Great EC's/Volunteer experiences vs mediocre, examples?

[EMDream]

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What EC's, volunteer experiences make you stand out from the crowd?
I assume international volunteer experience is at the top of this list, but this can run pretty expensive. Any great examples or ideas that will make ADCOMS take notice and also make my PS down the road much more interesting?

Brag if you like! I'd love to hear!

 

[Pinkertinkle]

The one's that make you stand out are the ones that you didn't do just to stand out.

 

[principessa]

Agreed. I think it's the things that you just do because you want to and you don't really think about impressing people with them. They all like to see medical volunteer work and research, but aside from this, you never know what will capture their attention. For example, I spent a summer in Montana before I applied, and I picked up fly fishing. I mentioned this offhand in one of my interviews, and I think it impressed him more than anything else I said.

Oh, and as for EC's being great vs. mediocre, I think that having mediocre EC's means you don't commit yourself to anything and you just dabble in random things that don't really interest you. Great EC's are the ones to which you dedicate a lot of time and effort.

 

[EMDream]

The one's that make you stand out are the ones that you didn't do just to stand out.

Oh, I'm not doing them just to stand out, I figure the ones that WOULD make you stand out are the ones that would be amazing rewarding experiences.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

I co-founded a national student organization (the website is in my sig line) because there wasnt a similar organization, and I felt that there should be (my org promotes organ and tissue donation to college students, something that I feel very strongly about). I have not spent hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours working to build the organization for it to look good on my application, but because I believe it is an important cause. However, I don't mind that some ADCOM members have told that it will look impressive on my application. Like others have said, doing something that you are passionate about for the sake of the cause is probably what will make you stand out from the rest of the field. Doing something for the sake of your application is a waste of everyone's time.

 

[(Dirty Version)]

I co-founded a national student organization (the website is in my sig line) because there wasnt a similar organization, and I felt that there should be (my org promotes organ and tissue donation to college students, something that I feel very strongly about). I havnt spent hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours working to build the organization for it to look good on my application, but as a byproduct, I've been told that it will. Like others have said, doing something that you are passionate about for the sake of the cause is probably what will make you stand out from the rest of the field. Doing something for the sake of your application is a waste of everyone's time.

your cookie is in the mail. 👍

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

your cookie is in the mail. 👍

Thanks. I prefer chocolate chip.

But I didn't make that post for a pat on the back. What would be the point? None of you know who I am anyways. I thought giving an example of using one's passion to direct their choice of activities as a pre-med would be useful to those who don't have a good idea of what they want to do. Many people think that they have to join the Peace Corps to get "good" ECs (one guy actually told me, and believed, that over 50% of UCSF med students went to Peace Corps, so thats why he was joining). That is simply not the case. As long as one puts his or her efforts into a worthwhile cause/activity that they care about, it will generally be time well spent. 👍

 

[(Dirty Version)]

you didn't open studentdonor.org for the purpose of making your application better? what exactly did you put in hundreds of hours for? If it was for the success of the site, then why don't you drop applying to medical school and dedicate your life to the success of your website...

please, i think you and i both know that once you begin medical school, you will be very loosely, if not at all, affiliated with this site. i am not chopping on what you did - its very commendable - but to say your doing it had NOTHING to do with making your app look better is somewhat of an insult to the intelligence of people on this forum...

-Dirty

 

[EMDream]

Thanks. I prefer chocolate chip.

But I didn't make that post for a pat on the back. What would be the point? None of you know who I am anyways. I thought giving an example of using one's passion to direct their choice of activities as a pre-med would be useful to those who don't have a good idea of what they want to do. Many people think that they have to join the Peace Corps to get "good" ECs (one guy actually told me, and believed, that over 50% of UCSF med students went to Peace Corps, so thats why he was joining). That is simply not the case. As long as one puts his or her efforts into a worthwhile cause/activity that they care about, it will generally be time well spent. 👍

You have every right to brag and feel proud. That is a phenominal idea and I think it's perfectly viable that people can work on their passions and what they feel strongly about with their app being in the back of their mind.

Thanks for your post 🙂

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

you didn't open studentdonor.org for the purpose of making your application better? what exactly did you put in hundreds of hours for? If it was for the success of the site, then why don't you drop applying to medical school and dedicate your life to the success of your website...

please, i think you and i both know that once you begin medical school, you will be very loosely, if not at all, affiliated with this site. i am not chopping on what you did - its very commendable - but to say your doing it had NOTHING to do with making your app look better is somewhat of an insult to the intelligence of people on this forum...

-Dirty

If you looked at the site, you'll see that the organization doesnt simply host a website about organ donation - it works on local campuses to promote organ and tissue donation through awareness campaigns. My time with Students for Organ Donation is spent doing a number of things- recruiting more universities to participate, improving and expanding awareness campaigns, making national connections, etc.
A close relative of mine is dying because she cannot get a kidney transplant. So are 86,000 other Americans. It is an insult to me to suggest that once I get into medical school I will drop this cause because I've moved on to other things. You dont know a damn thing about me or my organization, so you should quit making assumptions about my motivations behind this organization.
It is people like you who make SDN a less than great place to learn about pre-medicine. You cant share anything that you've done successfully without having someone attempt to belittle your achievements or second-guess your motivations. I know that what I am doing will help me get into medical school, but thats not why I am doing it. If sharing my experiences with others and trying to help them accomplish goals of their own earns me nothing but bull**** and further explanations, then it is simply not worth doing.

 

[(Dirty Version)]

If you looked at the site, you'll see that the organization doesnt simply host a website about organ donation - it works on local campuses to promote organ and tissue donation through awareness campaigns. My time with Students for Organ Donation is spent doing a number of things- recruiting more universities to participate, improving and expanding awareness campaigns, making national connections, etc.
A close relative of mine is dying because she cannot get a kidney transplant. So are 86,000 other Americans. It is an insult to me to suggest that once I get into medical school I will drop this cause because I've moved on to other things. You dont know a damn thing about me or my organization, so you should quit making assumptions about my motivations behind this organization.
It is people like you who make SDN a less than great place to learn about pre-medicine. You cant share anything that you've done successfully without having someone attempt to belittle your achievements or second-guess your motivations. I know that what I am doing will help me get into medical school, but thats not why I am doing it. If sharing my experiences with others and trying to help them accomplish goals of their own earns me nothing but bull**** and further explanations, then it is simply not worth doing.

whoa, easy. i do withdraw my comments only because they pissed you off so much. however, please do understand that people in this world are entitled to their own opinions, and unfortunately, their own assumptions too.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

whoa, easy. i do withdraw my comments only because they pissed you off so much. however, please do understand that people in this world are entitled to their own opinions, and unfortunately, their own assumptions too.

Of course you are entitled to your opinions. And I'm sorry if I got angry quick. It's just that everytime I've brought up the organization in a pre-med setting, people have responded with negative comments that imply (or outright say) that I'm only doing XYZ to get into med school. When someone is labeled as a gunner, it makes their efforts seem trivial and the cause unimportant.

But we're moving on! Nothing to see here, folks! Back to the OPs original question! 👍