience, experience with underserved populations, navigated through cultural barriers or challenges, leadership experience were considered high importance in factors for interview invites and offers of acceptances.

Go with the youth. scribe EC are becoming a dime a dozen

Lol, the neurosis indeed. With applications rolling around, everything is getting real and I find myself nervous. With a little bit of time, I think those nerves will calm down, though. Thank you very much for your response!

 

[md-2020]

I am adding this my list of criteria for proposed inclusion of a new disorder in DSM-IV:
PREMED : Psychotic Reactionary Event Manifestation Exclusionary Disorder
A disorder that is a psychotic reaction the events around applying to medical schools that manifests itself in the exclusion of rational thought. Seemingly highly intelligent, high achieving students are most susceptible to this disorder. Loss of major rational thought and reactions to unsubstantiated beliefs, rumors, innuendos, and other irrational and illogical cognitive processes. A form of collective behavior.

But will this mental illness negatively impact my application???

Also I'm pretty sure the next edition is DSM-VI, not that it matters in context here

 

[Lawpy]

What?!? Neurotic thoughts and behaviors from a Premed?!? I never heard of such a thing!

I am adding this my list of criteria for proposed inclusion of a new disorder in DSM-IV:

PREMED : Psychotic Reactionary Event Manifestation Exclusionary Disorder

A disorder that is a psychotic reaction the events around applying to medical schools that manifests itself in the exclusion of rational thought. Seemingly highly intelligent, high achieving students are most susceptible to this disorder. Loss of major rational thought and reactions to unsubstantiated beliefs, rumors, innuendos, and other irrational and illogical cognitive processes. A form of collective behavior.

(I am sure I will post this 100 times this season; ur not the first)

A @gonnif SDN/DSM library is definitely needed!

Yes, most adcoms at about the 5,000th application just start shredding the rest for use at the Faculty New Year's Eve Party. I'm joking of course.

There is certainly some "structural" issues that make the odds slightly worse as there are finite interview slots and finite seats. However, even with rolling admissions, the schools spread their work and acceptance across the cycle. So are the odds of late app over early app against you? Yes. By how much? really hard to say, could be very little or more depending on the school.

The absolute answer is, it doesn't matter, You have submitted, you have no influence at this point to alter time, and things will happen as they happen. Speculating, hoping, worrying will do nothing but stress you out. This is actually the second stage of the recently proposed disorder for DSM-VI : PREMED: Psychotic Reactionary Event Manifestation Exclusionary Disorder. This stage is known as Application Submission Syndrome or ASS. People suffering from this malady have an overriding sense of powerlessness and cognitive dissonance with obsessively reviewing in minute detail of the their application and hypothetically projecting worries, scenarios, and other delusional thoughts based on rumor, innuendo, myth, and whatever other misinformation they may acquire. In short, they can make an ASS of themselves. There is no treatment that has any effectiveness as most suffering it have a temporary loss of rational reasoning. On occasion, these can lead to critical episodes which may require restraints and sedation. For further information on this see

PREMED: Psychotic Reactionary Event Manifestation Exclusionary Disorder

PISS: Post Interview Stress Syndrome

 

[Catalystik]

PREMED : Psychotic Reactionary Event Manifestation Exclusionary Disorder

A disorder that is a psychotic reaction to the events around applying to medical schools that manifests itself in the exclusion of rational thought. Seemingly highly intelligent, high achieving students are most susceptible to this disorder. Loss of major rational thought and reactions to unsubstantiated beliefs, rumors, innuendos, and other irrational and illogical cognitive processes. A form of collective behavior.

Fixed that for you.