Hi, I am currently a senior working on my application and wanted to ask about the holistic side of things. Firstly, I am from Alaska and plan to return home after graduation this spring to continue my clinical work. Second, I have a strong interest/want to attend UW through the WWAMI program. But I have heard and listened that they really care about who you are and your why, so I just want to ask about my extracurriculars!
Right now I have:
~ 1150 hr as a CMA through the IHS (Indian Health Services) of Alaska in my hometown (This has been one of the best experiences of my life and the knowledge and experiences I have learned from this are amazing, and I am so happy to be signed up to return after graduation. Also, being able to see the rural villages of Alaska and meet with elders and residents has been an unreal and really grounding experience!)
- 250 hr as an assistant at the local oncology clinic (Also great experiences, and being able to build relationships with patients and really understand the hardships that the rural Alaskan geography creates and how we treat that. Being able to sit in tumor board weekly too is so cool, seeing the team work with UW and rad onc!!)
- 450 hr on campus volunteering tutoring/ mentoring underserved children, mostly from underrepresented communities (Another amazing experience, and I was able to serve as VP this year and help create a fundraiser that raised over 4k in our first year!!)
- 400 hr of research; I have my own project I am currently leading and have a couple of poster presentations and might have a publication this spring! (Cool lab that I enjoy, as it works with atypical populations and I have related my project to light vs dark, similar to Alaska summers/winters)
- 1000 Club sport over the four 4 of campus (Served as VP my jr year and helped with fundraising, scheduling, and other financial duties)
Overall, I am really proud and grateful for my experiences, especially the clinical ones, as I actually had zero clue what being a doctor in Alaska truly meant, and working with and hearing patients' stories about flying in and their traditions has made me appreciate medicine even more. Next year I plan on returning to work as a CMA, while also volunteer coaching hockey in the community; I have also loosely set up a continuation of tutoring back home in my community tied with sub teaching. I know WWAMI is my best shot, but I don't want to count on that, and I am wondering if I am competitive at other service-based schools!?
Right now I have:
~ 1150 hr as a CMA through the IHS (Indian Health Services) of Alaska in my hometown (This has been one of the best experiences of my life and the knowledge and experiences I have learned from this are amazing, and I am so happy to be signed up to return after graduation. Also, being able to see the rural villages of Alaska and meet with elders and residents has been an unreal and really grounding experience!)
- 250 hr as an assistant at the local oncology clinic (Also great experiences, and being able to build relationships with patients and really understand the hardships that the rural Alaskan geography creates and how we treat that. Being able to sit in tumor board weekly too is so cool, seeing the team work with UW and rad onc!!)
- 450 hr on campus volunteering tutoring/ mentoring underserved children, mostly from underrepresented communities (Another amazing experience, and I was able to serve as VP this year and help create a fundraiser that raised over 4k in our first year!!)
- 400 hr of research; I have my own project I am currently leading and have a couple of poster presentations and might have a publication this spring! (Cool lab that I enjoy, as it works with atypical populations and I have related my project to light vs dark, similar to Alaska summers/winters)
- 1000 Club sport over the four 4 of campus (Served as VP my jr year and helped with fundraising, scheduling, and other financial duties)
Overall, I am really proud and grateful for my experiences, especially the clinical ones, as I actually had zero clue what being a doctor in Alaska truly meant, and working with and hearing patients' stories about flying in and their traditions has made me appreciate medicine even more. Next year I plan on returning to work as a CMA, while also volunteer coaching hockey in the community; I have also loosely set up a continuation of tutoring back home in my community tied with sub teaching. I know WWAMI is my best shot, but I don't want to count on that, and I am wondering if I am competitive at other service-based schools!?
