for med schools, are jobs considered an extracurricular?

[pioneer22]

Hi,

I am currently pursuing research (paid) about 10 hours per week during the school year (many more in the summer), and I work at a theater during school breaks...are these considered extracurricular activities, or no?

Thanks

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[RunawayGrape]

Yes. When you apply, you will list them right next to other activities such as clubs and community service. The AMCAS allows you to then categorize each activity (jobs would be considered "paid employment - nonclinical" or something along those lines).

 

[efle]

Yep you've got a nice two birds with one stone thing going, getting research XP and adding paid employment to the app.

 

[Catalystik]

I am currently pursuing research (paid) about 10 hours per week during the school year (many more in the summer), and I work at a theater during school breaks...are these considered extracurricular activities, or no?

For an AMCAS application, Activities section:

- If this is your only research gig, I suggest listing the paid research position under Research, rather than Employment. Sometimes you get a choice among the provided categories.

-The theater job would go fine under Employment - Not Medical/Clinical. Or depending on your role, it might alternatively be suitable for Artistic Endeavors.

-"Extracurricular" is another of the provided categories. It tends to be used more for other types of activities, like clubs, intramural sports, etc.

TMDSAS and AACOMAS do things differently.

 

[pioneer22]

For an AMCAS application, Activities section:

- If this is your only research gig, I suggest listing the paid research position under Research, rather than Employment. Sometimes you get a choice among the provided categories.

-The theater job would go fine under Employment - Not Medical/Clinical. Or depending on your role, it might alternatively be suitable for Artistic Endeavors.

-"Extracurricular" is another of the provided categories. It tends to be used more for other types of activities, like clubs, intramural sports, etc.

TMDSAS and AACOMAS do things differently.

Gotcha. Is the work activity viewed in the same light as extracurriculars, like a club activity, or are the club activities more what they look for?

 

[Catalystik]

Gotcha. Is the work activity viewed in the same light as extracurriculars, like a club activity, or are the club activities more what they look for?

Actually club activities rarely give much benefit unless they lead to leadership or volunteer experiences. Work experiences imply responsibility, reliability, and often the need for essential people skills. For AMCAS, you are allowed to list up to 15 Activities and sometimes there isn't room for all you'd like to include. You get to pick the ones that you feel make your application more appealing. Each space you fill has the same potential for impact, except for the three you are required to select as "Most Meaningful" which gives you a much larger space for description, role, insights, etc.

These are the categories to choose among:

Artistic Endeavors
Community Service/Volunteer - Medical/Clinical
Community Service/Volunteer - Non Medical/Clinical
Conferences Attended
Extracurricular Activities
Hobbies
Honors/Award/Recognition
Intercollegiate Athletics
Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere
Military Service
Other
Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Paid Employment - Non Medical/Clinical
Physician Shadowing/Clinical Observation
Presentations/Posters
Publications
Research/Lab
Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistant