Extracurriculars and Leadership

[deleted936268]

Hey, I'm an undergrad student looking to apply to top MD schools. I just had a couple of questions about extracurriculars in applying as an MD.

1. How are pre-med clubs and leadership in them looked upon by admissions committees? I feel they are about cliche and more importantly, don't really see where I could even differentiate myself / show passion for something so generic. Thoughts? Do MD applicants that are leaders of pre-med clubs get into top MD's? If so, were those extracurriculars heavily weighed or more a cherry on top of an already good application?

2. I was thinking of just pursuing my passion of stand-up as an extracurricular and then I could possibly connect that to 'why medicine' by doing stand-up at a children's healthcare facility near me or something of that sort. In the end, would that be weighted any less than being in pre-med clubs, or is it the passion here that really matters for med school apps?

The biggest thing I see pre-med peers of mine doing is running towards pre-med clubs for leadership and I just feel it shows little passion / differentiality. I guess I just want security in knowing that doing stand-up and being a leader there would be equivalent or more than just shoehorning into leadership farm clubs.

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[mvsrocks]

From what I've read from adcoms on SDN, leadership in school clubs doesn't seem to have much impact. They are the most basic level of leadership and are relatively easy to obtain. I'd pursue other leadership opportunities if available.

I would definitely pursue stand-up comedy. First, it makes you an interesting person and fun to talk to during interviews. Second, you can probably connect stand-up comedy to medicine in how they both require reading the crowd, connecting with people, and performing. Plus, communication skills are a must in medicine. Having hobbies/activities outside of medicine is great, and it's these special things that will make you unique and memorable to adcoms.

 

[Catalystik]

Hey, I'm an undergrad student looking to apply to top MD schools. I just had a couple of questions about extracurriculars in applying as an MD.

1. How are pre-med clubs and leadership in them looked upon by admissions committees? I feel they are about cliche and more importantly, don't really see where I could even differentiate myself / show passion for something so generic. Thoughts?

It depends the energy you apply and on what you do with any college club leadership position. If all you do is chair meetings, you won't get much traction with medical admissions. Better if you come up with new initiatives, delegate responsibility, and implement ideas that lead to a positive change. Also, maybe add significantly to membership and make sure your improvements will survive your departure from office.