things that make you stand out...

[jon0013]

so i had an interview with this professor i had this morning to get a letter...to my surprise he pulls a mock interview type of deal on me and made me realize that i have a lot of thinking to do about myself this summer...he said he was trying to scare me and really grilled me on this thing...he talks about all the other Asians out there with high GPA and high MCATs and stressed the importance of being different...

i wanna know if theres any unique experiences that yalll have been involved with such as doing one of those medical trips abroad and what yall thought of it..i wasnt planning on leaving austin this summer but now i guess i'm down to try something new...

peace

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SitraAchra]

There are plenty of opportunities here in Austin to help you stand out if you look for them. Instead of volunteering in one of those cookie-cutter hospital volunteer gigs, head to one of Austin's 6 or 7 community clinics where they actually need the help! Being involved in Austin's safety-net for the poor is rewarding if you're into that.

How about mentoring at a local highschool? Assuming you are a UT student, just contact a mentoring group in the Student Volunteer Board.

Do research..or more of it...if you already have it.

Most importantly don't worry about what other people are doing to separate themselves and emulate it, do what you like and dive in.

 

[LizzyM]

If you are really into being cold, tired and hungry in order to benefit others, go on a medical mission this summer. If you are doing it to be "unique", then forget about it. Summer travel to help the misfortunate is not unique.

There are thousands of applicants in the bin with you, Asians and others. Almost all have high gpas, almost all have high MCATS. Weeding out those with the really low scores (gpa <3, MCAT <27), you are still in a bin with thousands of others.

What else is the adcom going to look for? any of the following are a plus but no one of these is essential

Face to face experience with sick people (volunteer or paid, in hospital or not)

Volunteer experience in the community or on campus (even better if it involved leading a group of volunteers)

Research experience
Experience with another culture (living & working abroad, usually)
Varsity sports experience
Training in music/music performance
Work experience of any kind

The adcom is also looking for an engaging PS. A really good personal statement is memorable and makes the reader say, "this guy is interesting, I'd like to meet him"

Spend the summer reading a good daily newspaper online to keep up on medical related current events (like the NY Times or Wall Street Journal) and writing a really good PS. If any of the activities listed above sounds even remotely interesting, spend some time doing it. By summer you will have submitted your application and the point is not to pad your resume but to have something interesting and exciting to talk about when you interview. Almost anything can be exciting if you are excited about it.

 

[paintstick]

This may sound a little bit odd, but hear me out....One of the things that i think helped me "stand out" was my experiences i gained from working at a funeral home. In dealing with death you are able to gain a new perspective on life and it something that was discussed at all of my interviews. One thing that i would "recommend" if you truly are looking for something different is go to a local funeral home and ask if you can volunteer there as a family assistant or even someone to help parking cars/moving flowers, i know it is not something that strikes you as topically pertinent, however the personal experiences you gain from seeing "the flip side of things" will help you figure out more of who you are, and knowing who you are is the most valuable thing you can have in an interview.

 

[Perrin]

I studied architecture in Europe for a semester (I was in architecture school at the time). I toured Europe and visited a lot of nice cathedrals and Roman ruins. The AdComs knew this wasn't some stunt to make myself look better, cause I wasn't pursuing medicine at the time. Plus, a lot of the doctors I have met have traveled around. My interviewers and I spent a lot of time sharing stories.

 

[Termwean]

I was a combat medic in shield/storm, Bosnia ( on surg team as RT), combat medic in Afghanistan. I have been an EMT in the past, and have been an RT since 1994. I am 33 and just finishing undergrad (didn't start school until I was 28, lost a year to Afghanistan).

 

[shuzee]

i was already in med school in a foreign country, and gave it up to come to the U.S for more complete undergrad preparation for med school, and now will be coordinating a national immunotherapy trial for ovarian CA. I am the administrative coordinator though, so i dunno how much that would manage to impress the ADCOMS, anyone ever done anything like that??

 

[riceman04]

I was a combat medic in shield/storm, Bosnia ( on surg team as RT), combat medic in Afghanistan. I have been an EMT in the past, and have been an RT since 1994. I am 33 and just finishing undergrad (didn't start school until I was 28, lost a year to Afghanistan).

NOW THAT IS UNIQUE!!!!

i MUST NOT ONLY CONGRATULATE YOU, BUT ALSO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITTMENT TO THE MILITARY. I CANNOT SAY THAT I FULLY SUPPORT GOVT POLICIES, BUT THE FACT THAT YOU PUT YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE FOR THIS COUNTRY IS HONORABLE. I APPLAUD YOUR SUCCESSES AND THE FACT THAT YOU NEVER WAIVERED FROM YOUR DREAM OF GOING TO COLLEGE, AND FINISHING AT THAT. GOOD LUCK IN MEDICAL SCHOOL THIS YEAR.

THANK YOU!!!! :clap:

 

[LizzyM]

i was already in med school in a foreign country, and gave it up to come to the U.S for more complete undergrad preparation for med school, and now will be coordinating a national immunotherapy trial for ovarian CA. I am the administrative coordinator though, so i dunno how much that would manage to impress the ADCOMS, anyone ever done anything like that??

Administrative coordinator in a clinical trial -- I've seen a million of 'em.

Not impressive.

Clinical reseach is not patient care. The administrative side of a clinical trial isn't really research, either.

Your best bet is to highlight your cultural competence... that is your understanding of the culture of the place where you were in med school (your homeland?). This may (or may not) set you apart from the bulk of the applicants and be relevant to the care of people of that culture here in the US.


-----------------------------

On the otherhand... a combat medic has certainly been face to face with sick people (well, injured people, mostly). Being older and having military experience adds significantly to the diversity in the classroom.