- Joined
- Jul 10, 2013
- Messages
- 34
- Reaction score
- 2
Last edited:
How many extracurriculars are usually needed?
- Thread starter QowsEatDumlogic
- Start date
Along with your Captain America ECs, you need to get some experience in with physicians to show an admissions committee that you know what you're getting into. IMO the best way to do that is log shadow hours with different types of doctors. Start logging those hours as soon as you can (freshman year is easy) so you can build a good amount. You may even shadow and decide you don't like medicine. You're only doing yourself a favor by exposing yourself to exactly what you'll be doing as a doctor. 2-3 years of research and a bunch of volunteering would be great, but follow a doctor around too!
As for your other question, upper level science courses are looked favorably on by adcoms. The catalogue for the school I am attending literally said something like "these courses [pre-reqs] are required, but the admissions committee recommends strongly and looks upon favorably upper-level courses." It shows the ability to handle more difficult course work and may give insight into what you are most interested in in medicine. Immunology, toxicology, parasitology, zoology, biochem, or any sort of pharmacology classes, for example, would be great.
Good luck and welcome to SDN!
As for your other question, upper level science courses are looked favorably on by adcoms. The catalogue for the school I am attending literally said something like "these courses [pre-reqs] are required, but the admissions committee recommends strongly and looks upon favorably upper-level courses." It shows the ability to handle more difficult course work and may give insight into what you are most interested in in medicine. Immunology, toxicology, parasitology, zoology, biochem, or any sort of pharmacology classes, for example, would be great.
Good luck and welcome to SDN!
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2013
- Messages
- 29
- Reaction score
- 0
Before I entered college, I also worried about all that stuff. But halfway through, I just started doing whatever.... As long as you keep busy, have some clinical experience, some research, some idea as to why you want to be a doctor, I think you'll be fine.
As for the class thing, I think it is important to remember that every class that is hard to others is easy for someone and vice versa. So just take things that you are interested in. It doesn't really matter how hard or easy they are. So take upper level classes if you want to. You know how much you can handle better than me (some random person over the internet). I'd suggest spending maybe a month in college just taking classes to get used to it before deciding on extracurriculars.
Also, during my undergrad, I found that the higher the number, the easier the class cause the professors were better. It might help to ask previous people in your school who had taken the class before when deciding between a 200 and a 400.
Edit: Oh! and I found the so called "weeder" classes to be the easier than the upper level classes so I think if you are looking to join any extracurriculars freshman/sophomore year is a good time to start. I had to drop some things during/after junior year 🙁 . Just like layer them on slowly ((find one, wait a month or something, add another one, etc.)) and if you ever find yourself overloaded, you can always drop things!
As for the class thing, I think it is important to remember that every class that is hard to others is easy for someone and vice versa. So just take things that you are interested in. It doesn't really matter how hard or easy they are. So take upper level classes if you want to. You know how much you can handle better than me (some random person over the internet). I'd suggest spending maybe a month in college just taking classes to get used to it before deciding on extracurriculars.
Also, during my undergrad, I found that the higher the number, the easier the class cause the professors were better. It might help to ask previous people in your school who had taken the class before when deciding between a 200 and a 400.
Edit: Oh! and I found the so called "weeder" classes to be the easier than the upper level classes so I think if you are looking to join any extracurriculars freshman/sophomore year is a good time to start. I had to drop some things during/after junior year 🙁 . Just like layer them on slowly ((find one, wait a month or something, add another one, etc.)) and if you ever find yourself overloaded, you can always drop things!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2013
- Messages
- 49
- Reaction score
- 0
.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 7,475
- Reaction score
- 2,429
It's not a bad thing to wait to see how tough college is for you prior to joining any clubs. It'll vary from person to person and college to college.
You should do something besides pre-med club and school. You should probably do some volunteering and shadowing, research isn't a bad idea either. But there are a variety of ways to get clinical experience that you can explore. You can become an EMT or CNA and work, you can become a scribe, you can simply shadow.
For other extracurriculars, just do things that are interesting to you. Work your way up to leadership. Have fun.
As far as classes, it's not a bad idea to take a couple upper division bio courses, because it'll make it easier to learn in med school, but it's okay if you don't as well. Just take classes that sound interesting and meet your minimum requirements.
You should do something besides pre-med club and school. You should probably do some volunteering and shadowing, research isn't a bad idea either. But there are a variety of ways to get clinical experience that you can explore. You can become an EMT or CNA and work, you can become a scribe, you can simply shadow.
For other extracurriculars, just do things that are interesting to you. Work your way up to leadership. Have fun.
As far as classes, it's not a bad idea to take a couple upper division bio courses, because it'll make it easier to learn in med school, but it's okay if you don't as well. Just take classes that sound interesting and meet your minimum requirements.
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2013
- Messages
- 51
- Reaction score
- 0
I ditto that! I wouldn't worry about ECs your first semester maybe look into the programs available but figure out how many classes you can realistically handle. My friend was a great student in hs and thought college would be the same so she took the max amount of units allowed. Wasn't pretty, academic probation her first semester. I took the minimum and bam! 4.0 baby. Don't rush through school. Take you time and do well. Also if you read the preallo series they have good tips. Like paid clinical experience counts. So if you need a job look into that. I managed to get a part time job at my schools clinic being a nurses aid after one semester of hospital volunteering. It was really awesome because one of the doctors took me under his wing when he found out I was interested in medicine and let me shadow him outside of my work hours. Amount of research depends on what school you want to apply to.
Last edited:
