Extracurriculars during med school

[scully]

Does anyone know how important it is in getting a good residency to have extracurricular activities during your first two years? Everyone in my class is doing some kind of community clinic work. I didn't sign up because of time conflicts. Is it really that important? I appreciate any info or ideas!

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[Cobragirl]

Good question! I did re-sign with AMSA and AMA but I've yet to attend a meeting. Most of my classmates seem to be going to every friggin' meeting that comes up...all the "interest groups" etc. Personally, I'm so busy with my studies that I skip most (if not all) of them right now. I also would feel a bit guilty about going to meetings just to get "free food" (which is the MAIN reason a lot of people go...they are ALWAYS feeding us! ) Anyway, my thought is that I can always get into these meetings and interest groups next year when I'm a little more settled and have a better understanding of what specialties I definitely am or am NOT interested in. Then again, maybe going to some of the meetings would help me make those decisions

Any 3rd,4th or residents out there that can answer this???

 

[efs]

I don't yet know how much of a factor all the extra-curricular activities will have on residency selection etc.

Use a bit of common sense though. There are a lot of students signing up for every club/activity/etc, in hopes of making their CVs look good. I doubt it has that much of an effect. You would be better off to pick a few that you are really interested in and be active. By this I mean that it would look better for you to have fewer "activities" listed, but show that you actually did something. Be the club president. Turn the club around, or lead it to some big event. Have an impact. Be a leader. This will likely count for more than listing a bunch of activities that you were peripherally involved with.

Only my 2 cents worth.