Extracurricular Plan...

[oobie]

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Hello all,

I am an incoming sophomore at the University of Arizona, and my dream school is Mayo. I was wondering if this seemed like a good plan for my extracurricular activities (because they HIGHLY value EC):

3 years of research in Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Disease
1 year of research in pharmacology: peptide synthesis
1.5 years of volunteer tutoring (haven't started that yet) -- 3 hours a week
a semester of shadowing (or summer of shadowing)
3 years of triathlon club
3 years of ballroom dance
4 years of fencing club
possibly being an RA (for leadership)
Also possibly officer positions in fencing/triathlon

Also, my academics are: I'm hoping to graduate with a 3.9 (right now I have a 3.87), B.S. in neuroscience and cognitive science w/ concentration in neurobiology, B.A. in classics w/ emphasis in ancient greek, minor in Spanish. I am also hoping to get a 33+ on the MCATs. What more should I do? I haven't started volunteering, so I'm going to try to get on that soon. I am also hoping to be proficient in a total of five or six languages (english, french, spanish, tamil -- indian language, ancient greek, and italian/german). I thank you all in advance for your help.

 

[CosmicUtensil]

Only three years of ballroom dance?

 

[oobie]

Haha, I wanted to join my freshman year, but I had too much going on. I am really hoping I can stick with it.

 

[dmf2682]

Hello all,

I am an incoming sophomore at the University of Arizona, and my dream school is Mayo. I was wondering if this seemed like a good plan for my extracurricular activities (because they HIGHLY value EC):

3 years of research in Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Disease
1 year of research in pharmacology: peptide synthesis
1.5 years of volunteer tutoring (haven't started that yet) -- 3 hours a week
a semester of shadowing (or summer of shadowing)
3 years of triathlon club
3 years of ballroom dance
4 years of fencing club
possibly being an RA (for leadership)
Also possibly officer positions in fencing/triathlon

Also, my academics are: I'm hoping to graduate with a 3.9 (right now I have a 3.87), B.S. in neuroscience and cognitive science w/ concentration in neurobiology, B.A. in classics w/ emphasis in ancient greek, minor in Spanish. I am also hoping to get a 33+ on the MCATs. What more should I do? I haven't started volunteering, so I'm going to try to get on that soon. I am also hoping to be proficient in a total of five or six languages (english, french, spanish, tamil -- indian language, ancient greek, and italian/german). I thank you all in advance for your help.

Grades >> extracurriculars so focus on those. Also try and get some good longitudinal volunteering activities.

Based on your list saying everything at 3 years except fencing for four,and you saying you're an incoming sophomore, I'd guess you're only going to start that myriad of activities this year. Take it easy, don't bite off more than you can chew, and keep your grades up.

 

[oobie]

Grades >> extracurriculars so focus on those. Also try and get some good longitudinal volunteering activities.

Based on your list saying everything at 3 years except fencing for four,and you saying you're an incoming sophomore, I'd guess you're only going to start that myriad of activities this year. Take it easy, don't bite off more than you can chew, and keep your grades up.

Yeah I will always put my grades before my extracurriculars. My freshman year, I was in a pharmacology lab, which I didn't like, and now, during the summer, I have been working in this parkinson's disease lab, and plan to stick with it in my program. Also, I really want to do some volunteer work out of country, but my parents cannot spend like $1,000 to $2000 for these programs. Do you have any recommendations? I'm hoping to start the volunteering my spring semester and hopefully stick with that until I graduate. Are there specific volunteer opportunities that are better than others? Thanks gor your help.

 

[dmf2682]

Yeah I will always put my grades before my extracurriculars. My freshman year, I was in a pharmacology lab, which I didn't like, and now, during the summer, I have been working in this parkinson's disease lab, and plan to stick with it in my program. Also, I really want to do some volunteer work out of country, but my parents cannot spend like $1,000 to $2000 for these programs. Do you have any recommendations? I'm hoping to start the volunteering my spring semester and hopefully stick with that until I graduate. Are there specific volunteer opportunities that are better than others? Thanks gor your help.

There is absolutely no need to volunteer overseas. There's been some talk about this by various admissions staff, and the general consensus is that while it's good to get exposed to different cultures you should save your money and volunteer stateside.

As far as what you need, some volunteer activity, the more long term the better, and clinical experience. A lot of people combine the two but the majority of sources say it's not necessary. For example, volunteering at a children's hospital is about the same as volunteering at a soup kitchen while also working as a phlebotomist. Personally I did the former and it's really validated my decision to pursue medicine as a career.

 

[oobie]

Ok thanks. I think I might volunteer in a hospital as well as tutoring. (if i can manage it). Also, do you think that I should do more clubs or those related to pre-med? I personally believe that I should just do clubs that interest me rather than buffer my resume.

 

[dmf2682]

Ok thanks. I think I might volunteer in a hospital as well as tutoring. (if i can manage it). Also, do you think that I should do more clubs or those related to pre-med? I personally believe that I should just do clubs that interest me rather than buffer my resume.

Do what interests you. Leave the buffers for your chem lab.