some kick ass ecs?

[Aero047]

Now I know I'm annoying the hell out of you guys but I am absolutely amazed that you have the time to 1) have a job, 2) do research, 3) volunteer, and 4) maintain a 3.6-.7+ GPA. How the hell do you guys do it? Do you have any tips to stick out from the applicant pool by some hot ass EC's? I'm trying too work on my EC's right now but weren't you guys intimidated by doing all this stuff? I'm just a freshman (an introvert mind you) and I read some posts saying that if you're shy, it isn't really going to help you. So did you guys take like time management courses or what? I bet I'm not going to get any replies to this post..why do I bother?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[nicholonious]

Now I know I'm annoying the hell out of you guys but I am absolutely amazed that you have the time to 1) have a job, 2) do research, 3) volunteer, and 4) maintain a 3.6-.7+ GPA. How the hell do you guys do it? Do you have any tips to stick out from the applicant pool by some hot ass EC's? I'm trying too work on my EC's right now but weren't you guys intimidated by doing all this stuff? I'm just a freshman (an introvert mind you) and I read some posts saying that if you're shy, it isn't really going to help you. So did you guys take like time management courses or what? I bet I'm not going to get any replies to this post..why do I bother?

But it doesn't mean you HAVE to do research, volunteer, and all that wholesome stuff. My friends (almost all of them in med school now) have given me this advice when I was an undergrad: in a nutshell, they told me to not follow the convention and to create my own path. If you show that, it's most likely that during interviews and in your PS it will reflect how you created something on your own without following the herd, just as long as its tied into medicine/health care/altruism(maybe/maybe not) in some way or another.

Harps (an SDNer on this board) created a program for immigrant farmers in the sacramento area that was designed to give them free checkups on monitoring their BP, HR, etc. He also provided health awareness to them in order to improve their lifestyles.

Anyways, your a freshmen, you are young, you have lots of time. I would look around, see what activities there are offered, maybe invest time in creating some form of EC that you deem worthy and see if it works.

Best of luck.

(by the way, I'm one of those lab research, clinical internship, volunteer persons...just another in the masses)

 

[neuronerd]

Now I know I'm annoying the hell out of you guys but I am absolutely amazed that you have the time to 1) have a job, 2) do research, 3) volunteer, and 4) maintain a 3.6-.7+ GPA. How the hell do you guys do it? Do you have any tips to stick out from the applicant pool by some hot ass EC's? I'm trying too work on my EC's right now but weren't you guys intimidated by doing all this stuff? I'm just a freshman (an introvert mind you) and I read some posts saying that if you're shy, it isn't really going to help you. So did you guys take like time management courses or what? I bet I'm not going to get any replies to this post..why do I bother?

Well, for #2, you can actually get school credit for doing research so it can be basically like a class (although I did 12 hours of research for 4 credits). You don't have to volunteer every day of the week. You can do 4-5 hours on Sats at the hospital (or I personally did Thursday nights for 5 hours and Sats for 5 hours sometimes at the urgent care clinic). I had fin. aid until I graduated, then I got a job. But you can apply for a job at your college (like dorm security monitor, etc.) and study while you work although it doesn't pay that well.

 

[Aero047]

Hm..thanks for the advice.

 

[honsano]

YOu know a killer ec....my school radio show. No one listens to me ( ) but everyone is always surprised when I tell them I have one. Plus, it is super fun.

 

[acidhouse303]

i think a great EC experience i had was tutoring inner city kids at high risk of dropping out of school through metro center for urban education, i basically hopped a train for 1.5 hrs ea way and went to bloomberg's #1 worst nyc public school (on his "dirty dozen" list) and tutored kids in math so they could pass their regents. everyone seems to ask me about this in interviews and its something i enjoy talking about because it was fun to interact w/kids from so many different ethnic backgrounds and we got along really well, (they keep invitin me to their baseball games!) and i still keep in touch w many of them, and theyve had good progress. well some of em. everyone asks is it like dangerous minds lol cuz there are metal detectors in the school and kids be gettin cuffed all teh time and theres fights n stuff. but it was a great experience and being an MD youre gonna have to deal w ppl from the hood all the time, and they rock.

 

[acidhouse303]

also i was in a tek house band in college and play instruments n sing and i did some promotional modeling and stuff, for a rave clothing company and did some run way shows at clubs. sometimes this comes up although im wondering if its a good or bad thing haha. i dont want em to think im TOO scandal-icious. just a lil' bit

 

[scooter31]

I walked on the moon. Twice. Honestly.

 

[Thundrstorm]

I walked on the moon. Twice. Honestly.

and how did you manage that?

 

[cooldreams]

he thinks astronauts landed in arizona or something... not earths natural satellite.... hehe

 

[scooter31]

and how did you manage that?

I had some off time between humanitarian missions in Myanmar and building a hydroelectric powerplant in Mongolia, so I figured what the hell-- I mean I quadruple majored in CHemE/EE/BME/Romance Languages as an undergrad, so it wasnt much of a stretch.

 

[scooter31]

he thinks astronauts landed in arizona or something... not earths natural satellite.... hehe

Nevada. Area 51. Rumours swirling about that the moon landings were faked at Area 51/Nevada Test Range. I am here to tell you--- mistruths and falsehoods, all of it--- much like my AMCAS

 

[medicomel]

YOu know a killer ec....my school radio show. No one listens to me ( ) but everyone is always surprised when I tell them I have one. Plus, it is super fun.

Nobody listened to me either!!! I guess nobody was awake at 3am on a weeknight?

 

[scooter31]

Nobody listened to me either!!! I guess nobody was awake at 3am on a weeknight?

I helped out a friend do a radio show--- Saturday nights from 9-11. Primo time slot youd think, but most everyone was heading out to the bars by the time we hit the air

 

[Thundrstorm]

I had some off time between humanitarian missions in Myanmar and building a hydroelectric powerplant in Mongolia, so I figured what the hell-- I mean I quadruple majored in CHemE/EE/BME/Romance Languages as an undergrad, so it wasnt much of a stretch.

hot.

 

[ellia08]

Just think of all the fabulous ECs you could perform during the 4.5 hrs you currently spend sleeping.

Well, get on it man! the clocks ticking.

 

[scooter31]

Just think of all the fabulous ECs you could perform during the 4.5 hrs you currently spend sleeping.

Well, get on it man! the clocks ticking.

Heheh, good one.

 

[UDbiochem]

Do whatever you want to. Don't be cookie-cutter.

I'm going to study abroad in Antarctica in January. No joke.

 

[jetskigirl]

The two ECs that my interviewers were the most impressed with: 4 months of horse therapy my freshman year (this has come up in EVERY interview) and playing the piano at my cousin's wedding next month (I didn't write this in my app, but when I'm asked what I've been doing since graduation, I tell them practicing).

Sure, I have 1000+ hours of research, 100 hours in an ER, 100 hours in a STD clinic, Habitat for Humanity, National Merit, Phi Beta Kappa, yada yada yada. These occasionally come up in interviews. But for the most part, the interviewers focus on the things that make you different. Make yourself stand out.

And it doesn't have to be time-consuming. Five hours a week adds up to 1000 hours over your college career. Then again, I probably followed ellia08's plan. Who needs sleep anyway?

 

[futuremsfdoc]

how about taekwondo?