how important is joining/being a leader in a club?

[km19]

as the title says, I'm interested in knowing how much weight being involved in a club has on an application without considering other factors

EDIT: if I can't join any club and take a leadership position, will being an LA (learning assistant) help instead? LA's at my school help TA's to teach the class/lab in the science department

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[Kthanksbye]

NOT (hopefully). I've never been much of a joiner. Clubs always seem to want to have meetings...ewe.

 

[Dienekes]

as the title says, I'm interested in knowing how much weight being involved in a club has on an application without considering other factors

Practically none for most of the clubs you* are likely to achieve leadership roles in.


*- You, in the sense of "an average 18-24 y/o undergraduate student"

 

[jochi1543]

Being a member is pretty useless, but I think a meaningful leadership role would be important. For example, a friend of mine is chairman of some sort of cancer-related club on campus and he organizes fundraisers which collect a good chunk of change for cancer research orgs and the local med school. That's a good thing to have, since it shows leadership and initiative, as well as organizational talent.

 

[Revenant]

Are you saying President of the Useless Pre-Med ClubTM isn't worthwhile?

*cries in corner*


GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Its an automatic rejection if your not president of atleast two clubs.

 

[Revenant]

Its an automatic rejection if your not president of atleast two clubs.

 

[bellacnella]

Are you saying President of the Useless Pre-Med ClubTM isn't worthwhile?

*cries in corner*


GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!

😆😆

 

[paranoid_eyes]

pretty useless to just be a member of a club.

if you are a leader, it can be helpful if you do something useful (humanitarian, organize speakers series, etc.)
Being president of the DDR club or the the Asian Club is pretty much useless

anyways, whatever you do, DONT join the premed club (or anything related). it is a complete waste of time and will piss you off if you ever go to the meetings. (the false sincerity of the club leaders is just nauseating).

 

[Revenant]

pretty useless to just be a member of a club.

if you are a leader, it can be helpful if you do something useful (humanitarian, organize speakers series, etc.)
Being president of the DDR club or the the Asian Club is pretty much useless

anyways, whatever you do, DONT join the premed club (or anything related). it is a complete waste of time and will piss you off if you ever go to the meetings. (the false sincerity of the club leaders is just nauseating).

Truer words have never been spoken

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

it's an EC, not everyone can be a club officer. I think being active in something other than school work is very important.

 

[Lucio]

yes, being active in your community wins you points. the name of the game is passion. if you were involved in the paint ball club and attended a few times here and there, this doesn't look very special or carry much weight. If you were involved in a club that you truly regard as something special then you will demonstrate leadership in it, achieve goals, and ultimatley improve your chances. i dont think the adcoms will be too picky about what club/activity. if you created a paper clip counting club, and helped organize the regional paper clip count-off marathon, donated some profits to the local soup kitchen, thats perfect.

 

[km19]

I don't think I have the time/opportunity/skill to join a club and become an officer or even start a new club.

Will EC's like tutoring(another language) and volunteering (mountain rescue and working with mentally ill patients) substitute for my lack of leadership experience?

 

[TheRealMD]

pretty useless to just be a member of a club.

if you are a leader, it can be helpful if you do something useful (humanitarian, organize speakers series, etc.)
Being president of the DDR club or the the Asian Club is pretty much useless

anyways, whatever you do, DONT join the premed club (or anything related). it is a complete waste of time and will piss you off if you ever go to the meetings. (the false sincerity of the club leaders is just nauseating).

Correction: Don't join the pre-med club because it has "pre-med" on there. Join it because you get free contacts and might get out of your room every once in a while. Or to be an officer. Otherwise, THEN it's useless.

 

[154465]

I dunno, I thought being a member of certain clubs may help me. I am a member of a couple involved heavily in community volunteer work, and I do a lot of work through them. It really depends on the bull**** level, which ADCOMs are good at detecting.

And I will reaffirm the general sentiment of this thread...DON'T EVER JOIN PREMED CLUBS, THOSE CONDESCENDING BASTARDS (the board) PISS ME OFF.
I HATE IT when kids at my school look at me like I'm insane when I say "those clubs are a waste of your time."

 

[djones473]

pretty useless to just be a member of a club.

if you are a leader, it can be helpful if you do something useful (humanitarian, organize speakers series, etc.)
Being president of the DDR club or the the Asian Club is pretty much useless

anyways, whatever you do, DONT join the premed club (or anything related). it is a complete waste of time and will piss you off if you ever go to the meetings. (the false sincerity of the club leaders is just nauseating).

What is that supposed to mean? I'm on the exec board of the premed club at my college and I didn't do it just because I wanted to be able to say I was on the executive board. Throughout the year we do several fundraisers for non-profit organizations. I enjoy taking a leadership role and organizing these types of things. What's wrong with that?

A lot of what we do as a club is to inform and expose underclassmen to the field of medicine. But we do go beyond that with the fundraisers and trips to medically relevant conferences. Maybe your premed club leaders are lame, but I think you're making a ridiculous and also offensive generalization.

 

[mints of b]

What is that supposed to mean? I'm on the exec board of the premed club at my college and I didn't do it just because I wanted to be able to say I was on the executive board. Throughout the year we do several fundraisers for non-profit organizations. I enjoy taking a leadership role and organizing these types of things. What's wrong with that?

A lot of what we do as a club is to inform and expose underclassmen to the field of medicine. But we do go beyond that with the fundraisers and trips to medically relevant conferences. Maybe your premed club leaders are lame, but I think you're making a ridiculous and also offensive generalization.

Most people find this sort of idealistic naivete viscerally annoying. Your narcissistic attempts at saving the world are both motivationally transparent and functionally insignificant.

 

[154465]

Most people find this sort of idealistic naivete viscerally annoying. Your narcissistic attempts at saving the world are both motivationally transparent and functionally insignificant.

Short and sweet, I love it.

 

[TheRealMD]

Most people find this sort of idealistic naivete viscerally annoying. Your narcissistic attempts at saving the world are both motivationally transparent and functionally insignificant.

Pre-med clubs have practical uses like... doctor shadowing opportunities or free pizza once every two weeks. 😀

 

[SketchLazy]

I'm starting to think that Al Gore invented the internet just so people could post hijacked pictures of other peoples' cats.

 

[djones473]

Most people find this sort of idealistic naivete viscerally annoying. Your narcissistic attempts at saving the world are both motivationally transparent and functionally insignificant.

I am not naive, nor am I narcissistic. I don't think any premed clubs are trying to save the world, and our activities are not insignificant. In this post you show your close-mindedness and your condescending attitude toward others. You don't know me, and you're making assumptions about my character based solely on the fact that I am a leader of a premed club. That's a great quality you have- I hope it gets you far in life.

 

[mints of b]

I am not naive, nor am I narcissistic. I don't think any premed clubs are trying to save the world, and our activities are not insignificant. In this post you show your close-mindedness and your condescending attitude toward others. You don't know me, and you're making assumptions about my character based solely on the fact that I am a leader of a premed club. That's a great quality you have- I hope it gets you far in life.

When you don't know someone, you have no choice but to stereotype. It's how life works, and I'd suggest you not ignore this reality, however unpleasant it may be.

 

[km19]

lol people stop arguing
I'll take that pre-med club leadership position

and this is what I wrote in the middle of the thread (which got buried...)

I don't think I have the time/opportunity/skill to join a club and become an officer or even start a new club.

Will EC's like tutoring(another language) and volunteering (mountain rescue and working with mentally ill patients) substitute for my lack of leadership experience?

 

[ChubbyChaser]

lol people stop arguing
I'll take that pre-med club leadership position

and this is what I wrote in the middle of the thread (which got buried...)

Definitely

 

[brianmartin]

GPA, MCAT, and clinical experience are your bread and butter. Always do those first.

 

[secants]

the pre-med at my school did have a mentorship program and a doctor shadowing program since we have my UG also has a medical school on campus. Also they get some % off from kaplan as well if you join them so it does have its uses.

 

[qtpai]

When you don't know someone, you have no choice but to stereotype. It's how life works, and I'd suggest you not ignore this reality, however unpleasant it may be.

You do have the choice not to stereotype, and you certainly have the choice not to troll.

 

[deleted127837]

.

 

[Drogba]

If you think pre-med clubs are not doing as much as they can, why not join and try to expand their scope? This is why I applied and joined my schools organization. A large percentage of pre-meds are members of these clubs and at least attend some meetings. If you think there are important messages to get out to prospective med students what better arena is there?

There is a lot of potential to disseminate information as a member of such an organization and provide unique support to its members. Personally I'm interested in promoting interest in global health and the application of social sciences to understanding and improving health. I found that these interests were not as well represented as they could have been by the current pre-med board members who generally had excellent backgrounds in basic science or clinical research.

 

[djones473]

I just realized I didn't ever give my opinion on the OP's question..

Being a member of a club is good if you can show that you're involved and you care about whatever the causes of the club are. For example, if you're in Habitat for Humanity and you spent a couple of spring breaks restoring homes, it will help you. It will show that you are willing to dedicate some of your free time to helping others. On the other hand, if you are a member of this club and all you do is show up to weekly meetings, it really won't do you any good. This is especially true for premed clubs-- if you don't involve yourself, its utterly useless.

As far as being a leader, I believe it's helpful because it demonstrates that people view you as a leader and that you are personable enough to have people vote for you. It's not going to be something that makes or breaks you, but it will certainly improve your application.

 

[curlywurly]

I found it difficult to get involved with our pre-med club, simply because there were too many people and not enough spots. There was never room for me to go volunteer at the soup kitchen or decorate a nursing home for christmas, etc. I think that pre-med clubs have the potential to be useful, but most people use them to pad their applications.

I think you'd be better off joining a group like habitat for humanity, or maybe one related to your major.

 

[Drogba]

I found it difficult to get involved with our pre-med club, simply because there were too many people and not enough spots. There was never room for me to go volunteer at the soup kitchen or decorate a nursing home for christmas, etc. I think that pre-med clubs have the potential to be useful, but most people use them to pad their applications.

I think you'd be better off joining a group like habitat for humanity, or maybe one related to your major.

Personally I feel these volunteer projects pre-med clubs organize are not supremely beneficial. If you are interested in volunteering its usually best to look for a longer term commitment, not just dropping in to a soup kitchen for a day or something similar, although this could easily be an enriching experience especially if you've had little previous exposure to the group of people you would be helping (indigent or geriatric for example).

 

[Dienekes]

I am not naive, nor am I narcissistic. I don't think any premed clubs are trying to save the world, and our activities are not insignificant. In this post you show your close-mindedness and your condescending attitude toward others. You don't know me, and you're making assumptions about my character based solely on the fact that I am a leader of a premed club. That's a great quality you have- I hope it gets you far in life.

Me thinks the premed doth protest too much.

 

[little pebble]

To the OP:

I found several of my clubs / honor societies / sorority useful because they gave me experiences to write about in my secondaries. Leadership positions give you awesome problems that help you grow as a person. Also, these places are great ways to make non-premed friends.

Non-premed friends will help keep you sane. Trust me.

 

[MrJosh9788]

what about being in a club like habitat for humanity? you do community service, which should look good, right?

 

[km19]

what about being in a club like habitat for humanity? you do community service, which should look good, right?

if you are going to hijack my thread, at least pretend like you are sorry

 

[Kthanksbye]

Ok, reason number one why I did not join my schools pre-medical club:

They are all members of AMSA, and go to the national conference every year!

This group is all about creating socialized medicine in America, and I don't want any part of it. I think we can solve our health care problems without handing an entire industry over to the government. The sad thing is that most undergraduates have no clue about the politics of the club they belong to. They just figure it's a fun activity to go to. Not realizing that the primary purpose is to steep those tender young future doctors in their populist rhetoric. Boo.

From their website:

"AMSA works through state and national coalitions to advocate for a healthcare reform process that involves sequential reform and a single-payer universal healthcare system."👎

Reason number 2...what everyone else said...

 

[curlywurly]

what about being in a club like habitat for humanity? you do community service, which should look good, right?

Yep, habitat for humanity is most definitely community service, which will look good on an application. In our chapter we hold fund raisers and do community service projects in order to fund the building of a house on our campus (we help build it too).

As long as you're getting involved and giving back to the community, you'll be ok. Adcoms can see right through the pre-med club bs (for some) anyway.

Sorry to hijack...