High School Activities

[Rotaro]

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Hi! I am applying in the 2012 cycle starting this June. Well, looking at applications on MDapps and the 'What are my Chances' section.

Some people still in college say 6yrs of said volunteering activity because they stated in high school.

Taken from Bannie22's MDapp

"12) High School Student Administrative Council President (Valedictorian, Top Student in a few classes)
13) 4 Years St John Ambulance Brigade (Secondary School)
14) Soccer since '96 (Intramural Finalists Vice-Capt, Recreational League, High School Capt)
15) Piano Grade 7, High School Choir Pianist"

I used the search function and the rule seems to be 'if you continued it in college, include it', but can anyone be a little more specific.

If I got my EMT license in high school (when I was 16) and now volunteer at a different Emergency Response Team would I include the 3 years in high school? Would the fact it was at a different organization make it not worth mentioning?

I conducted research in high school (and was published at the end of senior year). I currently work in a lab at my college and have been since published again. Would I include the time I spent at both different labs (even though the first lab was exclusively in high school) or should I just list the publication.

I volunteered at hospitals, shadowed, had some job experience at a software company, etc. but though I volunteer/have a job/shadowed now, they are with different organizations/people? I'm assuming those aren't worth mentioning.

 

[tiedyeddog]

1. If I got my EMT license in high school (when I was 16) and now volunteer at a different Emergency Response Team would I include the 3 years in high school? Would the fact it was at a different organization make it not worth mentioning?

2. I conducted research in high school (and was published at the end of senior year). I currently work in a lab at my college and have been since published again. Would I include the time I spent at both different labs (even though the first lab was exclusively in high school) or should I just list the publication.

3. I volunteered at hospitals, shadowed, had some job experience at a software company, etc. but though I volunteer/have a job/shadowed now, they are with different organizations/people? I'm assuming those aren't worth mentioning.

1. I would list this together. It is clear you continued the same activity.
2. I would include both, personally. Most applicants don't have publications especially from high school.
3. Don't mention those. If they are not continued from the same exact place from HS to college then leave them out.

 

[Catalystik]

For an alternate opinion:

1) I agree, this is clearly a single activity, even if the locations varied.

2) I would list the publication, but not list the HS research activity in the Experiences section, though you could mention it in the Personal Statement if you like.

3) I would include all the shadowing HS or college in a single space, if you have college shadowing too. If you volunteered at two similar locations, like two hospitals, or social service agencies then you could mention the HS hours at the end of the narrative about a similar college experience. Don't mention the HS job unless it continued after you graduated from HS into the summer before college.

 

[Rotaro]

Thanks guys!

 

[Rotaro]

Though it might be an obvious no, are awards from highschool inappropriate? Even Intel/Siemens semi-finalist, RSI summer program, or other highly selective national awards/recognitions? Don't want to give the impression I've done nothing in college by including high school stuff, though.

 

[Catalystik]

I'm not sure what these abbreviations mean (something computerish?). Maybe more explanation about the 'highly selective national awards/recognitions' would help us give you the best answer. Also, are you currently involved in the same field of endeavor that this award was for?

 

[LizzyM]

Currently, AMCAS does not limit "experiences" to post-secondary only (at one time I think that it did). List the 15 most important (to you) experiences.

 

[Rotaro]

I'm not sure what these abbreviations mean (something computerish?). Maybe more explanation about the 'highly selective national awards/recognitions' would help us give you the best answer. Also, are you currently involved in the same field of endeavor that this award was for?

They are research competitions. Intel STS and Siemens Westinghouse are competitions seniors in high school enter.

The grand prize winner in each competition gets $100,000 and smaller awards range down to 300 semi-finalists who get $1000 for them and $1000 for their school. Other prestigious competitions include YES (Young Epidemiology Scholars), Intel Science and Engineering Fair, and Davidson Scholars -- all top prizes being $50,000 and then getting smaller from their.

RSI (Research Science Institute), SSP (Science Summer Program), Clark, NIH (National Institute of Health) Grant etc. are selective summer programs about research. To put it into perspective, acceptance rates are around 1% but students who get in have about an 85% acceptance rate to Harvard.

--

I won semi-finalist in Siemens and YES ($1000 each) and attended SSP by the way. I guess it really help me get interested in research, but the research I am doing now isn't very pertinent to the research I did back then, though my research still does pertain to health/medicine.

Thanks 🙂

 

[Catalystik]

Have you gotten any research awards in college? Did the high-achieving momentum begun in HS carry through into more recent years? Is your research interest part of the story for "Why medicine?" that you plan to tell in your Personal Statement?

 

[Rotaro]

Have you gotten any research awards in college? Did the high-achieving momentum begun in HS carry through into more recent years? Is your research interest part of the story for "Why medicine?" that you plan to tell in your Personal Statement?

My story is academic medicine, so the theme carries throughout. I've gotten the $20,000 NIH scholarship and won some other awards, so overall, it's going even better than high school. I just wouldn't want to dilute any accomplishments in college by adding high school ones. If, on the other hand, it shows a long commitment to academic medicine, then I'll be accomplishing my goal.

 

[LizzyM]

I think that including the HS awards show a long history of scholarly activity which is remarkable for one so young. 👍

 

[Catalystik]

My story is academic medicine, so the theme carries throughout. I've gotten the $20,000 NIH scholarship and won some other awards, so overall, it's going even better than high school. I just wouldn't want to dilute any accomplishments in college by adding high school ones. If, on the other hand, it shows a long commitment to academic medicine, then I'll be accomplishing my goal.

I would list them all in the same space under Awards/Honors, by date, to demonstrate your momentum. Well done!

As another alternate to 2) in post #3 above, you might give a brief summary of your role in the research leading to/resulting from the HS research awards in the Award narrative space. The college research should go in its own Research space (and in the Awards space you can refer to this listing rather than explaining a 2nd time). Not to say that tiedyedog's response isn't a legitimate approach (there's no one right way) but this is how I'd do it.