Not a troll - is 150 nonclinical volunteering hours ok?

[midnitetots12]

I'll have about 150-160 nonclinical volunteering hours throughout the span of a year by the time of my application. Is this weak for T-20 level schools assuming most other categories are about 1000+ hours (pubs etc for research, leadership for misc, multiple clinical jobs) and median stats for such schools?

I know this sounds neurotic, but I'm scared it'll stand out as being much less than the other categories, making it seem shady.

happy holidays everyone!

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[EdgeTrimmer]

I'll have about 150-160 nonclinical volunteering hours throughout the span of a year by the time of my application. Is this weak for T-20 level schools assuming most other categories are about 1000+ hours (pubs etc for research, leadership for misc, multiple clinical jobs) and median stats for such schools?

I know this sounds neurotic, but I'm scared it'll stand out as being much less than the other categories, making it seem shady.

happy holidays everyone!

Should be enough even for T10 if you can articulate well in the essays.

 

[Goro]

Depends upon the rest of your app, but my gut feeling is that it's weak to OK

 

[midnitetots12]

Depends upon the rest of your app, but my gut feeling is that it's weak to OK

Gotcha - thanks for being candid. Should I apply more broadly instead of focusing on “t30” schools, or would my volunteering still look kind of weak to those schools also (assuming they don’t have a significant emphasis on service, compared to the baseline emphasis of course).

 

[Goro]

Gotcha - thanks for being candid. Should I apply more broadly instead of focusing on “t30” schools, or would my volunteering still look kind of weak to those schools also (assuming they don’t have a significant emphasis on service, compared to the baseline emphasis of course).

You should focus on getting into A medical school, not merely the pennant contenders. IF Drexel was your only accept, would you turn it down?

And there are probably 50 schools in the "T30"

You target those schools whos median stats are closest to your own, and have the app to match. Stats get you to the door, but ECs get you though.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Gotcha - thanks for being candid. Should I apply more broadly instead of focusing on “t30” schools, or would my volunteering still look kind of weak to those schools also (assuming they don’t have a significant emphasis on service, compared to the baseline emphasis of course).

Without knowing your stats and ECs no one can give a recommendation of schools to apply.

 

[Catalystik]

I'll have about 150-160 nonclinical volunteering hours throughout the span of a year by the time of my application.

Is it on campus, or benefiting the general community? Are the hours validated? Do you work directly with the population you serve? Is it philanthropic in nature? Have you taken on a leadership role with the organization?

 

[midnitetots12]

Is it on campus, or benefiting the general community? Are the hours validated? Do you work directly with the population you serve? Is it philanthropic in nature? Have you taken on a leadership role with the organization?

No they’re not really campus related activities to where leadership activities are easy to take on. It includes 2 food bank locations under the same supervisor, tutoring homeless children remotely, and a homeless shelter I had tutored at for about 60 hours in person pre-covid. They all have direct supervisors that know me and require us signing in, recording, etc. I’ll probably try to allocate more time the next 6 months than I planned however

 

[DNAJB6]

Is it on campus, or benefiting the general community?

Is it fair to assume that the latter is viewed more favorably?

Do you work directly with the population you serve? Is it philanthropic in nature?

Is the preferred answer yes to each question?

 

[Catalystik]

Is it fair to assume that the latter is viewed more favorably?

Is the preferred answer yes to each question?

Off campus, directly interacting with those you serve, especially if they are different from you, is more favorable than philanthropic endeavors where you never come into contact with those benefiting from the funds you raise. If you can eventually take on a leadership role, even better.

 

[7thAndLASTPoopoftheDay]

I'll have about 150-160 nonclinical volunteering hours throughout the span of a year by the time of my application. Is this weak for T-20 level schools assuming most other categories are about 1000+ hours (pubs etc for research, leadership for misc, multiple clinical jobs) and median stats for such schools?

I know this sounds neurotic, but I'm scared it'll stand out as being much less than the other categories, making it seem shady.

happy holidays everyone!

It's not 2015 anymore. Would have been good five years ago but frankly those are weak numbers for 2020

 

[Stride]

I agree with everyone on this thread who says 150 hours in non-clinical volunteering is standard at best.

However, I will tell you that I had around that number of hours, all completed for the same organization over a three-year period. I have received interview-invitations and admission-offers. I think other parts of my application "made up" for this average number.

I doubt that there would ever be one average or below-average part of your application that will completely sink you at most schools, but if a below-average number in one area comes along with many below-average numbers in other places, you then start to run into a problem.

 

[LaughingGas10]

Should be enough even for T10 if you can articulate well in the essays.

I would completely agree with you, that this would be true in 2 out of the 3 MD schools (one is a T20 and the other is a T50) that I have worked at , but I know we will be drowned out by the general sentiment here at SDN which somehow seems to propagate that thousands of hours of extracurriculars are required. I would agree that there are some service oriented schools ( 3 or 4 of the jesuit schools) where there is definitely a high priority on applicants with high number of service hours. There is also a higher expectation in the number of hours for gap year applicants at ALL schools.

I did a search on some of the well versed adcoms here on SDN and found this very meaningful post by @LizzyM from 2017, which I have pasted below , outlining the number of hours, which would resonate very well with what I have seen at the MD schools.

(suboptimal, decent, exceptional)
1. clinical hours (work or volunteer): 99, 150, 1,000+ (employment)
2. non-clinical volunteering hours: 99, 150, 1,000+ (full-time gap year)
3. shadowing hours: 8, 40, 80

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

It's not 2015 anymore. Would have been good five years ago but frankly those are weak numbers for 2020

Marginal maybe, but not weak. With the exception of the Jesuit schools and a small handful of others, 150-200 non-clinical volunteering hours is enough assuming no other weak spots in the app. Based on personal experience and applicants I know.

 

[Doctoscope]

I believe I've read on SDN that non-clinical activity is one of those things where quality/dedication > quantity.

It's probably better to have 150 hours in an activity you've dedicated 1+ year to that you can talk about effectively and passionately, than a 300-hour "box-checking" activity done over a summer that you can't really tie into your application neatly.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I believe I've read on SDN that non-clinical activity is one of those things where quality/dedication > quantity.

It's probably better to have 150 hours in an activity you've dedicated 1+ year to that you can talk about effectively and passionately, than a 300-hour "box-checking" activity done over a summer that you can't really tie into your application neatly.

Even clinical volunteering also 100+ quantity are sufficient for strong candidates.

 

[candbgirl]

Gotcha - thanks for being candid. Should I apply more broadly instead of focusing on “t30” schools, or would my volunteering still look kind of weak to those schools also (assuming they don’t have a significant emphasis on service, compared to the baseline emphasis of course).

You should always develop a list that is broad in scope. We really don’t know anything about your application so any response is pure speculation. Depending on the school and the mission focus, your current ECs might look even weaker than they currently do. That’s why you should spend time developing a good , strong and focused list. Use the MSAR, peruse the school specific threads, check out individual school websites etc. And as @Goro indicated the T30 is probably really the T50. That’s why it’s important to research and then develop your list.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

As long as you can get the most our of your experience, no one cares if you do 100 or 1500 hours. The whole point of community service is not that you beat the other applicant with regards to the number or hours. You should also be able to articulate it in your interview or your essay.

 

[Banco]

That's fine, especially if the rest of your application has other things going on. I think a lot of the time we put emphasis on the number rather than the quality of the activity itself. If you're targeting the research giants then your application makes sense in prioritizing research. Just make sure you don't neglect clinical experience, which is by and large the most important qualifier before other things are considered.