Job shadowing from high school?

[thisiswilde]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I found a few threads on this already, but it didn't really answer my question, so here it goes:

I was fortunate enough in high school to be enrolled in a program which allowed me to use some of my class time to go on job shadows - I got 66 hours of shadowing done in high school, in various areas of medicine. This was all my senior year of high school.

I am going to be a junior undergrad, and am doing some shadowing this summer as well. But I keep wondering, is this necessary? It's exactly the same as what I did in high school. I understand that we are only supposed to list activities on applications done after high school, but the only difference between the shadowing I did then and the shadowing I'm doing now is time. Honestly I am only doing this extra job shadowing is because I feel like I "should". I kept a journal of my previous shadowing experiences and records of everything.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

its about jumping through the hoops. yes you should do it, no you can't list it.

 

[rhesuspieces]

its about jumping through the hoops. yes you should do it, no you can't list it.

Actually, OP, you CAN and SHOULD list your high school shadowing. I did a significant amount of shadowing in high school but didn't list it on my AMCAS. I had at least two interviewers tell me point-blank that I should have included that. The idea is that it shows a lasting commitment to medicine--i.e. an "ongoing activity"

However, you do need to get more shadowing as an undergrad. Adcoms won't love seeing a few dozen hours from five years ago. Keep your experience current.

When you fill out your AMCAS, your high school shadowing will get lumped in with your college shadowing.

 

[Catalystik]

I understand that we are only supposed to list activities on applications done after high school, but the only difference between the shadowing I did then and the shadowing I'm doing now is time. Honestly I am only doing this extra job shadowing is because I feel like I "should". I kept a journal of my previous shadowing experiences and records of everything.

There is no problem with listing HS experiences that continued into the college years. As rhesuspieces said, they would all be included in the same space.

And, yes, you should update your shadowing, as we would hope you have more mature perspectives to bring to these experiences now than you did when you were a teen.

 

[Avoidthetiger]

List it. I included HS shadowing.

I randomly decided to do more shadowing (after not doing anything officially in 3-years... and even my earlier shadowing experience wasn't really with doctors) after I submitted my AMCAS last year. I just sent update letters regarding the experience to schools. I don't think "newer" shadowing is really all that important... but it does help with your application... but you shouldn't forget about experiences you had earlier too. maybe lump it all into one activity.

 

[thisiswilde]

Thank you everybody! I think I will list it. I am doing shadowing this summer as well, so I will definitely have a lot of hours. I wanted to do more because, like you said, my perspectives have changed halfway through college versus from high school. 🙂