Do US schools value long-term ECs?

[pocketsized]

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Hi there,
I am a student from good ol' Canada (I go to UBC specifically), and am trying to familiarize myself with the American admissions processes. From what I know about UBC's medical school, the emphasis is on activities that show long-term commitment; I think this is fair, but with 2 long-term EC's (kids hospice and research) this leaves little time for other things I'd like to try out. I've recently become interested in psychiatry and would love to try my hand at working at a psychiatric institution - however this would mean dropping an EC I've done for more than 3 years (which I still enjoy, but now that my interests are changing it seems almost silly to keep it up).

Can anyone give me insight as to how American schools view long term vs. short-term EC's?

Good luck on exams ! 😀

 

[JJMrK]

Long term is good, but so is variety, and doing what you are interested in is important. It's probably fair to say that if you've been doing your clinical EC for a really long time, you've probably amassed a bunch of hours and may not get anything out of continuing there. If you really want to keep doing it, just do 2-3 shifts per month and focus on psych thing.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

From what I know, US schools tend to value long-term ECs more than short-term ECs because it shows that you are committed to what you do. But I think three years is plenty long enough to show your commitment at the EC you are looking to drop, and the psychiatric position would give you some great diversity of experience. So I think you should go for it!

 

[pocketsized]

Thanks for the advice =)
I *am* getting bored with that EC - the novelty has completely worn off - and you're right, I'm not learning anything new anymore. Switching to a psychiatric ward or institution would be much more in line with my interests, coursework and research. I'm going to go ahead with that!

 

[Az1698]

What about if you were doing the activty throughout high school and college:
For example, at a hospital from 9th grade to junior year at the same hospital. Would you write this on the AMCAS? And would it make you stand out?

 

[pocketsized]

What about if you were doing the activty throughout high school and college:
For example, at a hospital from 9th grade to junior year at the same hospital. Would you write this on the AMCAS? And would it make you stand out?

I think you could write this on the AMCAS. It probably would make you stand out in terms of long-term commitment, but I'm not sure if you meant stand out in terms of hospital volunteering being a unique experience (relative to what other undergrads may have on their CVs). I know that UBC values highly unique extracurricular activities. It makes a lot of sense that other medical schools would encourage the same, since they get thousands of applications sent in; how will they remember your's?

Good luck!