Extracurricular experience

[fandrade]

Let me start by giving a little background info. I am 25 yrs old, married, with one 2yr old daughter, a full time student, and a full time work for a large and well known health insurance company. My freshman year when i was 19 year I was a pre-med, but then life came along and I had to prematurely start a career. Now I am back on track with my goals and closing out the spring semester with 14 credit hrs and a 4.0 semester gpa (hopefully). Last semester I finished 12 hrs with a 3.7. At times it's been difficult keeping up, but I find that I truly enjoy the challenge.

I need to start further expanding med school application portfolio and am having a hard time figuring out where to get my shadowing/volunteer experience in the picture. How important is it for a non traditional pre med with world experience and a family to get that extracurricular experience. I'm sure that I will be able to get some hospital volunteer experience but will need to sacrifice a semester and only take a part-time school load. Does anyone have advice or experience with this?

Thank you

Fern.

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[MedicToMD]

While I do not have the family that you do, I am still restarting my med school venture. And purely in my opinion, in order to maximize my chances, I want to make my "resume" stand out. And that means in all areas I want to look good. There are many many people that emphasize GPA and MCAT as a way of judging. And while that is important, I can't help but believe that schools have to have a way to go through all the "numbers" they see, such as the GPA and MCAT, and actually look at something else that makes a person stand out. To me, this is where ECs and shadowing and volunteering, etc...comes to play. I think the more you have on your application, the better your chances. Even with a family, I feel that it is that much more important due to the sacrifice that would come with it. Taking time to do something other than going to class and studying (while important) is just as, if not moreso, important I feel.

 

[rofd41]

I can't give you much advise myself, but my aunt who has been a surgeon/professor 25+yrs assured me that while the GPA & MCAT get you looked at. It's your EC's that help the admissions folks to take a little closer look at you. Mainly because it's your EC's that help to show your dedication & desire to become a physician.
That's her advice. Hope it helps. GL

 

[DrMidlife]

I need to start further expanding med school application portfolio and am having a hard time figuring out where to get my shadowing/volunteer experience in the picture. How important is it for a non traditional pre med with world experience and a family to get that extracurricular experience. I’m sure that I will be able to get some hospital volunteer experience but will need to sacrifice a semester and only take a part-time school load. Does anyone have advice or experience with this?

Personally, I think you'll be VERY interesting on paper, with fighting your way back, and working in a (controversial in a good way) health-related industry. I'm less interested in seeing you pursue cookie cutter ECs than I am in seeing you collect compelling letters of recommendation, and seeing you present yourself compellingly in your personal statement. A personal statement is a marketing document. You must believe in the product!

Don't get me wrong here. Any candidate who can reasonably volunteer in an ER, get an EMT cert, work as an MA, work in a local clinic, get global health exposure etc. should absolutely do so. These experiences had plenty to do with my understanding of why I want to be a doc. But honestly, think about the adcoms wading through piles of thousands of applicants, and EVERYBODY has that EMT, that ER gig, that medical mission to Belize. I'd be RELIEVED to see an applicant with relevant experience that "the kids" don't have, assuming good numbers, good LORs, and a killer PS.

So from my perspective, as long as you have an EC in which you've smelled patients, and interacted with a variety of medical professionals in a hospital or clinic setting, I think you're fine. Lord knows you've cleaned up other people's bodily fluids already - changing diapers is almost a clinical EC. So I would look for ad hoc clinical volunteering, where you can do a couple of Saturdays helping with a vaccination drive or whatnot, without signing up for a regular commitment. Look for things like seatbelt and carseat outreach, which tend to be driven by trauma docs and ER staff.

Best of luck to you.

 

[devilpup]

How important is it for a non traditional pre med with world experience and a family to get that extracurricular experience. I’m sure that I will be able to get some hospital volunteer experience but will need to sacrifice a semester and only take a part-time school load. Does anyone have advice or experience with this?

It is the extracurricular activities that give the med school interview its substance. I recall a gentleman who volunteered in the hospital-- simply ambulating and talking to patients and helping CNA's (without extensive clinical experience), but eloquently and insightfully described his experience. His essays were golden. Contrast this to an EMT with 1+ yr's of experience in the field describing his experience without showing much insight or personal growth from his experience. It’s all about quality not quantity.

Doing the part-time load is also a good idea. It won't hurt your chances and will lessen the stress. Again, quality over quantity.