Please critique my ECs!

[Surf92]

Hey sdn, long time browser first time poster...so here it goes:

I'm about to begin my junior year of college. I'm a chemistry major with a GPA of 3.55 and a science GPA of 3.5. I plan to take my MCAT next April (begun very very preliminary study). For what its worth, I'm a NJ resident as well. What I'm most concerned about at this point is getting all of my ECs in order and I was wondering if any fellow forum dwellers would mind taking a look at them. So far I have:

Two year class vice president (elected by classmates)
One year student body vice president (elected by whole student body)
Two year resident advisor
Two year member of the student/faculty university conduct board (hear cases and pass sanctions on high profile disciplinary issues, appointed by administration)
Approximately 200 hours er volunteering so far
Over 1500 hours volunteer work for a summer camp for children with type one diabetes
Chemistry tutor
Chemistry TA
20 hours shadowing anesthesiologist MD
20 hours shadowing Gen surgery DO
2 years of research with two posters and two first author publications in small to mid level journals
Summer research internship at my college
Peer mentor for an autistic teen

That about sums it up. I'd like to think I'm on the right track, but as this year approaches things are seeming more and more real. I would just like to know where I stand. Thanks in advance for all the constructive replies!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[tarheel1408]

Those look pretty good for the most part. The things that you may want to beef up a little are the number of hours spent shadowing physicians and the time spent in clinical volunteering. I don't know what your duties are at the diabetes camp but it looks like clinical volunteering is the biggest gap in your ECs

 

[Catalystik]

Hey sdn, long time browser first time poster...so here it goes:

I'm about to begin my junior year of college. I'm a chemistry major with a GPA of 3.55 and a science GPA of 3.5. I plan to take my MCAT next April (begun very very preliminary study). For what its worth, I'm a NJ resident as well. What I'm most concerned about at this point is getting all of my ECs in order and I was wondering if any fellow forum dwellers would mind taking a look at them. So far I have:

Two year class vice president (elected by classmates)
One year student body vice president (elected by whole student body)
Two year resident advisor
Two year member of the student/faculty university conduct board (hear cases and pass sanctions on high profile disciplinary issues, appointed by administration)
Approximately 200 hours er volunteering so far
Over 1500 hours volunteer work for a summer camp for children with type one diabetes
Chemistry tutor
Chemistry TA
20 hours shadowing anesthesiologist MD
20 hours shadowing Gen surgery DO
2 years of research with two posters and two first author publications in small to mid level journals
Summer research internship at my college
Peer mentor for an autistic teen

That about sums it up. I'd like to think I'm on the right track, but as this year approaches things are seeming more and more real. I would just like to know where I stand. Thanks in advance for all the constructive replies!!

I think you're coming along very nicely.

You didn't specify the amount of tutoring and TA involvment. And, will it be ongoing?

The research is above average and the leadership looks good.

I think the clinical experience looks good, so long as you acquired it over 1+ years.

Your shadowing is currently at the bare minimum in my opinion. I 'd like to see, say, 20 hours of office-based primary care shadowing added.

Depending on what you do at the camp, it may or may not be looked on as clinical. Are you there primarily to make it fun/supervise, or do you assist in tasks that a nurse or medical aide might perform?

What have you already planned to add/continue by application time?

 

[Surf92]

Thanks for all the great responses so far. As far as my duties at the diabetes camp go, we are there to make it a fun and enjoyable experience for the children, however we assist them in checking blood sugars (or physically do it for the little ones) at least 6 times a day, aid nurses in the administration of insulin, I follow the on staff endocrinologist in the health center and go with him to the different cabins as he teaches about diabetes management and healthy living, we aid/observe the insertion of insulin pumps and treat low blood sugars (apple juice = best medical treatment ever). Would that count as clinical experience? The clinical volunteering/shadowing will have happened over a period of 2 years as well (hoping the ER volunteering leads into another shadowing position...)

In terms of what I plan do do by application time, that would include continuing all volunteering, especially in the ER, research, tutoring, and TAing until graduation. Also, the VP of the student body has a pretty good track record of being elected President for his/her senior year...so hopefully that works out as well

 

[Catalystik]

1) As far as my duties at the diabetes camp go, we are there to make it a fun and enjoyable experience for the children, however we assist them in checking blood sugars (or physically do it for the little ones) at least 6 times a day, aid nurses in the administration of insulin, I follow the on staff endocrinologist in the health center and go with him to the different cabins as he teaches about diabetes management and healthy living, we aid/observe the insertion of insulin pumps and treat low blood sugars (apple juice = best medical treatment ever). Would that count as clinical experience? The clinical volunteering/shadowing will have happened over a period of 2 years as well (hoping the ER volunteering leads into another shadowing position...)

2) In terms of what I plan do do by application time, that would include continuing all volunteering, especially in the ER, research, tutoring, and TAing until graduation. Also, the VP of the student body has a pretty good track record of being elected President for his/her senior year...so hopefully that works out as well

1) Yes, a portion of what you do is clinical experience and some is Endocrinology shadowing (I wouldn't include the teaching time). You might want to figure out roughly the proportion of the time spent on each activity so you can split it out and list it separately from the main camp experience in an appropriate category (not counting the same hours twice). Alternatively, you can mention the % time in each activity in one description for a single space, if you have the room to do it.

2) Sounds good.