Hi everyone, I know that this question has been asked many times, and I've been doing some research but everything that I have found is either outdated or not exactly the answer that I am looking for.
Essentially, my goal is to stand out in the flood of applications that med schools receive every year. I am going to major in Cellular/Molecular Biology (not because I think that med schools expect it, but because it is what I'm interested in), so obviously my application is more likely to blend in among the thousands of other students with the same major. I was wondering if I also majored in Spanish, and I was able to reach the level of fluency, would this make me stand out? Or at the very least, will it allow me to compete with other applicants who may also be fluent as Spanish becomes a more commonly spoken language?
I wouldn't just be doing this for medical school, and I've read the "do whatever you like" answer plenty of times. I love the language, and being bilingual is something that has always been important to me. I do not, however, want to sacrifice my grades in the hard sciences for something that won't give me an edge. (Still, I would obviously not be relying on Spanish to get me into med school) What I'm asking is whether or not it would make a difference, or if it would make me stand out at all.
If not, what other types of interests or activities could make me appear more well rounded? I'm very interested in oncology, so I already plan on getting as much experience as I can in that field. Is it more impressive for your ECs to have a direction/focus when applying (lots of hours of shadowing, volunteering, research in a few areas), or to have fewer hours in lots of different fields?
Sorry if this seems like a lot of dumb questions, I really appreciate any help or guidance that anyone can offer. Thank you!
Essentially, my goal is to stand out in the flood of applications that med schools receive every year. I am going to major in Cellular/Molecular Biology (not because I think that med schools expect it, but because it is what I'm interested in), so obviously my application is more likely to blend in among the thousands of other students with the same major. I was wondering if I also majored in Spanish, and I was able to reach the level of fluency, would this make me stand out? Or at the very least, will it allow me to compete with other applicants who may also be fluent as Spanish becomes a more commonly spoken language?
I wouldn't just be doing this for medical school, and I've read the "do whatever you like" answer plenty of times. I love the language, and being bilingual is something that has always been important to me. I do not, however, want to sacrifice my grades in the hard sciences for something that won't give me an edge. (Still, I would obviously not be relying on Spanish to get me into med school) What I'm asking is whether or not it would make a difference, or if it would make me stand out at all.
If not, what other types of interests or activities could make me appear more well rounded? I'm very interested in oncology, so I already plan on getting as much experience as I can in that field. Is it more impressive for your ECs to have a direction/focus when applying (lots of hours of shadowing, volunteering, research in a few areas), or to have fewer hours in lots of different fields?
Sorry if this seems like a lot of dumb questions, I really appreciate any help or guidance that anyone can offer. Thank you!