How much EC at a time?

[deleted877060]

I know it depends on everyone's abilities and time management skills, but I wonder how well I am managing things. I am in my 3rd semester, taking 16 credit hours, doing 6 hours of clinical volunteering and 4 hours of non clinical volunteering per week. Also research for 10 hours per week, TAing a class, and officer of two student orgs. I have been managing things well and getting enough sleep/exercise. Am I getting too comfortable with my ECs?

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[workaholic181]

I know it depends on everyone's abilities and time management skills, but I wonder how well I am managing things. I am in my 3rd semester, taking 16 credit hours, doing 6 hours of clinical volunteering and 4 hours of non clinical volunteering per week. Also research for 10 hours per week, TAing a class, and officer of two student orgs. I have been managing things well and getting enough sleep/exercise. Am I getting too comfortable with my ECs?

Are you asking if you're not doing enough when you say "too comfortable?"

 

[deleted877060]

Are you asking if you're not doing enough when you say "too comfortable?"

Yeah, if I should step out of my comfort zone further.

 

[workaholic181]

Yeah, if I should step out of my comfort zone further.

If by that you mean add something totally new and outside of your prior experience, then sure if that's what you want to do.

If instead you're saying increase the number of your ECs to wow adcoms, I'd recommend no. I had a lot of ECs in college, and frankly the only thing that has come up in my interviews thus far has been my leadership positions I held in one EC over all four years of UG. Persistent commitment to a few activities, in which you increasingly add leadership positions, is the best move IMO. It sounds like that is already what you're doing.

If I could go back in time and cut an activity or two and had more time to study, I probably would. Just my two cents looking back, no right or wrong answer.

 

[Dox4lyfe]

I know it depends on everyone's abilities and time management skills, but I wonder how well I am managing things. I am in my 3rd semester, taking 16 credit hours, doing 6 hours of clinical volunteering and 4 hours of non clinical volunteering per week. Also research for 10 hours per week, TAing a class, and officer of two student orgs. I have been managing things well and getting enough sleep/exercise. Am I getting too comfortable with my ECs?

Getting too comfortable with ECs isn't due to not stepping out of your comfort zone. It's due to having great time management skills. I'd say you're good with what you have so far.

 

[Thienyl15]

Only on SDN would this question be asked.

 

[Planes2Doc]

Getting too comfortable with ECs isn't due to not stepping out of your comfort zone. It's due to having great time management skills. I'd say you're good with what you have so far.

If you're feeling comfortable and have the right boxes checked, I would say to focus time on getting the best possible grades and MCAT. If you can find some additional ECs with good time flexibility (such as hospital volunteering in a different department that allows for studying during the majority of the shift), I would try to add that in to beef up the app. But tread carefully with your 16 credit hours, because from the looks of it, you're doing well.