How to stand out?

[Morguean]

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I am a junior and have decided I will apply next cycle. I am going to get some research in along with some more EC's. I have a few questions.

I have a job at my school's golf course and I love it! It gets me working outside and off my butt (studying) for a while. Should I be looking for a part time medical related job? I can get plenty of medical-related stuff with volunteering, right? (Hospice, shadowing) Also, having a part-time job on my application helps too, right? It takes quite a bit of time out of me.

I guess what I am looking for advice on is this:
I have a year to beef up my application. I will be shadowing physicians, volunteering in hospice, spending a semester researching with a professor, and doing other little EC's. I am also working part time during school and full time during the summer. I feel like I need something else to really stand out. Can I get any advice? Or is there a thread that discusses this topic?

 

[Planes2Doc]

If you can think it, it's already been done. If you can dream it, it's already been done.

It sounds like you already have a pretty solid app. The time should be spent working on getting your stats as high as possible rather than chasing the end of the rainbow.

 

[tima]

I would suggest to start applying for volunteering and shadowing opportunities very soon. Sometimes it can take some time to find an opportunity that fits your schedule.

Also, try to do research both semesters of your senior year. 10-15 hours of volunteer research every week is doable. Research can help strengthen your application.

 

[SammyJR]

you can legally change your name to something catchy

 

[Frazier]

Being one of the first applications submitted and put before the reviewer.

 

[scruggs92]

you can legally change your name to something catchy

Definitely the best way to stand out.

 

[Planes2Doc]

If you're feeling very adventurous, I have an interesting way of potentially standing out.

Assuming you have good stats, I would try to stand out by doing the opposite of what the SDN folk typically do to "stand out." In other words, that means you should do what you're passionate about. No, no, no. Not the kind of stuff that people on SDN pretend to be passionate about (in other words, the things they know ADCOMs want them to be passionate about). But instead, just spend time doing things you would have done as a normal person. Say no to the things everyone else does, and explain in your PS why you went against conformity.

I realize how much pride SDNers take in "beefing up their ECs." They look at their laundry-lists of ECs as a great accomplishment, but at what cost? Once you become a medical student, everything you've spent so much time on becomes meaningless. This includes things like the countless hours spent doing entry-level clinical work utilizing skills that are completely irrelevant to the daily duties of a physician, and sacrificing considerable amounts of money to provide free labor to an organization when you know you would rather be getting paid for it. You end up spending so much time doing random crap to improve your medical school application, while missing out on things people your age should be doing.

Yes, SDNers might pride themselves on not being "Cookie Cutters." I think they are completely wrong though. They are Cookie Cutters just like anyone else, only with longer laundry-lists full of their "beefed up" ECs. No matter how "amazing" or how "killer" their ECs are, I doubt they make you stand out.

As pre-meds strive for "uniqueness," they try to catch the end of the rainbow. You will never get there. Unless you are something truly unique, like an astronaut, Olympic athlete, US congressman, CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or something similar, you will end up doing something that has been done many times before. As you chase conformity, your grades and MCAT might take a hit as well. It's ironic how trying to better yourself might end up harming you in the end.

Also, this was not meant to be a joke or taken sarcastically. If someone is willing to take a massive risk and take such a path (remember the more risk, the greater the reward), then it can potentially work. We're running out of uniqueness options. So unless you have a lot of money to invest so you can start a non-profit (seems to be a hot thing these days), this can definitely be another eye-opener for ADCOMs.

 

[mimelim]

If you're feeling very adventurous, I have an interesting way of potentially standing out.

Assuming you have good stats, I would try to stand out by doing the opposite of what the SDN folk typically do to "stand out." In other words, that means you should do what you're passionate about. No, no, no. Not the kind of stuff that people on SDN pretend to be passionate about (in other words, the things they know ADCOMs want them to be passionate about). But instead, just spend time doing things you would have done as a normal person. Say no to the things everyone else does, and explain in your PS why you went against conformity.

I realize how much pride SDNers take in "beefing up their ECs." They look at their laundry-lists of ECs as a great accomplishment, but at what cost? Once you become a medical student, everything you've spent so much time on becomes meaningless. This includes things like the countless hours spent doing entry-level clinical work utilizing skills that are completely irrelevant to the daily duties of a physician, and sacrificing considerable amounts of money to provide free labor to an organization when you know you would rather be getting paid for it. You end up spending so much time doing random crap to improve your medical school application, while missing out on things people your age should be doing.

Yes, SDNers might pride themselves on not being "Cookie Cutters." I think they are completely wrong though. They are Cookie Cutters just like anyone else, only with longer laundry-lists full of their "beefed up" ECs. No matter how "amazing" or how "killer" their ECs are, I doubt they make you stand out.

As pre-meds strive for "uniqueness," they try to catch the end of the rainbow. You will never get there. Unless you are something truly unique, like an astronaut, Olympic athlete, US congressman, CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or something similar, you will end up doing something that has been done many times before. As you chase conformity, your grades and MCAT might take a hit as well. It's ironic how trying to better yourself might end up harming you in the end.

Also, this was not meant to be a joke or taken sarcastically. If someone is willing to take a massive risk and take such a path (remember the more risk, the greater the reward), then it can potentially work. We're running out of uniqueness options. So unless you have a lot of money to invest so you can start a non-profit (seems to be a hot thing these days), this can definitely be another eye-opener for ADCOMs.

I disagree. I've read dozens of applications of people that are outwardly 'normal', but do extraordinary things. It isn't that nobody has done what you have done before. It is that there are few that demonstrate the qualities or skills that you do. I know many (10+) specific examples of people who got interviewed virtually on nothing more than LOR and ECs. They didn't do anything as 'eye catching' as what you mention. They DID do amazing things, but few were truly things that most people couldn't do with hard work dedication and at least above average intelligence.

 

[Weewee]

Start playing blackjack in Vegas.

 

[gmcguitar4]

you can legally change your name to something catchy

Yeah change it to Moonunit Zappa

 

[Geebeejay]

Don't waste your time trying to "stand out"...just be solid in everything you do, and be authentic. There are very few things you can do that adcoms have never seen before, and the fact that you are here on SDN posting, asking how you can "stand out" tells me that, unless you have faced extreme tragedy, this likely doesn't apply to you. Just be solid, accumulate some interviews with solid stats and solid ECs that you commit to, have a real role in, and truly enjoy, and then sell yourself in your interviews. You don't need to invent the wheel to get into medical schools, even top20 medical schools.