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Everyone talks about having strong extra curriculars, but I'm curious... what type of EC's does everyone have? And what makes one person's EC's stronger than anothers?
extra curriculars
- Thread starter Cognition
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It's probably something like undergrad - i.e. they're looking for superman/woman. You know, the olympic medalist who found a vaccine for malaria and started a cultural exchange program with a small town in Bolivia while getting a 4.0.
Obviously, somebody like the fictional person described (any similarity to real people is completely coincidental) has strong credentials. But I think it's less about what you do and more about what you do with what you have available. If you're a single parent who has to pay your own way through college, it's infinitely more difficult to do the things above. Conversely, if you're an upper-class kid just coasting through school and enjoying life, it probably won't help your application.
What would you want to see if you were on an adcom? Committment and leadership.
Obviously, somebody like the fictional person described (any similarity to real people is completely coincidental) has strong credentials. But I think it's less about what you do and more about what you do with what you have available. If you're a single parent who has to pay your own way through college, it's infinitely more difficult to do the things above. Conversely, if you're an upper-class kid just coasting through school and enjoying life, it probably won't help your application.
What would you want to see if you were on an adcom? Committment and leadership.
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I would say things like volunteer work, clinical experience, and especially leadership roles. Also some hobbies to show that you can maintain balance in life. There is no special formula; do what interests you the most.
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Hi there,
You'll probably find among the folks here that there will be a mix of some common categories of things folk have done and not-so-common. Here's one cross-section:
Some more "common" bits:
-volunteering: candy striper as a teen; sexual & reproductive health counselor; squash teacher
-music: piano lessons/exams
-employment: lab tech.; bartender; multinational account manager (high-tech); epidemiologist (SARS outbreak team); research assistant; TA for Stats course
-travel: multiple biking/hiking trips through India, Sweden, France, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia; lived in France (to take French course) & Australia (to work)
-societies/clubs/organizations: a few Epi committees in grad school; varsity sport board rep
Some, perhaps, less common bits:
-sports: varsity squash team & captain; varsity rowing team; SCUBA certifications; long-distance foot racer; gliding
-other: financial consultant of a large investment portfolio; founded & ran own rare music memorabilia biz; taking jazz vocal lessons; taking on-going cooking lessons
There you go; hope that gives you an idea of what some of us may be up to, anyway.
Cheers,
Kirsteen
You'll probably find among the folks here that there will be a mix of some common categories of things folk have done and not-so-common. Here's one cross-section:
Some more "common" bits:
-volunteering: candy striper as a teen; sexual & reproductive health counselor; squash teacher
-music: piano lessons/exams
-employment: lab tech.; bartender; multinational account manager (high-tech); epidemiologist (SARS outbreak team); research assistant; TA for Stats course
-travel: multiple biking/hiking trips through India, Sweden, France, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia; lived in France (to take French course) & Australia (to work)
-societies/clubs/organizations: a few Epi committees in grad school; varsity sport board rep
Some, perhaps, less common bits:
-sports: varsity squash team & captain; varsity rowing team; SCUBA certifications; long-distance foot racer; gliding
-other: financial consultant of a large investment portfolio; founded & ran own rare music memorabilia biz; taking jazz vocal lessons; taking on-going cooking lessons
There you go; hope that gives you an idea of what some of us may be up to, anyway.
Cheers,
Kirsteen
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i think committment and leadership are key. so long term stuff is important... another example, with much less stuff than Kristeen's but still long-term committments.
11 years of coxswain experience including junior national, university varsity, and US senior national teams (rowing)
3 years of work as a lab tech (in the same lab at university)
3 years as a full time lab tech (first job out of college)
5 years as a canoeing (whitewater and flat) and rock climbing instructor for children ages 9-15 (state of maine, nh, and vt certified)
marathon runner
13 years of piano instruction/performance
2 years WFR and W-EMT certified by SOLO and state of Vermont/Maine/NH
and thats about it. its not a million different things, but its some very high powered things for a very long time... shows committment, and that you like to follow through.
11 years of coxswain experience including junior national, university varsity, and US senior national teams (rowing)
3 years of work as a lab tech (in the same lab at university)
3 years as a full time lab tech (first job out of college)
5 years as a canoeing (whitewater and flat) and rock climbing instructor for children ages 9-15 (state of maine, nh, and vt certified)
marathon runner
13 years of piano instruction/performance
2 years WFR and W-EMT certified by SOLO and state of Vermont/Maine/NH
and thats about it. its not a million different things, but its some very high powered things for a very long time... shows committment, and that you like to follow through.
