How bad does it look if there is one summer without EC activities?

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pancakesyrup

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Will it raise a serious red flag, or can activities from other summers or during the semesters compensate?

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Are considering a job (not medically related at all...a job at Wal-Mart) as an EC?

If not, I had a few summers with no EC's, and I have multiple acceptances.

I'm sure many others have summers where they don't volunteer or shadow or do research.

I think its fine.
 
Are considering a job (not medically related at all...a job at Wal-Mart) as an EC?

If not, I had a few summers with no EC's, and I have multiple acceptances.

I'm sure many others have summers where they don't volunteer or shadow or do research.

I think its fine.

Thanks. Do the interviewers ask about summers without any activities, or do they just ask about the ones that were actually done.
 
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you have to be prepared for anything. they're gonna ask whatever comes to mind after looking over your app. if they ask why you didnt do anything spectacular over summer X then just tell them what you did do. sports, reading, family, whatever it was, just be honest with them.
 
Will it raise a serious red flag, or can activities from other summers or during the semesters compensate?


If there is one summer that you SHOULD have an EC I would say it is the summer before/while you are applying. This is because during an interview you want to have something current to talk about instead of raising your hands with nothing to say.
 
I really don't think this is an area to be concrened...at all.
Relax!
 
I agree, take the summer to work and relax if you can. I am always an advocate of volunteering and giving back to the community if you have a neighborhood soup kitchen/church that does one or two events per week. If this is not the case for you or you simply just need to work, you will be able to explain that to the admissions committee if it comes up.
 
I figure the more people who agree, the more comfortable you'll feel taking time off so I'll throw in my two cents. I seriously doubt if it'll even be noticed. I took last summer completely off to study for the MCAT and travel and nobody ever said a word about it. As long as you have a few good ones from other parts of the year you're fine! :)
 
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