Help, thoughts and advice needed.

[OtisO]

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Hi ladies and gents! [Sorry for the long post ahead of time]

I will be starting my sophomore semester soon. However, I am a little worried about my ECs and Research. This year, I finished with a 3.97 GPA (4.0 sGPA) and worked for financial aid, was a tutor, took notes for students utilizing the disability access services and was a photographer for the school newspaper. I loved my jobs. However, I am upset because I did not do research or shadow a physician. I applied for a residential peer mentor job and got it! The job will start this year and pays for my room and board + meal plans. I will essentially be a mentor for the dorm students, will host office hours for academic help (tutoring), will host events in dorm and will mentor a first year class. I am excited for this but am worried about getting in research and clinical ECs (shadowing and scribing). I have been shadowing a plastic surgeon this summer. As far as clubs go, I was a general member of a few clubs and was part of the executive board for a cancer awareness group and hosted a relay for life. I would love some thoughts/feedback on my first year and some advice for fitting in some more medicine-related ECs. THANKS ALL!

 

[LizzyM]

You are doing great. It sounds like what you have going on in the coming year is like an RA and that is great because it gives you a chance to show your leadership and teamwork skills.

You are doing some shadowing which is good. See if the plastic surgeon can introduce you to a general internist, family medicine doc or general pediatrician (primary care providers) to do a little shadowing in that type of medical practice.

After you have 2 years of classes and labs, you should be ready for a research experience over the summer after sophmore year and/or during junior year. Ask some of your science professors and/or advisor if they know of summer research fellowships for undergrads either on your campus or elsewhere. That is soon enough for that.

If you can manage to fit in one more thing, try to get a couple hours per week helping people who are unable to help themselves. It could be with the homeless, with poor kids, with the homebound and/or very elderly. A few hours per week is all you need but it should be consistent.

 

[OtisO]

You are doing great. It sounds like what you have going on in the coming year is like an RA and that is great because it gives you a chance to show your leadership and teamwork skills.

You are doing some shadowing which is good. See if the plastic surgeon can introduce you to a general internist, family medicine doc or general pediatrician (primary care providers) to do a little shadowing in that type of medical practice.

After you have 2 years of classes and labs, you should be ready for a research experience over the summer after sophmore year and/or during junior year. Ask some of your science professors and/or advisor if they know of summer research fellowships for undergrads either on your campus or elsewhere. That is soon enough for that.

If you can manage to fit in one more thing, try to get a couple hours per week helping people who are unable to help themselves. It could be with the homeless, with poor kids, with the homebound and/or very elderly. A few hours per week is all you need but it should be consistent.

Thanks so much for the advice Lizzy! I definitely am looking into some summer research internships. I was too late to apply last year but will definitely be on it this year. And for sure, I love to help others out, will definitely love to do more. Thanks again for your advice! 🙂

 

[Dwight Snoot]

You are doing great and have nothing to worry about! My advice would be to try to get into something clinical that you could continue doing for a few years. Not only is this good for your app, but it will hopefully affirm your goal of becoming a doc. Good luck!