High School ECs

[LondonVibes]

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Should high school only activities be listed if they're significant? I know its generally ill advised unless significant. Should a 3 month research internship that was critical in my decision to go to medical school and done during high school be listed on my application?

 

[Banco]

You could list it, but usually only when they are continued into college.

In your case, you can do it sure, and refer to it in your essays/interviews. But don’t “bank” on it as your main clinical experience.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I probably wouldn't list it if you can fill the other 15 activities with anything else. If you want to mention something like that, your PS would be the place for it.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[KnightDoc]

You could list it, but usually only when they are continued into college.

In your case, you can do it sure, and refer to it in your essays/interviews. But don’t “bank” on it as your main clinical experience.

This^^^^^. If some of your most significant ECs occurred 3+ years ago and did not continue into UG (or, after if you are taking gap years), that's a pretty big weakness that you probably don't want to highlight. As was said above, something that was influential in making the decision to pursue this path is certainly worth mentioning in your PS or elsewhere, but, if you include it in your ECs, it will look like padding and they will be as interested as colleges were in ECs you participated in during grade school.

 

[deleted1041819]

Maybe mention it in your essays, but I personally wouldn't include anything from high school in my Work & Activities slots. Similar to you, I had a year-long internship that started in HS and ended the week before I started undergrad. This experience was important to me so I brought it up in my secondary essays.

 

[Catalystik]

Should high school only activities be listed if they're significant? I know its generally ill advised unless significant. Should a 3 month research internship that was critical in my decision to go to medical school and done during high school be listed on my application?

Did the internship occur late in HS? Was the research productive (poster, presentation, publication)? Was this the beginning of prolific research adventures in college that continue?

If this experience helps demonstrate momentum with increasing research responsibility and ongoing involvement, you can make a case for including it.