Reasonable EC involvement

[rbernst]

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So I am about to begin my MI year in a couple of months, and I am starting to think about my involvement in extracurriculars during my first year. So far, my goals are (roughly) as follows:

• small amount of clinical research (probably starting later in the year)

• 1-2 long term, low time-commitment volunteer positions (i.e. bimonthly involvement)

• 2 larger volunteer events during the year
• active club membership in at least one club

So what I want to know is if that sounds reasonable to those who have actually gone through their pre-clinical years. I don't want to spread myself too thin of course, but at this point I am interested in some of the more competitive residencies (please don't reality check me, that might not be realistic 😱), and from what I've read, it's clear that students who match into them tend to have a good amount of EC involvement:

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf

I've also read that people considering residency applicants don't often look into EC's, but I'm thinking that, while they might not care so much about my involvement, it is likely that the absence of involvement would be a red flag.

Sorry if I'm being a pain in the butt - I would appreciate any input, thanks!

 

[MedWonk]

So I am about to begin my MI year in a couple of months, and I am starting to think about my involvement in extracurriculars during my first year. So far, my goals are (roughly) as follows:

• small amount of clinical research (probably starting later in the year)

• 1-2 long term, low time-commitment volunteer positions (i.e. bimonthly involvement)

• 2 larger volunteer events during the year
• active club membership in at least one club

So what I want to know is if that sounds reasonable to those who have actually gone through their pre-clinical years. I don't want to spread myself too thin of course, but at this point I am interested in some of the more competitive residencies (please don't reality check me, that might not be realistic 😱), and from what I've read, it's clear that students who match into them tend to have a good amount of EC involvement:

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf

I've also read that people considering residency applicants don't often look into EC's, but I'm thinking that, while they might not care so much about my involvement, it is likely that the absence of involvement would be a red flag.

Sorry if I'm being a pain in the butt - I would appreciate any input, thanks!

Stick to doing things you like to do, otherwise you'll either flake out of a bunch of things or just hate your life. Don't do things just for the sake of doing them. Except maybe research if you have to.

 

[C@lidoc]

I was really just hoping to do some research and maybe some shadowing, but maybe that's not a good plan.

 

[mik30102]

I was just planning on doing research, participating in interest groups, being a interviewer, and perhaps some occasional volunteering at free clinics. Do you really need more then this for programs in terms of ECs?

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Research will never hurt your CV! . If you like research, I would prioritize it highly over other extra curriculars

I am a new 3rd year med student btw. As far as volunteering goes, I was definitely not able to do as much altruistic volunteering once I entered medical school. I even had to resign my position as an Assistant Scoutmaster in my local scout troop.

I love leadership and leading new endeavors, so I joined 1 student organization while in med school as an officer. I did so in order to network with administrators and make future career opportunities.

During the final half of my second year when STEP 1 inched ever closer, I had to decrease my involvement with essentially all my extracurricular activities and focus 100% on my studies.


In summary, med school is a stressful time when it is okay to focus on yourself a bit more than normal. Research is fantastic, extra curriculars are great if they help you network, and if your soul is just dying for some altruistic volunteering opportunities, there is a little bit of time for that too but definitely not during STEP study time.


Cheers!

 

[MedWonk]

I was just planning on doing research, participating in interest groups, being a interviewer, and perhaps some occasional volunteering at free clinics. Do you really need more then this for programs in terms of ECs?

You're not asking the right question. You should be asking which ECs you should do, not how many. Basically, research never hurts, but I would refrain from doing it if you don't like it unless you think you'll want to apply for a specialty that essentially requires it. Everything else is up to you, and unless it's something truly substantive, then it's not likely to make a huge difference. Stick to what you like doing.

 

[LuluMed]

I'm starting med school this fall too - what I've been told over and over lately is that I should just do ECs that I truly enjoy. My thought on it at this point are that ECs are to keep me sane, make some friends, and maybe learn a little more about the specialities I'm interested in. I am very involved (coaching and competing) in the local club for my sport in the area around where I am going to med school so I plan to continue with that at more of a recreational level a couple times a week. I was also just planning to join the club in for the specialty I am currently interested in and maybe on other group if I have time so I can be more involved in the school's community - I'll figure that out once I get there and get to know everyone though!

 

[Shipping News]

Yeah, don't do busy-work for busy-work's sake. The residency application process is not as insane as the med school one was. It really is all about your academic success and your ability to not come off as weird in the interview.

 

[baxt1412]

i've always been a very leadership-oriented person, so i truly am interested in possibly being an officer for the class (pres, VP, idk what all exists). once school starts i want to meet with some of the other leaders from other classes and ask about their time commitments to make sure this is something i want to do, but in general how would that look? in general, really good? or just kind of like any other EC?


i am heavily interested in ortho, so i know i'll need to be doing some research which i will be trying to get going a few months in once i have gotten settled. i'll also want to do stuff along the lines of OP's post.

 

[operaman]

OP - sounds perfectly reasonable and you can easily titrate up/down as needed.

I would only add a suggestion to put a hold on EC involvement for the first couple of exams. I always say 2 because the first exam commonly covers a lot of background material you've had before, so give yourself a chance to figure out how you manage the new volume of information. Remember that grades and boards are far and away the most important things (as much as it pains me every time I say it ). Even if you go to a P/F school, grades still matter both for internal ranking and as a surrogate marker for how well you are learning the material that will be tested on your boards.

 

[doc05]

ECs dont matter at all for residency application. more important are your clinical grades, research, and connections.

 

[Elevencents]

It sounds like you're just trying to do things to fill out a checklist. It's not like med school apps where you need this, this and this. Bimonthly volunteer excursions are essentially worthless. Do things because you want to, not because you think someone will bump you up the list because of it.

 

[Merely]

So if I don't want to I don't need to do anything? I just want to study and research but I think it will look weird with no clubs and the other stuff will it not?

 

[pd1112]

There's no right or wrong, black & white answer other than simply having one EC is most likely better than none. Get in a groove with class performance & fill in ECs as you go if you're interested in them. At the end of M3/beginning of M4 would you rather be thinking "I wish I would've spent less time doing these 10 ECs so my grades & step scores were better" or "My ECs are really the only weakness in my residency app right now" ? Obviously those are the two extremes, but you get the idea.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

If you have a specialty in mind, it does not hurt to join a few interest groups! I love One Health, so I joined the Student One Health Association at my med school since year one. Also if you like a cause such as global health and missionary work in developing countries, there may be opportunities to join them as well! Just do what you have interest in. I joined at least 1 thing outside of research and school because I liked it, but I definitely put STEP, school, and research first.

 

[ortnakas]

OP-- do things that interest you. EC's in medical school aren't as much about checking-the-right-boxes as they are as a premed.

It shows leadership and usually some degree of social skills since you have to get elected, so we at least know your peers don't hate you.

For what it's worth, our class government ran completely unopposed for next year. (They're all good people, but it wasn't exactly a contest.)

Edited for punctuation

 

[baxt1412]

OP-- do things that interest you. EC's in medical school aren't as much about checking-the-right-boxes as they are as a premed.



For what it's worth, our class government ran completely unopposed for next year. (They're all good people, but it wasn't exactly a contest.

what residency programs don't know won't hurt them 😉