How are my extracurricular activities and clinical experiences???

[PreMedHopeful]

Please give me feedback on my EC's so far....and what you suggest-more, less, medical related, non-medical related???????

How does this sound for College EC's: volunteering past 5 years at local hospital every summer-hundreds of hours done in multiple places: ER, nursing floor, ICU....and then volunteer clubs at my school like going to a day care and senior center, and then I'm on E-board for pre-SOMA (premed society for DO), im a member of Premed society and then some cultural club for fun and I'm on E-board for Civic engagement board and I'm in this leadership program along with all my classes....its called Engaging Leaders program where we learn how to become leaders by meeting once a week and playing simulations and learning from leadership professionals-I went to a leadership summit conference at my school as well as did research freshman year involving tear proteins and contact lenses and went on to present at Undergradute student symposium at my college and also FASEB Biology conference in New Orleans....next year my research plans include interning at Goodwin Cancer Institute and performing cancer research to either get published, present a poster, or go to a bigger conference


should I also start my own club as president/founder because it seems like it would be a lot of fun and I would put all my passion into it...it would be about teaching patients proper health techniques and that sorta thing like good hygiene to school kids or playing BINGO with seniors in local community in order to keep them mentally alert...I wanted to make it community involvement mixed with preventative medicine...should I do it because some of the earlier clubs I mentioned I won't be doing and I know its bad but I like doing new things and with my club I will continue for 2 years at least and someone else can take over...like I tried to do EC's for a long period of time e.g.: volunteering at a hospital, same volunteering club, premedical society/presoma for 2 years and then create my club for 2 years not to mention yearly research

REMEMBER I am a 3 year college undergrad student so everything seems like 2 years but its really 3 years if I count my junior-senior/final year...but do you count that in applications????

Thanks for the input

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[ksmi117]

Moving to the What Are My Chances? forum.

 

[Stratego]

Your clinical experience sounds nicely varied. Though regular weekly volunteering is preferred, I think that having multiple summers of involvement will probably get you by. You have some research with more planned, so you're fine there. The e-board is possibly leadership, depending on what you do. Attending leadership workshops is not. but if you start your own organization, attract lots of members, do community service, and have the club persist after you're gone, that would be a good leadership experience. You have other community service which is nice to see. You haven't mentioned any physician shadowing, which is another activity to get in before you apply. Otherwise, if you carry through on all the above plans, you'll be good to go.

Schools have no way of knowing what your activities are after you submit your application, unless you let them know through update letters.

 

[camaras2480]

Though regular weekly volunteering is preferred, I think that having multiple summers of involvement will probably get you by.

You haven't mentioned any physician shadowing, which is another activity to get in before you apply.

Schools have no way of knowing what your activities are after you submit your application, unless you let them know through update letters.

OP, note the above. The most important part is the shadowing. The rest of your clinical experience is fine. In fact, IMO, at this moment, if necessary, stop everything and get some shadowing. It is like a de facto requirement for applying to med, relative to research, leadership, etc.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

I forgot to mention the shadowing which I'm doing this summer: so far it was weekly shadowing in June with a pediatrician (MD) about 20 hours....then July/August shadowing a family practice doctor (DO) for about 50 hours....

*What other specialties should I shadow?
*Should I ask for a letter of rec and when...after how many times shadowing?
*How many hours is a good amount of shadowing because although I know people lie about their hours...I still want to do a decent amount so I can get enough "clinical experience" smell patients...you know the drill...


Thanks.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

Should I start the club or are 2 E-board positions fine: Pre-Soma National Liasion Officer AND Civic Engagement Board- Chair of committee...thats it

 

[Stratego]

I think that 8-40 hours for each of two to three doctors is enough. Some have so much fun they do it for hundreds of hours. For your third physician it doesn't matter what specialty since you already have some primary care, so see who you can connect with.

I was never asked to provide a letter of recommendation from a physician, so I didn't ask for any. If your pre-med committee recommends you get one, then ask the person you shadow the most near the end of the experience. If you plan to apply to DO schools, they do require such a letter.

 

[Stratego]

Should I start the club or are 2 E-board positions fine: Pre-Soma National Liasion Officer AND Civic Engagement Board- Chair of committee...thats it

These sound impressive. If you describe the experiences so that adcomms be convinced you are in a leadership position, then what you have is fine.

 

[camaras2480]

These sound impressive. If you describe the experiences so that adcomms be convinced you are in a leadership position, then what you have is fine.

Yeah. Try to do at least one of them, without taking away time for your other priorities.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

I'm confused, do you think I should do all 3 major activities OR pick 2:

For example, should I do Civic Engagement Board-Chair of a committee OR
be a president/founder of a club---I think I'm more passionate about the club, but I need to charter it and that's horribly time-consuming and I have a tough schedule next year with organic, physics, and MCAT next spring/summer....

I'm definitely doing the Pre-SOMA N.L.O. thing because it sounds fascinating...being a national representative for my undergrad institution and possibly going to SOMA conferences and meeting other Pre-SOMA orgranizations all across America

I originally tried for Pre-Medical Society (MD), but I lost their E-board election...but I kinda like the DO philosophy better anyway, just no OMM for me, thats all

 

[Stratego]

I'm confused, do you think I should do all 3 major activities OR pick 2:

For example, should I do Civic Engagement Board-Chair of a committee OR
be a president/founder of a club---I think I'm more passionate about the club, but I need to charter it and that's horribly time-consuming and I have a tough schedule next year with organic, physics, and MCAT next spring/summer....

I'm definitely doing the Pre-SOMA N.L.O. thing because it sounds fascinating...being a national representative for my undergrad institution and possibly going to SOMA conferences and meeting other Pre-SOMA orgranizations all across America

I originally tried for Pre-Medical Society (MD), but I lost their E-board election...but I kinda like the DO philosophy better anyway, just no OMM for me, thats all

The Pre-SOMA position alone sounds like what you need. Chairing a committee is also leadership; if you have the time for both, then do it. Starting your own club, especially a community service-oriented one, is probably the best leadership position considering what you described you'd be doing, but honestly you don't need to do all that to get into med school. If you primarily plan to apply DO, then for sure get involved in pre-SOMA. As for the others, it might be best to concentrate on getting great grades. If you have left-over energy and a drive to do more, then follow your gut.

 

[camaras2480]

The Pre-SOMA position alone sounds like what you need. Chairing a committee is also leadership; if you have the time for both, then do it. Starting your own club, especially a community service-oriented one, is probably the best leadership position considering what you described you'd be doing, but honestly you don't need to do all that to get into med school. If you primarily plan to apply DO, then for sure get involved in pre-SOMA. As for the others, it might be best to concentrate on getting great grades.

Yes. +4.

If you have left-over energy and a drive to do more......

...then shoot for the 45T!

 

[PreMedHopeful]

lol thanks Camaras but I am already getting lazy, losing my passion to study, and getting to focused on activities when they aren't as important as damn MCAT/GPA:/

I would never be able to get a 45T....more like 26-29????? That's my guess based on an ACT score of 28...but you can't compare the two...

I have no energy except in the summer, I love SUMMERS!!! lol

 

[camaras2480]

lol thanks Camaras but I am already getting lazy, losing my passion to study, and getting to focused on activities when they aren't as important as damn MCAT/GPA:/

I would never be able to get a 45T....more like 26-29????? That's my guess based on an ACT score of 28...but you can't compare the two...

I have no energy except in the summer, I love SUMMERS!!! lol

Just remember, the average matriculant to DO school last year had a 3.5/27. Plan accordingly. If you are targeting 26-29, you will need that 3.5. On the other hand, with a 30, you have a good shot with 3.3-3.4.

And yes, ACT isn't really comparable

 

[PreMedHopeful]

but that's just for DO....I might wanna do MD as well which requires a 30-32 MCAT and 3.8 gpa....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[camaras2480]

but that's just for DO....I might wanna do MD as well which requires a 30-32 MCAT and 3.8 gpa....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Forget the 3.8 GPA. You won't have that, so don't sweat it. As you already know, the MCAT is what will determine how things play out for you at this point. If you have your heart set on MD, you may need an additional year or two (SMP) to establish yourself as a strong candidate.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

my current gpa is 3.6/3.65...I can't raise it to 3.8??????

 

[Stratego]

From your first post it isn't clear to me where you are in college or how long you plan to stay, but if you have finished two years of college and have about 60 credit hours with a cGPA of 3.6, than another year of 4.0 would get you up to a 3.73, if the assumptions I'm making are correct. If you spent an additional year getting another 4.0 before applying, your cGPA could be at 3.8.

 

[camaras2480]

From your first post it isn't clear to me where you are in college or how long you plan to stay, but if you have finished two years of college and have about 60 credit hours with a cGPA of 3.6, than another year of 4.0 would get you up to a 3.73, if the assumptions I'm making are correct. If you spent an additional year getting another 4.0 before applying, your cGPA could be at 3.8.

And I actually got the idea you have already graduated from college, in which case raising to a 3.8 would be very difficult, simply due to time.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

no I just finished freshman year, I have 1 more year to raise my gpa-2 semesters to break it or make it and then applying to med school then my final year of college...yup

 

[camaras2480]

no I just finished freshman year, I have 1 more year to raise my gpa-2 semesters to break it or make it and then applying to med school then my final year of college...yup

Good luck!

 

[PreMedHopeful]

Thanks! same to you kiddo!

 

[PreMedHopeful]

Thanks! same to you kiddo!