Duke and volunteer activities and community service

[DarkChild]

After much anticipation, duke FINALLY got back to me with their secondary, I knew it was going to be a b!tch to complete, but I also encountered a significant problem, one that I dont think I can work around.
Duke's first short answer question is:
. Please provide us information on the most important community service/volunteer activities in which you have been involved.... How has participation in these activities impacted your preparation for a career in medicine?


Now my problem is that I dont have ANY volunteer activities nor have I done any community service. So what do I do?

Since I have more time on my hands than I'm used to, I'm going to fill out this secondary for kicks and submit too... but as for that question, I am just going to explain to the adcom that I have not done any community service or volunteer activities and that I dont believe them to be necessary to either develop my interest in medicine or have an impact on my decision to pursue a career in medicine.


What do you guys think?
Its a shame too, cuz I actually like Duke's curriculum... thats why I'm not going to let this question stop me

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[Blitzkrieg]

doh

 

[hassan148]

I am not your aware of you ec's however your lack of community service is going to be a problem anywhere you go. The medical schools are going to ask one thing; How do you know medicine is for you? If i was you i would ask yourself that ? before you start this very long process of getting into med school. Best of luck.

Just my $.02

 

[DarkChild]

hassan, good point... but I've got the clinical exposure to back up my interest in medicine... I just dont think it gets covered under the umbrella of "volunteer activities" because I was in a program where we shadowed a bunch of physicians...

still

Originally posted by hassan148
I am not your aware of you ec's however your lack of community service is going to be a problem anywhere you go. The medical schools are going to ask one thing; How do you know medicine is for you? If i was you i would ask yourself that ? before you start this very long process of getting into med school. Best of luck.

Just my $.02

 

[MeganRose]

Originally posted by DarkChild
After much anticipation, duke FINALLY got back to me with their secondary, I knew it was going to be a b!tch to complete, but I also encountered a significant problem, one that I dont think I can work around.
Duke's first short answer question is:
. Please provide us information on the most important community service/volunteer activities in which you have been involved.... How has participation in these activities impacted your preparation for a career in medicine?


Now my problem is that I dont have ANY volunteer activities nor have I done any community service. So what do I do?

Since I have more time on my hands than I'm used to, I'm going to fill out this secondary for kicks and submit too... but as for that question, I am just going to explain to the adcom that I have not done any community service or volunteer activities and that I dont believe them to be necessary to either develop my interest in medicine or have an impact on my decision to pursue a career in medicine.


What do you guys think?
Its a shame too, cuz I actually like Duke's curriculum... thats why I'm not going to let this question stop me

I agree with what someone else said, having no volunteer activities is going to be a problem no matter where you apply.

Still, there is hope-- I went to undergrad at Duke and almost every pre-med volunteered in a program called HCIP (Health Careers Internship Program) I put it down on my Duke secondary as a volunteer experience (in addition to my other volunteering) bc it *was* time that I volunteered. So use your experiences, esp emphasizing any time that you spent while shadowing that may have benefited others. (for ex, I translated in Triage and changed sheets during some of my time in the program) Emphasize the positive!

 

[DarkChild]

'kay thanks MRose!

 

[exigente chica]

Yeha, I agree with the above psters, never just put nothing, not good. Make sure to write a little something, think hard and maybe u will remember something u've done. If not, I don't know what u are going to say during the interviews when they ask you about ur volunteer experience?

 

[DarkChild]

lol: I'll tell them the truth: I dont believe in volunteering or working for free. Frankly, I dont see it has anything to do with medicine.
we'll see though...

Originally posted by exigente chica
Yeha, I agree with the above psters, never just put nothing, not good. Make sure to write a little something, think hard and maybe u will remember something u've done. If not, I don't know what u are going to say during the interviews when they ask you about ur volunteer experience?