Fraternity/Sorority -- Does it help or hurt?

[calvinhobbes]

a

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[TMP-SMX]

You'll be at an advantage as an English major if you excel in your courses and your pre-reqs for medical school.

As for clinical activities, they want you to watch physicians and patients to understand the basic patient-physician relationship.

Yes, anything you volunteer for is volunteering activity. Just know how to sell it and what good the experience was to your life experience.

Research is not required to a vast majority of schools. Unless you plan on doing MSTP (MD/PhD) it's not really needed. Of course schools do like to see it if, in addition, you have strong extracurriculars and grades. The best research to have is independent where you answer a scientific problem. It is the best to work under a research mentor that can teach you tricks of research, techniques, and help with problems you WILL face.

 

[maestro1625]

hmm, multiple threads would have been good for all these questions...

I'd say neutral on the fraternities though (just because I'm in one I guess). Lots of people who are in greek life apply every year, and yes, lots of doctors were greek as well. I had an interesting convo with one of the docs I was shadowing about greek life at my school when he was there and now.

 

[LizzyM]

a) Does being a brother of a social fraternity hurt your chances for admission? I mean, what if the admission board sees you as "just another college drunk?" -
Assuming that they don't carry that stereotype, I hold leadership positions in my fraternity and do community service, so I was wondering if that perhaps helps my application to med school?

It doesn't generally hurt or help except to the extent that it gives you a chance to practice leadership skills or perform community service.

b) I know med schools love volunteer experiences, preferably in a hospital setting. But what kind of patient-contact are they looking for? I am a volunteer at a Children's hospital in NYC - and I play with these disabled kids, keep them company during pre-op, things like that. Do med schools want... "more" of a clinical experience, or is this enough exposure?

See my signature line.

c) I have volunteered in other places (i.e. NY Aquarium) for longer -- does that count as volunteer experience?

Yes.

d) Is research required?

No, but it is highly desirable if you intend to apply to one of the top research medical schools.

How would I go about conducting research, with whom?

Find a faculty member at your school who is doing research and ask to be involved. You'll need some lab skills. There are also summer positions at research institutes and medical schools. Your pre-med advisor may have more leads for you.

I am entering my sophomore year of college as an English major -- are there any other English majors out there who have been accepted into med school? Is it uncommon?

Yes. No.

Thanks to all, and bare with me -- I'm pretty new to this yet all your threads are very helpful.

Umm... I'll keep my clothes on; are you sure you are an English major?

 

[narc]

I don't agree with that "research isnt required" comment.
It make not be a requirement that must be filled before entering medical school, but I would say it is about as close to being a requirment without having that official title.

 

[LizzyM]

I don't agree with that "research isnt required" comment.
It make not be a requirement that must be filled before entering medical school, but I would say it is about as close to being a requirment without having that official title.

I agree completely. It is not on the list of "required" elements and you'll find people who get in without having research experience but it is very, very highly desirable.

 

[geno2568]

i would say the frat helps, as it is one more commitmant that you were able to juggle with everything else

 

[Nerdoscience]

As a medical school applicant interviewer, I pretty much ignored whether someone was in a frat or sorority. However, the activities they did in the organization were important to me. If the only thing you ever did was help throw a frat party and do a one hour shift cleaning up a park, that does not compare to organizing multiple events, and regularly doing community service.

 

[Nerdoscience]

Oh, other answers. Um, I think clinical experience helps, but being int he hospital and seeing some of the working is good even if you are not doing anything clinical per se. Also, doing anything that makes you seem like a good person is a good sign.

As for non-science majors, yes there are a lot of them. There just happen to be way more science majors. Many of them assume you are science-stupid. This is dumb, because you had to take so many bio classes, organic chem, and physics to apply to med school in the first place. You may find yourself explaining this to people, even people on admissions committees. In that case, they are really just making sure you want to go into medicine, so any good answer that proves you want to go into medicine works.