Summer Volunteering/Shadowing/Work

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NKChemEng

In vino veritas
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I just finished my freshman year at my university. I'm majoring in Chemical Engineering. Basically, I entered this summer knowing that I had no real clinical exposure, and I jumped in, looking for opportunities.

Right now, I feel like I am starting to have a lot, maybe too much on my plate. I am volunteering at 2 hospitals, working in a research lab full time (unpaid 9-5), possibly (read probably) shadowing one or more doctors that are figuring out logistics right now, and tutoring high school chem/physics.

I'm almost sure that I'll be able to juggle my commitments, because I am fully devoting my summer to this work. However, as silly as it sounds, I'm afraid of being perceived as "too shallow" by adcom. I am truly excited to volunteer and get clinical exposure, and I'm curious to see how a hospital really works on the inside. I don't want to appear that I'm just checking things off a list, especially since I have had no volunteer experience before (in HS).

How do I make the most out of my commitments, even with a perhaps hectic schedule in the next few months, and come out with interesting experiences? Should I be worried that doing many things at once will detract from my ability to commit fully to any one of them?

Thank you in advance for the advice, and I hope I didn't ramble :p

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I just finished my freshman year at my university. I'm majoring in Chemical Engineering. Basically, I entered this summer knowing that I had no real clinical exposure, and I jumped in, looking for opportunities.

Right now, I feel like I am starting to have a lot, maybe too much on my plate. I am volunteering at 2 hospitals, working in a research lab full time (unpaid 9-5), possibly (read probably) shadowing one or more doctors that are figuring out logistics right now, and tutoring high school chem/physics.

I'm almost sure that I'll be able to juggle my commitments, because I am fully devoting my summer to this work. However, as silly as it sounds, I'm afraid of being perceived as "too shallow" by adcom. I am truly excited to volunteer and get clinical exposure, and I'm curious to see how a hospital really works on the inside. I don't want to appear that I'm just checking things off a list, especially since I have had no volunteer experience before (in HS).

How do I make the most out of my commitments, even with a perhaps hectic schedule in the next few months, and come out with interesting experiences? Should I be worried that doing many things at once will detract from my ability to commit fully to any one of them?

Thank you in advance for the advice, and I hope I didn't ramble :p

Well they will obviously know you have certain priorities, and with chemical engineering being your major they will know you might not have time. But, at least you have some exposure that's what counts, it doesn't matter when or how quick you did it, the point is you did it.
Don't worry about anything, do what you can this summer and then go back to you studies, most people do all the volunteer, shadowing and research during the summer or when they have time off from school, it's very common.
 
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