In a bind! help :(

[lilqu]

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hey guys, im in a deep pit right now.
so far my grades are fine science gpa is approx 3.6 and cumm is 3.68, i have been shadowing the chief of cardiology in my local hospital since last semester, i have been actively involved in the pre med club at my school organizing events etc, i have been doing grading as a TA, i also work in the nursing lab at my school storing/sorting/organizing medical supplies, teaching nursing students simple routines like removal of IV's and IV placement on the arm as well as pt assessments.

my problem is i still have to do some volunteering/tutoring, which i plan to do next semester.....but i am also going to take my mcat in april and applying in june..... so ill only have 1 sem of volunteering before i apply!

is this bad will med schools ask for how long i did volunteering for?
any suggestions will be helpful

 

[ahmcadams]

Relax. Volunteering is by no means a prerequisite for medical school admissions. Do what you can and don't worry if it's enough. If the rest of your application is solid this will in no way hold you back.

 

[lilqu]

well i have seen with people regarding their secondary application they are asked to note down how long they did volunteering for, is this on the basis of hours or do they ask you the period?

maybe if they see 'hey he shadowed from jan '10 to august '10 and onwards'
wont they think i left it till too late?

 

[LAman10]

Might as well start asap. some schools will ask on their 2ndary for the total # of hours you dedicated to a certain EC, others will just ask about hours/week which would be better for you). Don't get too concerned about it though. if you're really a strong applicant and the rest of your app is solid, you'll get interviews, which means you'll get a chance to explain yourself (although this assumes you have a pretty darn good reason for not having that stuff... and it better not be "I wanted to dedicate my time to schoolwork," because many many accepted applicants can juggle both school and volunteering, so it's gonna look pretty bad on your part if you can't). My buddy got something like 15 interviews and he's never volunteered in a hospital. every single interviewer asked him about it, but I guess he has a decent explanation because he's gotten a couple acceptances.

 

[ahmcadams]

well i have seen with people regarding their secondary application they are asked to note down how long they did volunteering for, is this on the basis of hours or do they ask you the period?

maybe if they see 'hey he shadowed from jan '10 to august '10 and onwards'
wont they think i left it till too late?

Yes, you will include the hours spend on each activity, and if you devoted minimal time to any given experience it will likely be downplayed as not particularly meaningful, which is a fair assessment. Still, if you've done other things, this won't be a deal-breaker at all.