Experience Hours - How Much Is Too Much?

[dr.ryuk]

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I have honestly done my best to be conservative with the work/activities section, but I’m worried adcom will think I exaggerated. Here are my hours that I accumulated over the course of ~2.5 years in college:

Extracurricular:

225 hours/5 semesters (3 hrs/wk) – fraternity involvement (1 semester in chair position and 1 semester as president)

180 hours/3 semesters (4 hrs/wk) – co founder and executive vp of health focused club

Volunteer:

184 hours/5 semesters (2 hrs/wk) – miscellaneous fraternity-related volunteer

180 hours/2 semesters (6 hrs/wk) – service vp of fraternity (coordinated/organized a lot of events)

Clinical:

2988 hours/2 years (30+ hrs/wk) – ED scribe

For 2 undergraduate semesters, all these experiences overlap which comes out to 40+hrs/wk. Will this raise red flags with adcom?

FYI - I took a gap year and SMP after graduating so in total I have 405 hrs Leadership, 440 hrs Volunteer, 420 hrs Research, and 4,960 hrs Clinical.

 

[deleted936470]

I don't think it would be a red flag or anything, but 5k clinical will probably be 'flagged' to talk about in your interview... so you should be able to discuss it.

 

[Cornfed101]

It seems like you used your time well. I mean it’s better than saying you watched Netflix for 2000 hours. I wouldn’t worry about having too many experience hours if it’s something you can talk about in an interview.

 

[Allosteopath]

It seems like you used your time well. I mean it’s better than saying you watched Netflix for 2000 hours. I wouldn’t worry about having too many experience hours if it’s something you can talk about in an interview.

This won't fly in my application?

 

[I'mJustCurious]

This won't fly in my application?

Be the guinea pig and let us know

 

[Cornfed101]

Experience Type: Artistic Endeavor
Experience Name: Binging TV shows
Start Date: Whenever a new show drops
End Date: Never
Total Hours: 5000
Organization Name: Netflix
Location: My couch
Contact: Self
Title: Expert binge watcher

Description: I have learned so much about myself and about a brave group of kids from Hawkins, Indiana while watching Stranger Things. I think my knowledge of the upside down will help me better serve patients because I don't want them to be eaten by a Demogorgon.

 

[dr.ryuk]

Thanks for your comments! Unfortunately I just submitted my app so I can't add the Netflix experience. However, I do plan on binging ice cream & cheese fries over the next ~57 hours now that I'm finally done. Do I add under extracurricular or non-healthcare experience?

 

[Goro]

I have honestly done my best to be conservative with the work/activities section, but I’m worried adcom will think I exaggerated. Here are my hours that I accumulated over the course of ~2.5 years in college:

Extracurricular:

225 hours/5 semesters (3 hrs/wk) – fraternity involvement (1 semester in chair position and 1 semester as president)

180 hours/3 semesters (4 hrs/wk) – co founder and executive vp of health focused club

Volunteer:

184 hours/5 semesters (2 hrs/wk) – miscellaneous fraternity-related volunteer

180 hours/2 semesters (6 hrs/wk) – service vp of fraternity (coordinated/organized a lot of events)

Clinical:

2988 hours/2 years (30+ hrs/wk) – ED scribe

For 2 undergraduate semesters, all these experiences overlap which comes out to 40+hrs/wk. Will this raise red flags with adcom?

FYI - I took a gap year and SMP after graduating so in total I have 405 hrs Leadership, 440 hrs Volunteer, 420 hrs Research, and 4,960 hrs Clinical.

Me personally, unless you carefully elaborate your fraternity work, I see it as a lot of time on campus and in your comfort zone. Not what I want to see.

 

[Grovometer]

Me personally, unless you carefully elaborate your fraternity work, I see it as a lot of time on campus and in your comfort zone. Not what I want to see.

Is this in reference to using fraternity experiences in other sections such as community service, or just fraternity experiences in general? I personally have held 3 different leadership roles in a fraternity and consider it important to my growth as a leader and communication skills, but I put it all under the leadership section.

 

[dr.ryuk]

Me personally, unless you carefully elaborate your fraternity work, I see it as a lot of time on campus and in your comfort zone. Not what I want to see.

Thanks for your suggestion!
Can you explain what you mean by comfort zone? Should I combine the activities or keep them separate so I can elaborate? As service vp I planned a lot of independent events rather than just listing opportunities hosted by other organizations. For example, on Halloween I coordinated an event with local businesses as well as the police department to give families a safe place to enjoy the holiday with their kids (I live in an underserved urban area). When I was elected president there were a ton of issues in the chapter because the previous president resigned, but I turned it around by making some major changes.

 

[Goro]

Thanks for your suggestion!
Can you explain what you mean by comfort zone? Should I combine the activities or keep them separate so I can elaborate? As service vp I planned a lot of independent events rather than just listing opportunities hosted by other organizations. For example, on Halloween I coordinated an event with local businesses as well as the police department to give families a safe place to enjoy the holiday with their kids (I live in an underserved urban area). When I was elected president there were a ton of issues in the chapter because the previous president resigned, but I turned it around by making some major changes.

Comfort zone meaning that too many pre-meds just stay on campus and interact with (frequently well to do0 people just like them. They don't interact with the grittier side of life.
Ideally, what we want to see is service to others less fortunate than yourself.

 

[dr.ryuk]

Comfort zone meaning that too many pre-meds just stay on campus and interact with (frequently well to do0 people just like them. They don't interact with the grittier side of life.
Ideally, what we want to see is service to others less fortunate than yourself.

I actually joined the fraternity because I faced a lot of challenges in my own life. This made me want to reach out to other individuals who shared similar experiences but lacked the same opportunities that I used to overcome them. I touched on this briefly in my personal statement. Should I elaborate further? Also, the hours I listed in this post only include my undergraduate experiences. Over the past 2 years I've volunteered at a foster care program. I talked about what I learned from tutoring and supervising kids who grew up in a disadvantaged household and the educational barriers that they face. Would this show that I'm interested in interacting with people from disadvantaged backgrounds?

 

[Goro]

I actually joined the fraternity because I faced a lot of challenges in my own life. This made me want to reach out to other individuals who shared similar experiences but lacked the same opportunities that I used to overcome them. I touched on this briefly in my personal statement. Should I elaborate further? Also, the hours I listed in this post only include my undergraduate experiences. Over the past 2 years I've volunteered at a foster care program. I talked about what I learned from tutoring and supervising kids who grew up in a disadvantaged household and the educational barriers that they face. Would this show that I'm interested in interacting with people from disadvantaged backgrounds?

Yes yes yes!!!!

 

[dr.ryuk]

Thanks for your insight, I'll be sure to make it clear in my app!

 

[DrRedstone]

This won't fly in my application?

I had a friend in school who literally included D&D as one of his activities. Anything is possible.