Had to stop volunteering for a while because of heavy work demands, but am now getting back into it. How do I phrase this in an update letter?

[Superobvious]

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I put in my AMCAS that I would be continuously volunteering at the hospital I previously volunteered at throughout my gap year (4 hours per week). However, the training at my job was really rigorous the first few months, requiring time on weekends and overtime we don't get paid for. Following training, the demands remained for experiments and I was unable to volunteering. I had communicated this all to my volunteer coordinator and she said she was happy to have me back whenever I felt that I had time again to come in on weekends. As things have now calmed down at work, I've communicated to my coordinator that I will be starting again, but will be starting at 2 hours per week and then building up from there if time permits.

1. How should I phrase this hiatus in my volunteering in an update letter to medical schools?

I have also started tutoring again (but didn't put this on my AMCAS) and have also rejoined the competitive dance team I was on during all 4 years of my undergrad (have this as an MME on my AMCAS).

2. I was wondering how to phrase something like tutoring that I have only 20 or so hours from before and did not put on my AMCAS.

3. Should I combine updates like tutoring and dancing into a short paragraph as to retain focus on the other updates, like volunteering, gap-year research, and publication progress? Or do these things (tutoring/dancing) merit a few more sentences on their own?

I also have other updates regarding the projects that I'm working on at my job and also an update about my publication that is slowly making its way through the pipeline, but these updates I feel I have written competently and sufficiently.

 

[Moko]

I put in my AMCAS that I would be continuously volunteering at the hospital I previously volunteered at throughout my gap year (4 hours per week). However, the training at my job was really rigorous the first few months, requiring time on weekends and overtime we don't get paid for. Following training, the demands remained for experiments and I was unable to volunteering. I had communicated this all to my volunteer coordinator and she said she was happy to have me back whenever I felt that I had time again to come in on weekends. As things have now calmed down at work, I've communicated to my coordinator that I will be starting again, but will be starting at 2 hours per week and then building up from there if time permits.

1. How should I phrase this hiatus in my volunteering in an update letter to medical schools?

I have also started tutoring again (but didn't put this on my AMCAS) and have also rejoined the competitive dance team I was on during all 4 years of my undergrad (have this as an MME on my AMCAS).

2. I was wondering how to phrase something like tutoring that I have only 20 or so hours from before and did not put on my AMCAS.

3. Should I combine updates like tutoring and dancing into a short paragraph as to retain focus on the other updates, like volunteering, gap-year research, and publication progress? Or do these things (tutoring/dancing) merit a few more sentences on their own?

I also have other updates regarding the projects that I'm working on at my job and also an update about my publication that is slowly making its way through the pipeline, but these updates I feel I have written competently and sufficiently.

1. Not worth updating. This is a discrepancy of at most ~50 hours.
2. Not worth updating. Too few hours to be of any consequence.
3. Not worth updating. Your rejoining the dance team will not affect any decisions. Your dedication to this activity should already be clear from your primary application.
Your current projects and publication pipeline is also not worth updating, unless the latter has already been accepted into a journal. Just my thoughts.

 

[Superobvious]

1. Not worth updating. This is a discrepancy of at most ~50 hours.
2. Not worth updating. Too few hours to be of any consequence.
3. Not worth updating. Your rejoining the dance team will not affect any decisions. Your dedication to this activity should already be clear from your primary application.
Your current projects and publication pipeline is also not worth updating, unless the latter has already been accepted into a journal. Just my thoughts.

For my projects, I expressed strong interests in surgery throughout my app and through my research position I’ve been doing neurosurg and jug cath surgeries on mice and rats from pre-op to post-op. My health profession advisor thought this would be important to update on, but do you think it’s worth it as well? If not then I may reconsider sending an update letter altogether.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I agree with Moko, not worth updating.

 

[getdown]

For my projects, I expressed strong interests in surgery throughout my app and through my research position I’ve been doing neurosurg and jug cath surgeries on mice and rats from pre-op to post-op. My health profession advisor thought this would be important to update on, but do you think it’s worth it as well? If not then I may reconsider sending an update letter altogether.

Your health advisor is wrong. You've obviously already mentioned these activities in your primary application. Unless your results and paper have been accepted into a journal it literally has not changed anything at all. Updates should have substantial meat to it like having a publication, major academic awards in the realm of Fulbright etc, or grades. A few changes in volunteering and new unpublished results will have almost no consequence or impact in moving the needle of interview invite/acceptance.