Extracurricular activities that are good for med school

[Summer Sweet]

What are some good EC activities that will give valuable experience for med school, as well as boost your application? Getting paid is a plus.

Hospital volunteering seems so redundant, because most of the time you're stuck doing clerical tasks that require so little brain power, I feel like I actually get dumber by standing there.

Someone suggested being an EMT, which I guess is cool because after a few months of training, you get to do real medical-related stuff for a low wage (I heard it was $8/hr, is this true?).

What other stuff is there? I didn't apply this year because I don't feel like taking the MCAT, and I lack valuable premed experience. So during this year of classes and MCAT frenzy, I'm trying to find a good extracurricular activity that will show me a different side of medicine.

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[jojocola]

"Hospital volunteering seems so redundant, because most of the time you're stuck doing clerical tasks that require so little brain power, I feel like I actually get dumber by standing there."

whats 4 hours a week?

Volunteering is the only way i think i can meet a doctor to shadow. Shadowing is an excellent EC. I have not done this yet.

Research and get publications. I have not done this yet either.

I was thinking about EMT as well, sounds like fun to me. Something to take me out of the ordinary "lecture study test//work" life.

 

[jojocola]

OH OH OH, I want to be the first one to say..

Why dont you try using the search option, saves us sdners time. We don't want to read the same stuff over and over.

heh heh heh

 

[eerapido]

Yes, you have to have some experience with the medical field (aka shadowing, volunteering would be good), but from what I have learned from accepted medical students, you need to be yourself. If you like to run marathons, run marathons. If you like to rock climb, rock climb. If you like to play chess, play chess. What ever you do, do it because you enjoy doing it. When you get an interview and the interviewer asks, "Tell me about (such and such EC)." Your response will be a whole lot better than trying to make something up about an EC you did not enjoy doing.

 

[g3pro]

Yes, you have to have some experience with the medical field (aka shadowing, volunteering would be good), but from what I have learned from accepted medical students, you need to be yourself. If you like to run marathons, run marathons. If you like to rock climb, rock climb. If you like to play chess, play chess. What ever you do, do it because you enjoy doing it. When you get an interview and the interviewer asks, "Tell me about (such and such EC)." Your response will be a whole lot better than trying to make something up about an EC you did not enjoy doing.

So true.