Extracurriculars and volunteer.

[Ijeoma]

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I am almost certain that this is a repost but i hope not.

How do you go about getting volunteer work and extracurriculars?
Do they mean the same thing?
If you do say you have volunteer work, does the ADCOM ask for proof?

I really have no volunteer experience (only 2 hours of volun at CCA 😱 )
Thanks a lot for ur helpful responses

 

[doublehh03]

I am almost certain that this is a repost but i hope not.

How do you go about getting volunteer work and extracurriculars?
Do they mean the same thing?
If you do say you have volunteer work, does the ADCOM ask for proof?

I really have no volunteer experience (only 2 hours of volun at CCA 😱 )
Thanks a lot for ur helpful responses

from what ive read, extracurriculars do include volunteer, but they usually are something different since most applicants have volunteer experience of some sort (hospital, nursing home, pharmacy...)

so extracurriculars include things like clubs, doing something no science-related...

rarely do schools check for proof; however, if you've been involved in something recent but is over a long period of time, no LOR from that person would be "weird." like you did research with a person for over a year just now and yet you have no LOR from that person => red flag

but usually they verify your experiences through interviews. see if you can speak about them w/ ease since you did volunteer and what you learned from them.

 

[Ijeoma]

from what ive read, extracurriculars do include volunteer, but they usually are something different since most applicants have volunteer experience of some sort (hospital, nursing home, pharmacy...)

so extracurriculars include things like clubs, doing something no science-related...

rarely do schools check for proof; however, if you've been involved in something recent but is over a long period of time, no LOR from that person would be "weird." like you did research with a person for over a year just now and yet you have no LOR from that person => red flag

but usually they verify your experiences through interviews. see if you can speak about them w/ ease since you did volunteer and what you learned from them.

Thanks a whole lot!
Anyone else got more input? 😕

 

[ttran01]

im curious about this too. im a sophomore in college now and i am looking to start doing volunteer work. how do people normally go about shadowing a pharmacist. do you just go to a pharmacy and ask them if you can shadow them or volunteer at the pharmacy. or is there like a website out there that can help you find a pharmacy to volunteer at

 

[AtomicLuv]

im curious about this too. im a sophomore in college now and i am looking to start doing volunteer work. how do people normally go about shadowing a pharmacist. do you just go to a pharmacy and ask them if you can shadow them or volunteer at the pharmacy. or is there like a website out there that can help you find a pharmacy to volunteer at

I am volunteering at a hospital pharmacy for the summer, all I did was tell the volunteering office that I wanted to be in the pharmacy

try just calling up hospitals and asking about volunteering..dont forget to mention that you want to be a pharmacist
I dont know how much shadowing pharmacists will help, maybe it will get you a LOR but shadowing usually lasts a few days?
you may want to be more involved, like volunteering for a chunk of time to really get a feel for what its like.. 😀

 

[i.<3.pharmacy]

im curious about this too. im a sophomore in college now and i am looking to start doing volunteer work. how do people normally go about shadowing a pharmacist. do you just go to a pharmacy and ask them if you can shadow them or volunteer at the pharmacy. or is there like a website out there that can help you find a pharmacy to volunteer at

Usually, hospitals have websites with a volunteer section. Whatever hospital it is that you are interested in, check out their website. There should be somebody to contact, like a volunteer coordinator, for those who want to volunteer. Send this person an e-mail explaining your situation and they will definitely get back ASAP because they are always in need of volunteers at hospitals.

This is what I did a few months back with all the local hospitals, so I actually got to pick and choose where I wanted to go for volunteer work... because they ALL responded. Good luck.

 

[Ijeoma]

Usually, hospitals have websites with a volunteer section. Whatever hospital it is that you are interested in, check out their website. There should be somebody to contact, like a volunteer coordinator, for those who want to volunteer. Send this person an e-mail explaining your situation and they will definitely get back ASAP because they are always in need of volunteers at hospitals.

This is what I did a few months back with all the local hospitals, so I actually got to pick and choose where I wanted to go for volunteer work... because they ALL responded. Good luck.

You are simply GREAT! 👍
That helps a whole lot

 

[aboveliquidice]

I went and had a conversation with the Pharmacy manager - he told me "No". HAHAHA - so I let him know I had every intention of volunteering in his pharmacy. I decided to go back to the volunteer office at the hospital to volunteer at the ER (ED). Over the next 2 months of volunteering every Friday, I saw and spoke to the Pharmacy department. After a little negotiating, I was in. It might take some effort - but you can get the volunteer work you want.

As to EC's - These are the things you do outside of school. Extra (outside) Curricular (to do with academic study)... I put everything outside of school and work really. This is your way of showing how rounded you are.

ok - Im out

Above

 

[Asnchic]

I was really fortunate and just started checking around online. The first hospital I called, I immediately got an interview. If you have a Pharmacy organization at your school, go to the meetings on a somewhat regular basis.

Call local hospitals and ask around. It does seem like a lot of work but you're only going to get into a place as good as the trouble you've put in to find them. A lot of places are really particular about who they let in (and they should be, no one wants someone who's going to whine or isn't serious or even worse, someone who steals). Check out online non-profit listings. Sometimes you might find something that isn't in a Pharmacy but I know in Austin, there's a lot of alternative medicine places that are popping up and hey, whatever broadens your experience is an asset. A lot of my friends had to work the volunteer desk before they were allowed to actually get into a pharmacy so don't be discouraged.

Extracurriculars are joining organizations that you're interested in and actively participating. But membership doesn't really mean a whole lot these days since there are many groups where all you have to do to join is pay. Be an active member, go to the events, and pay your dues (monetary and nonmonetary). It gives you great people skills and if you're an officer, it'll be useful in helping you explain what makes a good leader and how you're one.

Edit: Hah hah, I noticed how funny it was for me to tell you to go to the Pharmacy ones on a somewhat regular basis when I ended my post with being an active member. That's just because I'm not actually a member of any of the ones on my campus, I just went for the Pharmacy info etc. I'm actually an officer of a different organization which brings me to another point. Don't feel the need to focus entirely on Pharmacy. There are other organizations on campus and you might find one that would be better for you (a smaller amount of people, a greater range of opinions and attitudes, more campus involved, student government/senate oriented that would broaden your experiences more, especially if you're already volunteering/working in a pharmacy).