Help narrowing down the optimal club/EC setup!

[yjkimnada]

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So I'm currently a freshman and I'm signed up for a bunch of clubs and extracurricular activities that I know I will not be sustain. I am not sure what the optimal number or setup is when it comes to med school but here is my current list:

Research (during the school year and summer; one of my biggest strong suits since I've been with this lab for almost four years now from high school) (7-10 hours per week)

Habitat for Humanity (5 hours per week)

4 Science publications (Journal of Young Investigators, our school's general audience science journal, our school's Undergraduate science research journal , and an international global health research journal ) (hours may very nut each will probs be around like 3-5 hours per week)

Tutoring on weekends (1.5 hour per week)

Helping out at hospital on weekends (3 hour per week)

Helping out at local food kitchen (2 hours per week)

So I know that we have to consider a few things like whether the club is clinical or not or whether i can reach a leadership position. After all it is better to have a leading role in a few clubs than a general body role in many. Where would you guys shave things off?

Thanks!

Oh and does the prestige of a club actually matted? Like if the four journals , some are more well known than others. Does it matter which one I am involved in? I feel like it shouldn't or else that would just be so much more toxic 🙁


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[efle]

The big ones here are research and the volunteerism like Habitat, food kitchen, and hospital shift.

Involvement in clubs is something you should just do if you enjoy it and have the extra time, not to try and wow med schools

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

So I'm currently a freshman and I'm signed up for a bunch of clubs and extracurricular activities that I know I will not be sustain. I am not sure what the optimal number or setup is when it comes to med school but here is my current list:

Research (during the school year and summer; one of my biggest strong suits since I've been with this lab for almost four years now from high school) (7-10 hours per week)

Habitat for Humanity (5 hours per week)

4 Science publications (Journal of Young Investigators, our school's general audience science journal, our school's Undergraduate science research journal , and an international global health research journal ) (hours may very nut each will probs be around like 3-5 hours per week)

Tutoring on weekends (1.5 hour per week)

Helping out at hospital on weekends (3 hour per week)

Helping out at local food kitchen (2 hours per week)

So I know that we have to consider a few things like whether the club is clinical or not or whether i can reach a leadership position. After all it is better to have a leading role in a few clubs than a general body role in many. Where would you guys shave things off?

Thanks!

Oh and does the prestige of a club actually matted? Like if the four journals , some are more well known than others. Does it matter which one I am involved in? I feel like it shouldn't or else that would just be so much more toxic 🙁


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Do things you care about, not things you think are checking off boxes. This seems very box-checky to me...

 

[efle]

Do things you care about, not things you think are checking off boxes.

Haha good one! 🤣

I truly believe premed is largely a box checking game, unfortunately. Few people truly enjoy their hospital volunteer shifts or hours as a lab grunt. Not saying you can't find something you truly enjoy - I was lucky enough to do so - but for most people doing only what they wanted would not go well.

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

Haha good one! 🤣

I truly believe premed is largely a box checking game, unfortunately. Few people truly enjoy their hospital volunteer shifts or hours as a lab grunt. Not saying you can't find something you truly enjoy - I was lucky enough to do so - but for most people doing only what they wanted would not go well.

So that was sarcasm? I couldn't tell.

I've seen a ton of students come through my door that had the mentality of OP, and when they got to the personal statement or interview, it was clear that they aren't in it for the right reasons. When the responses are more about "you" than the patient and the experience, it says something. Which is a common theme here, but that's a topic for another time.

You can have large umbrella boxes (i.e. volunteering, leadership) to check off. But what you put in those boxes better mean something. Even if it's learning what you don't like.

 

[efle]

So that was sarcasm? I couldn't tell.

I've seen a ton of students come through my door that had the mentality of OP, and when they got to the personal statement or interview, it was clear that they aren't in it for the right reasons. When the responses are more about "you" than the patient and the experience, it says something. Which is a common theme here, but that's a topic for another time.

You can have large umbrella boxes (i.e. volunteering, leadership) to check off. But what you put in those boxes better mean something. Even if it's learning what you don't like.

Not sarcastic at all. It's stupid and I hate it, but the current system heavily rewards people for doing some lame things (lab scut work, shifts where you do pretty much nothing in a clinic) and actually punishes other things I consider great (exploring difficult new topics outside your comfort zone in college).

Obviously you can't telegraph "I was box checking" in your essays and interviews. I think I'm also pretty cynical. But I'd bet the farm that most people in med school would have spent a lot of their time differently if our system really let people do only what they were passionate about!

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

But I'd bet the farm that most people in med school would have spent a lot of their time differently if our system really let people do only what they were passionate about!

Again, not saying spending your free time on Netflix is going to get you into med school. But, for instance, for volunteering, I've had plenty of pre-med students volunteer at an animal shelter. They don't want to go to vet school, but they have a passion for animal welfare. I encourage them to go do that rather than some quasi-medical volunteering that they don't care about and would get nothing from. It's all about balance. Maybe it wasn't the most important piece of their extracurrics, but when they could explain a transferable skill they learned doing something they loved, and how they could apply it in other ways, it was impressive. And more meaningful than if they had been involved in an organization purely because they felt that's what an adcom wanted to see.

 

[efle]

Schools need more advisers like yourself.

What do you tell people about research? I had an adviser tell me not to do it unless I thought I would really enjoy it, but based on how ubiquitous the MSAR shows it to be, maybe the better advice is yes you absolutely should go do at least a couple semesters of research-for-credit.

 

[Gilakend]

Schools need more advisers like yourself.

What do you tell people about research? I had an adviser tell me not to do it unless I thought I would really enjoy it, but based on how ubiquitous the MSAR shows it to be, maybe the better advice is yes you absolutely should go do at least a couple semesters of research-for-credit.

Note: This is just my personal experience
I do research for credit right now and it's honestly a really good deal in my opinion. You aren't stuck doing scut work because its an actual "class" and they grad students seem to be more invested in it. Just jump right into the fun stuff. I'm not sure how it's done everywhere but the PI just assigned me to a grad student and we coordinate days and times for me to come in. Also its 3 credit hours of an easy A at a 4000 level class. I'm a sophomore and plan on doing it at least 2 more semesters (when I apply) probably more. Obviously you aren't in need of research experience as you're accepted, but for anyone else who might stumble upon this.

 

[efle]

Note: This is just my personal experience
I do research for credit right now and it's honestly a really good deal in my opinion. You aren't stuck doing scut work because its an actual "class" and they grad students seem to be more invested in it. Just jump right into the fun stuff. I'm not sure how it's done everywhere but the PI just assigned me to a grad student and we coordinate days and times for me to come in. Also its 3 credit hours of an easy A at a 4000 level class. I'm a sophomore and plan on doing it at least 2 more semesters (when I apply) probably more.

There's a huge range for research experiences. I got lucky with mine and had a ton of autonomy and got to do some cool stuff, a room mate and sibling and some friends however had very low level stuff (here, maintain my cell lines, score these flies) that I cannot imagine anyone falling in love with research from.

If you've got a good thing going def keep at it for a couple years!

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

Schools need more advisers like yourself.

What do you tell people about research? I had an adviser tell me not to do it unless I thought I would really enjoy it, but based on how ubiquitous the MSAR shows it to be, maybe the better advice is yes you absolutely should go do at least a couple semesters of research-for-credit.

Thanks! I really do appreciate that. I really just want to give my students the best possible advice I can. I don't take the approach of telling a student if they'll get in or not....I don't know that....but a lot of advisors do. I just want to be as informed as I can.

For research, I really encourage them to think about what they want out of their medical education. I used to be at a school in Florida, so I would tell them if they planned to apply to all the Florida schools, they would need some research if they wanted even a glance at some from someplace like UF or Miami, or even USF. But for someplace like Florida State, there are plenty of students who get in successfully without it. It really comes down to how broadly they want to be able to apply, and realistically have a shot. I would err on the side of having even a little experience over none though.

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

Note: This is just my personal experience
I do research for credit right now and it's honestly a really good deal in my opinion. You aren't stuck doing scut work because its an actual "class" and they grad students seem to be more invested in it. Just jump right into the fun stuff. I'm not sure how it's done everywhere but the PI just assigned me to a grad student and we coordinate days and times for me to come in. Also its 3 credit hours of an easy A at a 4000 level class. I'm a sophomore and plan on doing it at least 2 more semesters (when I apply) probably more. Obviously you aren't in need of research experience as you're accepted, but for anyone else who might stumble upon this.

I think if you can get a class out of it, that's an even bigger appeal. My previous school honestly didn't have a lot of opportunities for research as class credit. They made it unnecessarily difficult to set it up, especially if it was outside of your home department. Which was crazy to me. That's great that you've found such a good fit!

 

[ScottTenorman54]

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[yjkimnada]

Thanks for the responses guys. I actually do enjoy volunteering and just conversing with patients. Am I being strategic about my time and what I get involved in? Yes. But that doesn't mean I'm doing it against my desire and will.

Regardless, it seems that clubs are just of meh importance compared to research volunteering am I correct? Med schools would prefer to see volunteering and research over a potential leadership in a school club?


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[prehealthadvisor55]

Could you please go back in time to August 20th, 2012 and tell me this? I was a first-semester freshman stressing about not getting a volunteer spot stocking shelves or whatever at the hospital. Thanks in advance.

Gladly. I'd hope to use my powers for good rather than evil.