Listing an activity from high school

[nBuLi]

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I know that listing a HS activity is generally taboo for the AMCAS application, but what I did was very medically relevant (probably a lot better anything than I or most other premeds get to do in college). It was a 360 hour, two summer internship program. I worked in various hospital departments, got to work with patients, scrub in for surgeries, and sit in on pretty much any procedure I wanted. I worked a regular weekly shift and was evaluated by the charge nurse on my performance in (very basic) medical tasks.

Though I did this during high school, would I be able to list this on my AMCAS without getting hated on - it really was a one of a kind experience (as in I'm not trying to pass off hours sitting at a gift shop as a high school sophomore as clinical experience). This is probably the most legit clinical expeirence I've gotten, and I'm doing some pretty cool programs now too...

Opinions?

 

[Dr McSexy]

If it were me, I'd put it on the AMCAS.

 

[crystal87]

agreed. I also think that this type of exposure at an early age could play an important role in the discussion of why you want to become a doctor.

 

[awang54]

Well, I'm Canadian, so I really didn't know all that much about AMCAS beforehand and that HS activities are supposedly taboo. So, I actually had two items on there from HS and I was still able to get interviews at some great schools. Guess it depends on how you frame it. What you have sounds pretty good to me =P

 

[MilkIsGood]

just talk about this in your personal statement

 

[extravagnat]

Unless you continued that work into college, it doesn't mean anything. But, you can mention it in your personal statement. Sorry buddy!

 

[metallica81788]

If it were me, I'd put it on the AMCAS.

Me too. You can't possibly go into enough detail in your PS about this. You need a separate activity slot to explain it thoroughly without compromising the rest of your PS.

 

[BBender716]

Had almost the SAME experience. 2 month summer internship at a hospital 300+ hours with a ton of shadowing and scrubbing in. Mine happened the summer after I graduated, so maybe it's a bit different. Regardless, I put mine on AMCAS and referenced it multiple times in different forms. Got asked some questions about it and interviewers loved it. Put it on. Worst thing that could happen is that they choose not to take it into consideration.

 

[nBuLi]

I probably AM going to list it, but only because it's very significant. I understand its not good to put things you haven't done recently, but I don't see why they would look down on me -- I mean, I did the stuff...

BTW, I could incorporate it into my PS, but I don't think it does the # of hours I put into it justice.

I'm glad that worked out for you Bender

LizzyM got any inputs?

 

[mmmcdowe]

If it were me, I'd put it on the AMCAS.

👍 unless you have 15 better ones to put.

 

[LizzyM]

I probably AM going to list it, but only because it's very significant. I understand its not good to put things you haven't done recently, but I don't see why they would look down on me -- I mean, I did the stuff...

BTW, I could incorporate it into my PS, but I don't think it does the # of hours I put into it justice.

I'm glad that worked out for you Bender

LizzyM got any inputs?

You know what amazes me.... I just looked at the AMCAS 2010 instruction book as well as the "pre-med handbook" available online from Harvard's Winthrop House. No where does it say that H.S. activities should not be included among the "experiences". Don't expect to ride into medical school soley on activities done during HS but if you have something really significant, I don't see any rule against including it.

 

[Hope2008]

You know what amazes me.... I just looked at the AMCAS 2010 instruction book as well as the "pre-med handbook" available online from Harvard's Winthrop House. No where does it say that H.S. activities should not be included among the "experiences". Don't expect to ride into medical school soley on activities done during HS but if you have something really significant, I don't see any rule against including it.

Thank you for your input LizzyM as a school official. I understand that many premeds do not put their high school ECs on the application.

Should we really "not" to put our high school ECs on the application? How do medical school officials view this as?

 

[LizzyM]

There are a few things I see a few times each year:
Eagle Scout
National Leadership Forum on Medicine
Intel Science Prize

What you did in HS is no substitute for having done stuff in college. For example, if you volunteered at the desk in the Emergency Department while in HS you should have some clinical exposure and some altruistic activity in college to show that your interest in clinical care and your desire to help others continued through college and wasn't a passing phase nor was it a "check the box and done" activity.

 

[flip26]

You know what amazes me.... I just looked at the AMCAS 2010 instruction book as well as the "pre-med handbook" available online from Harvard's Winthrop House. No where does it say that H.S. activities should not be included among the "experiences". Don't expect to ride into medical school soley on activities done during HS but if you have something really significant, I don't see any rule against including it.

I have always been skeptical about the blanket "don't do it" that pervades on SDN, but I do think any HS activity should be really significant and meaningful, and it should not be listed in lieu of doing more of the same in college. A program like the one the OP mentioned I would definitely list.

 

[Hope2008]

I have always been skeptical about the blanket "don't do it" that pervades on SDN, but I do think any HS activity should be really significant and meaningful, and it should not be listed in lieu of doing more of the same in college. A program like the one the OP mentioned I would definitely list.

Definitely, in fact, I've started volunteering with disabled students since high school. They have inspired me to go into medicine. I would definitely list the ECs I have been doing since high school.

 

[OliverNCo]

Kind of on the same page... but I was in a prestigious bilingual immersion program K-12 and graduated with a dual diploma from a Spanish university and from my high school.

Though this is not medically related, I did use these skills to translate for doctors in Mexico (involved with an organization that does this on a monthly basis). Would it be relevant to list this on the AMCAS?