Starting (additional) volunteering during application cycle?

[Maybedoc1]

Hello all,

I'm getting ready to apply this upcoming cycle and I have a few questions regarding (sort of) last minute volunteering. I'm thinking about starting two (maybe three) additional volunteering gigs in the next week or two. One would be working with a crisis text line. It's a year long/200 hour commitment where I would be helping people in crisis. I have done something similar and have enjoyed it. Another would be a phone service that provides information and helps people navigate health services like medicaid, SNAP, medicare, etc. It's a six month commitment I believe. The other would be volunteering for this organization called Results which is an advocacy group with goals of combating poverty. They have local groups that research and contact their congressmen in the hopes of having them support policy to help with poverty. They're currently focusing on the effects of COVID19 in regards to housing and food scarcity. I'm really into politics and I think working with my state's congresspeople would be a cool experience.

I'm a little worried about my volunteering and I wish I had more things on there.

So far for volunteering I have 300ish hours working with a sexual assault crisis hotline (I'm going to get another 100 by the time I hopefully start school). I have 5-10 hours tutoring a high school student who lived in government housing (I was hoping for more hours here, but there were a lot of cancellations.) I was supposed to start a hospital volunteering position this past winter however I was never scheduled (even after multiple follow up emails). It won't happen now because of COVID. Also was going to look into starting a mentorship program for local "troubled youth," but COVID.

I have 1500 hours working as a medical scribe in a surgical sub-specialty. I have ~6 months working as a ski patroller (EMT-B) at a major western resort. It's an atypical premed experience, but I found it invaluable. I was able to respond to 75 calls (lead all of patrol) before our season was cut short by over a month. I saw everything from leg fractures, to cardiac complaints to head injuries. One of my patients had to be flown emergently to the major city 2 hours away, etc. It was a great hands on experience. I've also shadowed a variety of doctors and was about to shadow an orthopedic surgeon before COVID.

I'm wondering about adding "last minute" volunteering? I believe you can put future hours on your application, but I realize that schools might not take it as seriously as hours that have already been completed. However it would be over a year between submitting my application and starting school (if I get accepted). I feel like I should be doing something during that time. I can't imagine that the entire year before starting school just doesn't matter.

So yes. I should have done more stuff before, however here I am. Does volunteering during your cycle count for anything?

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[Moko]

it would be over a year between submitting my application and starting school (if I get accepted). I feel like I should be doing something during that time. I can't imagine that the entire year before starting school just doesn't matter.

So yes. I should have done more stuff before, however here I am. Does volunteering during your cycle count for anything?

My thoughts:
- Words are cheap. Until someone has followed through with actions, future hours mean next to nothing for one's application.
- You should still pursue activities though as it will give you something to talk about during interviews, and help strengthen any re-application (if you are among the majority of students each year who do not obtain a single acceptance).
- You have sufficient hours for both non-clinical volunteering and clinical experience.

 

[Engrailed]

I think you have good ideas but I am curious why, all of a sudden, you have this desire to start multiple volunteering projects?
Like @Moko said, it's hard to say how this will reflect on your application since future hours are easy to list (thus, they are not as meaningful as hours already completed). Adcom are no strangers to seeing applications with a string of volunteering activities all initiated within a few months of submission.

I would probably just do 1 or max. 2 things that you genuinely interest you and use the remaining time to work on other application gaps if you have any.

 

[Maybedoc1]

My thoughts:
- Words are cheap. Until someone has followed through with actions, future hours mean next to nothing for one's application.
- You should still pursue activities though as it will give you something to talk about during interviews, and help strengthen any re-application (if you are among the majority of students each year who do not obtain a single acceptance).
- You have sufficient hours for both non-clinical volunteering and clinical experience.

Thanks for getting back to me. I can see how future hours don't mean much. I still think I'm going to go through with it as it gives me additional stuff to talk about in interviews/if I have to reapply. Plus I think I would like the experiences.

I've been worried about my volunteer hours (it's the thing I'm most worried about as a matter of fact). It's good to hear that my hours are ok. I've tried to get more, but things haven't panned out. Will my lack of clinical volunteering look bad even though I have a good amount of clinical experience? Again I tried to volunteer at my local hospital, but I was never scheduled (even after the 4 hour orientation and the TB blood test).

 

[Maybedoc1]

I think you have good ideas but I am curious why, all of a sudden, you have this desire to start multiple volunteering projects?
Like @Moko said, it's hard to say how this will reflect on your application since future hours are easy to list (thus, they are not as meaningful as hours already completed). Adcom are no strangers to seeing applications with a string of volunteering activities all initiated within a few months of submission.

I would probably just do 1 or max. 2 things that you genuinely interest you and use the remaining time to work on other application gaps if you have any.

Good question. I guess it's a combination of my newfound free time, my desire to do more during this pandemic and my lack of other opportunities panning out. I was planning on starting another 2 volunteer things over the winter, but one was never scheduled and I put off the other one (the classic "oh I'll fill out that application tomorrow"). I'm thinking I'm going to do the text hotline and the poverty advocacy. I've worked with a hotline before and enjoyed it. I also like the idea of getting into politics a little bit (no matter how minor it may be).