Pre medical society?

[Tawantinsuyu]

How much do med school admissions care about whether you were in your school's premed society/club or not? Does it matter to them if you are not involved in it?

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[Boolean]

How much do med school admissions care about whether you were in your school's premed society/club or not? Does it matter to them if you are not involved in it?

If it shows leadership, great. If it doesn't, who cares.

 

[deleted407021]

They don't care. Most of the "leadership" positions in these kinds of things are just titles, anyway. I've said before that in my experience, they should be called "future pre-physical therapy" clubs. Since you have a limited amount of time to dedicate to activities, I really think you could reap much more benefit from some other club or activity instead of a pre med society.

 

[jturkel]

doesnt matter. i was briefly in mine at my undergrad as just a member. it was worthless. the president of the club didn't get into medical school.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Honestly, they are a dime a dozen, these pre-med clubs. Unless you're in a leadership position in it, as mentioned, then I wouldn't even bother putting it on your application.

 

[trino]

I was president of mine. I did my best to turn around the club from worthless and did a decent job. It gave me a lot to talk about, but being president and doing something is the only thing that will count with pre-med societies

 

[Frostbite22]

I hated the pre-health clubs at our school. Honestly all they did was focus on VIDA trips to foreign countries. Never did anything productive. I only was a member for a semester before realizing the only good thing was the free food.

There are different clubs that can be way more fun/productive IMO.

 

[contender603]

they should be called "future pre-physical therapy" clubs.

That is the most accurate statement in this thread...

Every school has one, 90% of pre-meds are a part of them, so I can't imagine that it would be a stand-out part of your application. But hey, everybody has their own opinion.

 

[talinnlove]

To be honest, most people in AED at my school were either 1) ignorant jerks, 2) entitled jerks, or 3) ignorant and entitled jerks. Ultimately, I didn't even put it on my AMCAS because I was too scared that my fellow members' reputations would precede me. 🙄

 

[amazing tekkers]

To be honest, most people in AED at my school were either 1) ignorant jerks, 2) entitled jerks, or 3) ignorant and entitled jerks. Ultimately, I didn't even put it on my AMCAS because I was too scared that my fellow members' reputations would precede me. 🙄

I occasionally go to the pre-med club at my school for free food, volunteering opportunities, otherwise I don't really bother with it. I don't see the students to be ignorant or entitled, they're actually pretty nice and sociable people.

 

[talinnlove]

I occasionally go to the pre-med club at my school for free food, volunteering opportunities, otherwise I don't really bother with it. I don't see the students to be ignorant or entitled, they're actually pretty nice and sociable people.

My point was more to illustrate that my school had a pre-med honors society with a cutthroat reputation that I did not want to be associated with, not that pre-meds in AED are unilaterally and unequivocally going to be known as jerks. I'm sure some of them are nice people. I just don't want to be associated with them for fear that the bad apples had previously left a negative impression. Essentially, the odds of OP being viewed negatively by adcoms for not being a member of AED is pretty low IMHO.

 

[Boolean]

My point was more to illustrate that my school had a pre-med honors society with a cutthroat reputation that I did not want to be associated with, not that pre-meds in AED are unilaterally and unequivocally going to be known as jerks. I'm sure some of them are nice people. I just don't want to be associated with them for fear that the bad apples had previously left a negative impression. Essentially, the odds of OP being viewed negatively by adcoms for not being a member of AED is pretty low IMHO.

I may be incorrect but I think you two are thinking of two different things. One is an honors society, the other is a club. You're going to find some different people in each as a result.

 

[chemhead123]

Mine was worthless. I went the first day and never went back. I've never heard of it turning out to be an important selection factor...ever.

 

[aesculapian]

You know, it's ironic because all these people on here complain about how their pre-med clubs were worthless and unproductive and yet they never did anything about it. Why not stop complaining, get more involved, maybe run for a board position and try to turn things around? Jesus.

 

[deleted407021]

You know, it's ironic because all these people on here complain about how their pre-med clubs were worthless and unproductive and yet they never did anything about it. Why not stop complaining, get more involved, maybe run for a board position and try to turn things around? Jesus.

Because the leadership positions in these "societies" are meaningless, more often than not.

Either way, people's energies are probably better used elsewhere than trying to pump meaning into something that has no real purpose other than to give neuroticism a place to breed.

 

[aesculapian]

That's exactly what I'm arguing. Get involved, take on a leadership position, and make it meaningful yourself.

 

[Tuftee]

Because the leadership positions in these "societies" are meaningless, more often than not.

Either way, people's energies are probably better used elsewhere than trying to pump meaning into something that has no real purpose other than to give neuroticism a place to breed.

*posts on SDN*

 

[deleted407021]

*posts on SDN*

And this community actively attempts to identify and rein in neuroticism when it is found. It doesn't foster it like these organizations do. Additionally, I have known the Phi Delta Epsilon group on my campus to be a cesspool of misinformation. The president herself ended up applying with a MCAT of 19. Many member dropped interest in medicine altogether. I can't think of anything which personally endears these clubs to me and very little I could objectively find that would cause me to recommend them to anyone. Instead, I point people to SDN.

 

[Tuftee]

And this community actively attempts to identify and rein in neuroticism when it is found. It doesn't foster it like these organizations do. Additionally, I have known the Phi Delta Epsilon group on my campus to be a cesspool of misinformation. The president herself ended up applying with a MCAT of 19. Many member dropped interest in medicine altogether. I can't think of anything which personally endears these clubs to me and very little I could objectively find that would cause me to recommend them to anyone. Instead, I point people to SDN.

Yeah, I understand where you are coming from. I joined my premed society and promptly realized that it was a waste of money. SDN has been a huge help for me; I am just joking with you!

 

[Aerus]

You know, it's ironic because all these people on here complain about how their pre-med clubs were worthless and unproductive and yet they never did anything about it. Why not stop complaining, get more involved, maybe run for a board position and try to turn things around? Jesus.

When an organization advertises itself as a "premed organization", it's really hard to do much to change that. I consider "not worthless" clubs as ones that directly help the community, not serve as a socializing center of bad information for premeds to congregate.

There are a few "premed orgs" out there that do give useful, accurate information, but even then, there are probably issues in the community that would be better worth the time addressing than informing uninformed premeds.

 

[darklabel]

You know, it's ironic because all these people on here complain about how their pre-med clubs were worthless and unproductive and yet they never did anything about it. Why not stop complaining, get more involved, maybe run for a board position and try to turn things around? Jesus.

Because its not worth the time and effort needed to change the club. I can't speak for other schools, but at mine, you had quite a large group of people (think 300+) and getting the president position took a combination of luck, social skills and a lot of time that I felt I could move to other endeavors. All the other positions were just filler positions to pad a resume except maybe secretory, treasurer and vice president.

I think when people say its worthless, they mean that it isn't something that will make any premed stand out (unless its leadership) but it does have its pro's when it comes to personal growth and learning more about the profession, such as the speakers and making friends. But most of the activities weren't worth adding to AMCAS and you can't really change that as a member (at least in my school). Seriously, almost any volunteer activity advertised on there had a large number that exceeded what they needed and the club's premed population had a reputation of only volunteering to get into medical school.

But, YMMV

 

[deleted407021]

Yeah, I understand where you are coming from. I joined my premed society and promptly realized that it was a waste of money. SDN has been a huge help for me; I am just joking with you!

Internet sarcasm + INTJ personality = Doesn't get jokes very easily.

I would be lost, trusting in the words of my advisor, if it weren't for sdn.

 

[wanderer]

It will neither help nor hurt. If you are president or make a lot of connections it can help on the interview trail by giving you connections and things to talk about.