Non Traditional ECs

[Amrazzz]

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I'm relatively new to these forums and I've been noticing that many people emphasize non traditional ECs (traditional = hospital volunteering, shadowing, etc). How important are these activities? I'm so bogged with weekly schedule that I cannot find time to do anything else. Here is what my resume looks like so far (Rising Junior)

- 3.976 cGPA, 4.0 sGPA
- Hospital Volunteer at 2 hospitals (1 was purely clinical - working in Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. Other was emergency room just taking people around)
- 1 year research with 1 publication. (2 years by the time I apply for med school, with hopefully another publication)
- 1 summer SURF program
- Mediocre Club involvement
- Scholarship based on community service
- Assistant TA for Cell Biology Lab

I always how people on these forums have TONS of activities other than those related to medicine. Would I be in the "safe zone" if I were to apply to with this current resume granted I keep my GPA steady and get a decent MCAT score?

I worry too much

 

[Dreaming big]

You would be fine - or more so

 

[peripherin]

You'll be fine, assuming that you do not bomb the MCAT. You have decent ECs and a great GPA!

 

[Catalystik]

Unless the clubs might lead to a leadership role, they probably won't help your application much. Maybe just keep the ones meanigful to you to free up some time.

If you have some post-HS nonmedical community service (as may be inferred from the scholarship) that is helpful to your application also.

With the clinical experience via volunteerism, teaching, and research as is projected, the only additional activity you really ought to get is some physician shadowing. This need not be a regular activity, and could be completed over the next year during breaks from school in big chunks of time. I'd suggest aiming for 60-80 hours split among 2-3 docs, of which one is in primary care.

 

[familyaerospace]

I'm sure you'll be fine.

Some of us have non-medical activities simply because we have interests outside of medicine or because we needed to work to pay tuition and paid work counts as an EC. Also some of us are nontraditional applicants (I graduated from undergrad in 2003 and graduate school in 2007) and thus had more time to develop the activities and pursue them for a long time. There are several categories on the AMCAS activities section, most of which are non-medical, and apparently the only things I don't have are athletic involvement and the military categories.