Online Activities

[Lactic Folly]

Say I describe in my interviews an extracurricular activity where I:

- mentor newcomers and guide them to success in the activity
- have had to learn the importance of effective PR in communication with other groups
- often need to resolve conflicts between people without destroying their motivation to work for the betterment of the group as a whole
- communicate with people of all different backgrounds
- schedule and organize events involving the coordinated efforts of many people

... where this activity is in fact, an online game?

The SDN (addicts) community is likely not the most impartial in this respect 😉 , but I'd like to know how you think it would sound to adcoms if I gave this example in the context of a "virtual community." Will it sound acceptable as an experience which really solidified my idea of what leadership means, or would it be best to demonstrate those same qualities by other activities?

If you exhibit good communication skills, maturity, etc. here on SDN, you most likely have them in real life as well. Indeed, posting messages with good info demonstrates the oft mentioned "helping people" part of medicine. Time online is just part of a taking a little break while I check my email, etc. but I fear some people still have negative stereotypes of internet usage.

So, would you ever mention anything online, for example, "I offer advice and support to premeds on an online forum"? Or would you mention the previous example but stay away from anything frivolous-sounding such as an online game?

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[Rapid Decomposition]

I think it would be pretty easy to take this too far. I definitely understand what you're saying, but sitting in front of a computer playing Everquest really doesn't count as an EC. 😉

I think the main problem is that online games aren't answerable to real life, and they don't function under the same rules, so people who know how to function in one don't necessarily function well in the other. Though like you said there are plenty of people who are at home both in the real world and cyberspace, there are also plenty of people who are completely at home in an online game but in real life practically panic if someone they don't know comes up to them.

If you mentioned something like this to an interviewer, they either a) wouldn't really understand what you're talking about in the first place or b) would think that you are somehow avoiding real life by playing online games. Wrong, yes, but it's still the stereotype. I would say go on the safe side and don't mention it.

 

[Lactic Folly]

Thanks for the reply.. that's pretty much what I thought..
Would be neat if someone were to pull it off successfully though 😉

 

[NRAI2001]

I don't fully understand what ur talking about? Did u actually work as a counsler or something online?

 

[QHamp]

The "Coiunseling premeds online" part sounds pretty good... but I am still amazed at how people turn their noses up when ever I mention "an online premed - med student forum". Even other premeds think it sounds crazy.

Guess you have to be an SDNer at heart 😉

 

[Lactic Folly]

Not work.. but I do volunteer as an email student mentor, and am planning to include that..
It just becomes a little fuzzy as to where to draw the line, if you know what I mean. Creating and running a board? Being a moderator on a board? Posting helpful messages on a board?
It's just funny.. if you say your hobby is Scrabble, that's fine.. change it to online Scrabble (or chess, or whatever) and it just doesn't have the same ring to it 😛

 

[steve007]

Originally posted by Lactic Folly
Not work.. but I do volunteer as an email student mentor, and am planning to include that..
It just becomes a little fuzzy as to where to draw the line, if you know what I mean. Creating and running a board? Being a moderator on a board? Posting helpful messages on a board?
It's just funny.. if you say your hobby is Scrabble, that's fine.. change it to online Scrabble (or chess, or whatever) and it just doesn't have the same ring to it 😛

well, i think if you have an official title or you opened/ran the site it'd be good to add. i don't think "member of sdn" is a good ec to list however.

 

[IrishOarsman]

Just have to ask... what game? 🙂

Why don't you list it as a job? Then you can put in the stuff about conflict resolution whatever and the reader probably won't make a huge note of it except that you have another job &etc

 

[Lactic Folly]

Hehe, the job thing might be stretching it a little 🙂
I was thinking of it as more of an answer to "What do you do for fun?" "Well, I like to read, play floor hockey, and play strategy games online.."
Incidentally, BioWare was founded by two family physicians who were very much into computer games..
The game is Archmage - heard of it?