Multiple Questions

[oblivious]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey,
I have several questions that I could use some advice/guidance on:

1) As far as med school applications go, would obtaining a pilot's license help out? I really want to get my private pilot's license this summer, but it will require me to work much more to have the necessary funds. I won't stop my current volunteer work for Meals on Wheels, but I would have to slightly reduce my volunteer time for around six months. Would this be a very negative effect on my application, or would it really help me?

2) What does everybody actually mean when they say job shadowing a physician? Do they mean half a day, a full day, weeks, months? I figure the longer the better, but don't most doctors only allow a day for job shadowing?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[jlee9531]

getting your pilots license wont open any doors to medical school.
however, i just wanted to say...thats pretty cool. you should get it since you really want it. and id be kinda cool to talk about if it ever came up in any interviews.

its not really a job job. just a volunteering job of sorts. thats what is meant by it. you can specify whatever units of time you want...tho hours a week would be the easiest to use.

 

[oblivious]

Thanks, I think it is going to be a very rewarding and fun experience this summer. I was hoping that it might stand out on my application and maybe they would realize how much time it takes to do it. I was also hoping that it might count towards the "well-rounded individual" concept that I keep hearing about. But like you said, I am doing it because I want to, I just thought I might get additional benefits from it.

 

[jlee9531]

well you probably will especially if the person reviewing your file goes...hey pretty cool person. lets get this applicant in for an interview.

yeah like i said. it would be cool to talk about...and im sure it would come up in an interview. but getting that interview is the hard part 🙂
good luck. and yes...well roundedness. very important.

 

[TheRussian]

Think about this way, if you get your pilot's license you can just fly yourself to your interviews and save a ton of money on airplane tickets.

 

[jlee9531]

Think about this way, if you get your pilot's license you can just fly yourself to your interviews and save a ton of money on airplane tickets.

that would be sooooo cool.
you have to pay for the gas tho huh?

 

[TheRussian]

that would be sooooo cool.
you have to pay for the gas tho huh?

Details, details.

 

[BioMedResearch]

"would obtaining a pilot's license help out?"

Uhm, no.

You see, nothing is going to help "out" if you are only doing things to "help out" your application. The best applicants, who go to the best schools, are those who become the best doctors. And who are those individuals? Those who are passionate about what they do! If your passion is to fly, then do it! It will come across in your applications (essay, EC's, interviews) and you will signal to the committee that you're not just another 33N 3.76. If you are doing it to just bolster yourself then you are in for a rude awakening. There is not a damn thing you can "do" to help yourself out unless its genuine. You may get in, but it will show when you are doing clincals and actually have to CARE for people. It will show when you have a job and you have to practice on people and decide their medical fate. It will show! Do it because you love it and do it because that's who you are. Don't do anything because it will just "help you out"

On an aside, save as much money as you can too. Applicants are expensive and tuition is F*CK'n NUTS at some places. Good luck!

 

[oblivious]

BioMedResearch,

As I thought I had established, I am doing it because I DO enjoy it, NOT because I think it will help me. I was just CURIOUS as to whether it might help out as an additional benefit. (Two birds with one stone kind of thing) I didn't mean to invite you to preach.

 

[TheRussian]

Uhm, no.

You see, nothing is going to help "out" if you are only doing things to "help out" your application. The best applicants, who go to the best schools, are those who become the best doctors. And who are those individuals? Those who are passionate about what they do! If your passion is to fly, then do it! It will come across in your applications (essay, EC's, interviews) and you will signal to the committee that you're not just another 33N 3.76. If you are doing it to just bolster yourself then you are in for a rude awakening. There is not a damn thing you can "do" to help yourself out unless its genuine. You may get in, but it will show when you are doing clincals and actually have to CARE for people. It will show when you have a job and you have to practice on people and decide their medical fate. It will show! Do it because you love it and do it because that's who you are. Don't do anything because it will just "help you out"

On an aside, save as much money as you can too. Applicants are expensive and tuition is F*CK'n NUTS at some places. Good luck!

I'm so tired of this rhetoric on SDN. You got it completely backwards. Most of the time you don't start doing something because you are passionate about it. You start doing it because you think it is going to help you out on your application. The passion comes later, hopefully.

I'll use myself as an example. Did I start volunteering at a hospital because I was passionate about it? No, I knew nothing about working in a hospital. After being there for some time I really got into it and logged over 1500 hours over a year and a half. Did I take an EMT class because I was passionate about being an EMT? No, I took it because I though it would help me on my application. Again I really liked it and have been doing it for 3.5 years now. Had I not liked these experiences I probably would have changed my career goals.

The point is that in a lot of cases you do something because it will help you on your application and then hopefully you will come to love it and this will come across in your interview. It's pretty hard to be passionate about something you haven't experienced so please lets stop babbling about how you should only do something if you trully love it and not to bolster your application. That's not how things work in the real world.

 

[TheRussian]

Oh yeah, to the OP:

Getting a pilot's license will definetely not hurt you and I think it can help you. You have a max of 15 spots for EC's on your AMCAS, the more you use, the better it is because it shows you have a lot of interests and that you are well rounded. Good Luck.

 

[oblivious]

Thanks, The Russian. I hope it will help me. I totally agree with your statement. It was well said. I am glad you see my point. Good luck to you also.

 

[Cerberus]

Hey,
I have several questions that I could use some advice/guidance on:


2) What does everybody actually mean when they say job shadowing a physician? Do they mean half a day, a full day, weeks, months? I figure the longer the better, but don't most doctors only allow a day for job shadowing?

Thanks in advance for your help.

i've been shadowing the same guys for a few months.

 

[umass rower]

Just list the interest in your ECs as a hobby. It is something that might attract attention, and that is ALWAYS a good thing. Anything that makes them look at your application for even 5 seconds longer is a good thing. Just list it, you've got nothing to lose by it. Just don't use it as an excuse for anything.