Does having many non-medical ECs reflect poorly to med schools?

[Roks]

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So I’m having a bit of a debate on whether or not I want to pursue a few opportunities that have cropped up lately. I’m looking to apply for a 3d design and/or 2d illustration position at an on-campus bionics firm. I can’t tell if I should throw my hat into the ring, as I haven’t done my college shadowing and clinical volunteering hours yet. So far, I’m doing VR psych research, and I’ll be shadowing an auto mechanic over the summer. Most of my other hobbies effectively boil down to various artforms (carpentry, piano, propmaking, etc.). I know one thing that medical schools look for in applicants is a strong interest in medicine as early as possible, but going by my current track record, I’m afraid they’d write off my passion for medicine given that I started my non-medical ECs earlier than my medicals. I can’t prepone my medical ECs as they’re time sensitive (ex, not being able to TA a course until after finishing it), but I can postpone my non-medical ECs (though, it would be hard given the later years' course-load and the MCAT). I’m currently a freshman.

 

[PONS]

I think your overthinking this. As long as you have active clinical involvement (300hrs) by the time that you apply. I can’t see adcoms discrediting your interest in medicine just because you have hobbies/interests outside of it.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I argue you should have non-medical interests before you became interested in medicine. That's okay. But you are right that you need to keep things in balance by the time you are ready to apply. Certainly don't apply with zero clinical exposure, but don't rush your timeline to apply based on when you graduate.

 

[chilly_md]

Take the time to get involved with clinical activities, shadowing and non clinical volunteering ECs (like at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter etc). It’s good to have a variety of activities and a unique background but it’s worth trying to avoid having your application seem like thousands of hours of art, music and design and 1-2 slots of medically related activities stuck in for the heck of it. For better or worse, some people may interpret it as you using a lot of time to explore your personal interests as opposed to getting experience medically or helping those less fortunate.

 

[LizzyM]

Explore and enjoy. You decide what to put on your application and you can pick and choose up to 15 activities. By the time you apply you should have had some physician shadowing (but not too much), a history of helping others as a volunteer (not necessarily a medically related service -- tutoring, mentoring kids, assistance to the homeless & hungry, etc), and some experience that brought you face-to-face with patients (this can be paid or unpaid). Research is expected of applicants to highly ranked research schools but otherwise not essential.

Beyond that, at least one or two of your activities should be hobbies, sports, non-clinical employment, or something else that tells us a bit about you and shows that you aren't just another cookie-cutter applicant.

 

[SnowyMoon]

Take the time to get involved with clinical activities, shadowing and non clinical volunteering ECs (like at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter etc). It’s good to have a variety of activities and a unique background but it’s worth trying to avoid having your application seem like thousands of hours of art, music and design and 1-2 slots of medically related activities stuck in for the heck of it. For better or worse, some people may interpret it as you using a lot of time to explore your personal interests as opposed to getting experience medically or helping those less fortunate.

I would like to add to this: if you can find ways to make your passion projects tie into helping those less fortunate or underserved in a field, that makes for great experience and demonstrates out of the box thinking. My non-clinical volunteering "box" was checked through a personal passion for making music accessible for those with limited resources and special considerations, and while I still had the requisite clinical experiences, I was often asked about this experience in particular, and it worked well with my experience in my craft.

Like most things in life, moderation is key so don't ignore getting good clinical experience, but do make sure you find activities you enjoy devoting time to. People love talking to people who are passionate about things, and your patients won't be any different.

 

[jhmmd]

So I’m having a bit of a debate on whether or not I want to pursue a few opportunities that have cropped up lately. I’m looking to apply for a 3d design and/or 2d illustration position at an on-campus bionics firm. I can’t tell if I should throw my hat into the ring, as I haven’t done my college shadowing and clinical volunteering hours yet. So far, I’m doing VR psych research, and I’ll be shadowing an auto mechanic over the summer. Most of my other hobbies effectively boil down to various artforms (carpentry, piano, propmaking, etc.). I know one thing that medical schools look for in applicants is a strong interest in medicine as early as possible, but going by my current track record, I’m afraid they’d write off my passion for medicine given that I started my non-medical ECs earlier than my medicals. I can’t prepone my medical ECs as they’re time sensitive (ex, not being able to TA a course until after finishing it), but I can postpone my non-medical ECs (though, it would be hard given the later years' course-load and the MCAT). I’m currently a freshman.

I would try to get this done ASAP, so you can plan out the rest of your application. You don't want to be trying to structure your college experience around pre-med if it's not something that's for you. Clinical volunteering and shadowing especially will help you discover if this is the right fit.