Lying about volunteer hours?

[Corpsman Up]

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I wonder how many people blatantly lie about their volunteer hours, or at least embelish a bit? Do you have to submit some kind of documentation of volunteer hours to AMCAS? Ive heard of people with something crazy like 1000 volunteer hours and I just find it hard to swallow

 

[Tappinfool66]

From what I've heard, a set number of hours isn't what admissions committees look for at all. They're supposed to be more concerned with hearing about your experience and what you've gained from it.

So to answer your question, yes, I'm sure plenty of people do lie/embellish. It's really not necessary though. Committees look for students who are committed and dedicated to things they're passionate about. Passion is what matters.

 

[DrBowtie]

The funny point is that most places don't care about the exact quantity of hours.
Someone with 500 hours and 1000 hours are going to both have enough depth of experience to discuss and talk about what they learned from the volunteering. Thats what matters most. You aren't going to out hour someone into medical school.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I have close to 3000 volunteer hours, not embellished, completely verifiable... However, I'm 34... Something I'm wondering though, is this something your considering, or do you just not believe that someone would have that many?

 

[flip26]

The potential to lie and cheat on this is huge. I have no idea, but I am sure that there is a lot of lying going on, but I don't really care. The liars are doing themselves a huge disservice if they really haven't tested their interest in, and tolerance of, being around sickies.

 

[Corpsman Up]

I have close to 3000 volunteer hours, not embellished, completely verifiable... However, I'm 34... Something I'm wondering though, is this something your considering, or do you just not believe that someone would have that many?

No, im not considering it. I have quite a few volunteer hours myself ( nowhere near 3000), I just find it hard to believe that a 21yr old pre-med has anything close to that (yet I hear about it on campus all the time). Maybe they have been keeping track since they were 9?

I am a non-trad student with quite a bit of patient care, life experience, foreign medical aid stuff, so I dont think Ill have to lie about volunteer hours at the soup kitchen....at least I hope that I dont

 

[familyaerospace]

I wonder how many people blatantly lie about their volunteer hours, or at least embelish a bit? Do you have to submit some kind of documentation of volunteer hours to AMCAS? Ive heard of people with something crazy like 1000 volunteer hours and I just find it hard to swallow

Well one of my letters is from someone I volunteered with, at an average of 10 hours a week for 3 years (at the moment), that's 1500 non-medical volunteer hours right there. My medical volunteering will only be around ~400 or so at the time of application.

Adcomms can verify things if they want to, at least I assume that is why they ask for contact info, it's just a question of will they have the time to verify and do they really want to?

 

[willen101383]

Any volunteering I did in college was like up to 9 years ago...so how the hell would I remember the exact hours. I just made my best guess. For the clinical hours experience stuff...ive been working FT for 5 years so I just multiplied 5x40x52. Did I work every single day for those 5 years...no. Best guess.

 

[flip26]

Well one of my letters is from someone I volunteered with, at an average of 10 hours a week for 3 years (at the moment), that's 1500 non-medical volunteer hours right there. My medical volunteering will only be around ~400 or so at the time of application.

Adcomms can verify things if they want to, at least I assume that is why they ask for contact info, it's just a question of will they have the time to verify and do they really want to?

Contact info on AMCAS is optional. I didn't fill in any optional info on AMCAS. They don't really care, or they would make it mandatory.

What you put down for vol hours, ECs, etc., is strictly the honor system.

 

[Janieve]

I think volunteer hours are relevant only if they're something you're passionate about, and I think it speaks more if they're over a long period of time than all at once.

As an example, I've been volunteering with the Red Cross for about four years, and I've got about 500 or so hours logged with them. I didn't even know until this year how many hours I'd volunteered; I assumed it was more like 150 hours. But it turns out that just two blood drives a month over the course of four years is way more than that.

So yes, if something is important to someone and they take it seriously enough to invest regular hours in it (not even that many - four hours per week ends up at 200 hours per year), they very well could wind up with 1000 hours.

On the other hand, 1000 hours in just one year sounds a bit fishy. That's about 20 hours per week; how do they fit in work, classes, and other ECs? Did they do it because they loved it, or was it because they felt it would look good on an application? The adcoms will look at these things and probably make judgments on it.

TL;DR: Lots of hours are possible and good over a long period of time, but short-term (while possible) seems fishy. Look at it critically.

 

[familyaerospace]

Contact info on AMCAS is optional. I didn't fill in any optional info on AMCAS. They don't really care, or they would make it mandatory.

What you put down for vol hours, ECs, etc., is strictly the honor system.

I figured they made it optional (although recommended) because of things where there is no contact information, ie publications, presentations or where you are grouping things together such as all your short term employment where it would just be easier to put the contact information in the description box. Isn't that what LizzyM was suggesting in the Great Tips thread?

 

[flip26]

I figured they made it optional (although recommended) because of things where there is no contact information, ie publications, presentations or where you are grouping things together such as all your short term employment where it would just be easier to put the contact information in the description box. Isn't that what LizzyM was suggesting in the Great Tips thread?

Optional is optional. Where do you get the "although recommended" from? On AMCAS? Don't think so...

I have no idea what LizzyM suggested. I am telling you that the info is optional, and I did not list doctors I shadowed, or the names of contacts at volunteer places, etc.

Bottom line: no med school is looking to verify your ECs, at least not your clinical stuff.

 

[latrala2300]

i'm a rising junior and i have ~1000 hrs of clinical exp, along with a few dozen more volunteer hours elsewhere. i do it not for the app, but because i enjoy the work. so not everyone who has hundreds of hours is lying.