Do I have enough extracurricular activites?

[Rxdotcom]

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I am a re-applicant for pharmacy school this year, and I wanted to know if I have enough extracirricular activities for my application or if I need to bulk up a bit more to strengthen my student profile .

the reason I;m asking is I was planning on going to Costa Rica to volunteer in medical clinics for underserved communities. I would love to go but to be honest it is very expensive to take a trip like that, and with all my upcoming expenses for applications, I don't know if it wouldbe the wisest investment decisionfor me right now.

Another reason I;m unsure if i should go is Im having a lot of trouble finding a pharm tech job, since summer is really slow for pharmacies. So they don;t really need nay extra help right now. I don't want to jeopardize my chance of pharm school acceptance/


So here goes...any feedback would be appreciated!

My EC's

+ Volunteered in a Hospital Pharmacy for 204.5 hrs
+ Shadowed clinical pharmacists ( at a diff hospital) for 40 hrs
+ 3rd yr as an officer ( will be president this yr) for my college's prepharmacy club
+ 1.5 yrs as treasuer of a diversity intiatives committee
+ Business camp counselor/faciliatator for 1 weekend for a team-bulding camp for incoming freshman business majors
+ I also just graduated with a Bachelor's in business( along with finshing my pharmacy pre-requisites)

 

[IrishRxMan]

I think your EC's are pretty good and I wouldn't go for the Costa Rica trip. It will be very expensive and I don't know how much it will really do for you. I would focus on your applications instead. But that's just my opinion. 😉

 

[chelu55]

I like the idea of going to Costa Rica. Working at a medical clinic and just in time for hurricane surf in Costa Rica? You cant beat that! Just hope for some hurricane swells. ha!!
On a serious note. I really like the idea. I have worked in a hospital pharmacy for 4 years and gained much experience( Inpatient, Outpatient, Oncology). I recently went to Haiti for a medical mission and by far it was the best experience I could have done. I was in charge of the outpatient pharmacy. I set up a handout of interactions, side effects, dosing, ect.. for our formulary. I was even able to do some clinical work. I was doing pediatric dosing (with a physician present). You wont believe the type of diseases and care you will be faced with. You will definately be forced to go out your comfortable lifestyle and treat others. I cant reiterate how much I learned from my Haiti trip. It was not easy and when I got back to the states I said I was never going again. After two weeks of rest, I was ready to go back. I'm actually trying to plan a trip next summer while not in school.

Depending on what you do you can learn so much about this trip. You will gain experience in the importance of public health, health care, and patient care. Everything you need to be a well rounded pharmacist. IrishRx is right about the price. If you can afford the trip its well worth it. Not just to get into pharmacy school but your future in healthcare. Good luck!

 

[me0wmix]

I'm also debating on going to a third world country to help out in a clinic. I'm secretary for a club that educates and fundraises children don't have healthcare resources. As an officer, I feel like if I do go it should be with my own money instead of the money the organization fundraised. We were planning to use some of our fund to help send one of our members abroad and there are aways worthy applicants.

Anyways, I understand that how expensive the trip can be. If you have the time and money to go then I would say go. It's not about the quantity of EC, but quality. There's no doubt that a trip like this will teach you a lot.

 

[omnione]

I am a re-applicant for pharmacy school this year, and I wanted to know if I have enough extracirricular activities for my application or if I need to bulk up a bit more to strengthen my student profile .

the reason I;m asking is I was planning on going to Costa Rica to volunteer in medical clinics for underserved communities. I would love to go but to be honest it is very expensive to take a trip like that, and with all my upcoming expenses for applications, I don't know if it wouldbe the wisest investment decisionfor me right now.

Another reason I;m unsure if i should go is Im having a lot of trouble finding a pharm tech job, since summer is really slow for pharmacies. So they don;t really need nay extra help right now. I don't want to jeopardize my chance of pharm school acceptance/


So here goes...any feedback would be appreciated!

My EC's

+ Volunteered in a Hospital Pharmacy for 204.5 hrs
+ Shadowed clinical pharmacists ( at a diff hospital) for 40 hrs
+ 3rd yr as an officer ( will be president this yr) for my college's prepharmacy club
+ 1.5 yrs as treasuer of a diversity intiatives committee
+ Business camp counselor/faciliatator for 1 weekend for a team-bulding camp for incoming freshman business majors
+ I also just graduated with a Bachelor's in business( along with finshing my pharmacy pre-requisites)

You have plenty of ecs even without the Costa Rica trip. My guess is that you had to reapply due to stats, PS, and/or interviews.

I'm also debating on going to a third world country to help out in a clinic. I'm secretary for a club that educates and fundraises children don't have healthcare resources. As an officer, I feel like if I do go it should be with my own money instead of the money the organization fundraised. We were planning to use some of our fund to help send one of our members abroad and there are aways worthy applicants.

Anyways, I understand that how expensive the trip can be. If you have the time and money to go then I would say go. It's not about the quantity of EC, but quality. There's no doubt that a trip like this will teach you a lot.

Yeah, you should base your decision on your goals and finance instead of the impact that ec would have on your application. A loaded ec slate is great but it doesn't impact admissions as much as the stats and,interviews.