Should I start volunteering during my first semester of college?

[amanda33756]

I’m going to be a freshman in college this fall and am wondering if I should start volunteering during my first semester or if I wait until I’m more settled into college life. I volunteered throughout high school at a local hospital, but I’m going to an out-of-state school and this would be volunteering at an entirely new hospital, so it would be a change I’ll have to adjust to. I was wondering if it’s worth the stress of adjusting to both college and been volunteer work at the same time or if I should wait until second semester to start volunteering at the hospital. Would it be more beneficial in my med school resume if I began as soon as freshman year started? Or is it okay if I focus on school and some clubs for now and volunteer later?

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[amanda33756]

*I meant for my med school application, not resume

 

[wholeheartedly]

moving to pre-allo as user is pre-med

 

[ciestar]

My undergrad had freshman involvement days and stuff like that for volunteering. Test the waters and see if you like anything they have to offer. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, though.

 

[wholeheartedly]

i agree, just ease into things.

 

[Robin-jay]

I would focus on grades first. volunteer during breaks, like winter or summers. Then once you have your studying habits down pat, ease into volunteering, etc. during classes second year if you want. That's my opinion.

 

[MyOdyssey]

I’m going to be a freshman in college this fall and am wondering if I should start volunteering during my first semester or if I wait until I’m more settled into college life. I volunteered throughout high school at a local hospital, but I’m going to an out-of-state school and this would be volunteering at an entirely new hospital, so it would be a change I’ll have to adjust to. I was wondering if it’s worth the stress of adjusting to both college and been volunteer work at the same time or if I should wait until second semester to start volunteering at the hospital. Would it be more beneficial in my med school resume if I began as soon as freshman year started? Or is it okay if I focus on school and some clubs for now and volunteer later?

Limit your involvement with volunteering first semester especially if you're planning to take 2 or more STEM classes.

I recommend you read the chance me threads on this forum. A lot of people get off to horrible academic starts to their collegiate careers because they try to do too much. Don't make that mistake.

 

[boundlesscorpuscle]

As others have said, the initial primary focus should be on academics. Going to college/university can be a big adjustment in multiple aspects of your life, and you want to make sure you have a handle on your classes before you start heaping other things on top of that.

That being said, it's never too early to get involved, and your school will probably provide you with plenty of options to do so. If you find a volunteer opportunity you are particularly excited about, there's no harm in starting a few hours a week and then easing into a larger commitment as you acclimate to your schedule.

 

[WedgeDawg]

GPA is the hardest, longest, and most expensive thing to fix. Everything else is secondary and can be fixed much more easily. Take that as you will in your current situation. FWIW I didn't do any ECs other than research until junior year of college.