Love or Medicine?

[Algophiliac]

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This has been a pressing issue as soon as I began to realize how many opportunities are out there in college! So my question is this: how do medical schools look at non-medicine-related activities, internships, ECs, etc.?

For example, what would they think if I spent three years in a film production internship instead of slaving away in a laboratory? It even sounds wrong to my own ears sometimes...that 250k can be thrown away on 10 minutes of visual pleasure while uninsured Americans cannot get adequate access to healthcare. I would thus never consider this as a career...but while I have these four years I just want to enjoy a bit of everything.

Will this end up hurting me later by stretching my medical experience too thin? I can just imagine the interviewer asking me why the hell I'm doing medicine when I've spent so much time on media.

 

[huskerdye]

I don't think it will be that big of a deal, med schools are going to want you to be in extracurriculars you enjoy.. Not something your in just to pad your resume.. As long as you get good grades and you get a good MCAT score being in media extracurriculars will help you.

 

[phospho]

This has been a pressing issue as soon as I began to realize how many opportunities are out there in college! So my question is this: how do medical schools look at non-medicine-related activities, internships, ECs, etc.?

For example, what would they think if I spent three years in a film production internship instead of slaving away in a laboratory? It even sounds wrong to my own ears sometimes...that 250k can be thrown away on 10 minutes of visual pleasure while uninsured Americans cannot get adequate access to healthcare. I would thus never consider this as a career...but while I have these four years I just want to enjoy a bit of everything.

Will this end up hurting me later by stretching my medical experience too thin? I can just imagine the interviewer asking me why the hell I'm doing medicine when I've spent so much time on media.

as long as you do get your minimum stuff done, i wish more people would think like you... hell, i wish i did that...

 

[Vicviper]

Take the opportunity to do things that you enjoy, because in med school and after, you won't have that huge three month gap unless you take leave or retire.

 

[fahimaz7]

Research can be very helpful when you try to get into either a competitive residency or a medical school. Doctors are supposed to stay on the cutting edge of medicine and it's a good way to show that you're interested in that type of thing.

🙂

When you're in college, you can spend a few years doing undergraduate research... and, still find time for an internship in film.

 

[MilkmanAl]

You can do whatever you want, but you absolutely must involve yourself in clinical activities. A job would be best, but volunteering is fine. Research is also a good thing to have on your resume, but it's not essential.

 

[Zweisamkeit]

You can do whatever you want, but you absolutely must involve yourself in clinical activities. A job would be best, but volunteering is fine. Research is also a good thing to have on your resume, but it's not essential.

👍

Yep, you most definitely need clinical experience such as volunteering and/or shadowing because otherwise, how are you going to prove to the medical schools that you even want to be a doctor?

As long as you have enough clinical experience, it doesn't matter what else you do in regards to your extracurriculars. There are a lot of people in my class that did athletics in college, music, dancing, singing, etc.

 

[Algophiliac]

👍

Yep, you most definitely need clinical experience such as volunteering and/or shadowing because otherwise, how are you going to prove to the medical schools that you even want to be a doctor?

As long as you have enough clinical experience, it doesn't matter what else you do in regards to your extracurriculars. There are a lot of people in my class that did athletics in college, music, dancing, singing, etc.

I definitely intend to get the basics down! Thanks everyone. I guess my main worry was how admissions people would look at "film internship" on my activities list as opposed to everyone else's extensive research internships at top summer programs. 😛 In a way, I really would be sacrificing opportunities to obtain medical experience just to have fun doing something I love...but I'm being told there's no penalty for that, which is making me giddy with joy. 😀

The comparison to athletics and the arts is really quite applicable, thank you. I need to stop second-guessing myself and just do what I love. 🙂

 

[135892]

I definitely intend to get the basics down! Thanks everyone. I guess my main worry was how admissions people would look at "film internship" on my activities list as opposed to everyone else's extensive research internships at top summer programs. 😛 In a way, I really would be sacrificing opportunities to obtain medical experience just to have fun doing something I love...but I'm being told there's no penalty for that, which is making me giddy with joy. 😀

The comparison to athletics and the arts is really quite applicable, thank you. I need to stop second-guessing myself and just do what I love. 🙂

**** what adcoms think. Seriously, not everything has to be done with med school admissions in mind, especially when you're just embarking on your undergraduate career.

 

[Narmerguy]

Seriously, not everything has to be done with med school admissions in mind

Amen. Medical School is a job like anything else and you shouldn't sacrifice everything for a job. Some things, yes, but at the end of the day you have to do what you want.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Amen. Medical School is a job like anything else and you shouldn't sacrifice everything for a job. Some things, yes, but at the end of the day you have to do what you want.

...as long as you also do what they want in the process.

 

[Terpskins99]

**** what adcoms think. Seriously, not everything has to be done with med school admissions in mind, especially when you're just embarking on your undergraduate career.

Amen. Medical School is a job like anything else and you shouldn't sacrifice everything for a job. Some things, yes, but at the end of the day you have to do what you want.

👍👍👍

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Medical schools place a great deal of importance on honesty and integrity. Students that show a genuine interest in their extracurricular activities (assuming the activities are legal, of course) make much more of a lasting impression on any ad-com/interviewer. Aww shucks, even passion for an illegal activity would be memorable. 😛

Bottom line: do what you love, do it well and you will impress anyone that talks with you.