General TikTok Extracurricular - death by association?

[Question]

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Hello everyone,

I run a TikTok account focused on medical research topics that genuinely interest me. My content ranges from accessible “fun fact”–style videos to more technical discussions intended for viewers with some prior background.

I take accuracy seriously. I spend months researching topics before covering them, rely on higher-level literature whenever possible, and make a point to acknowledge uncertainty and limitations in my scripts. I also avoid presenting myself as an authority; my goal is to synthesize and communicate complex ideas clearly, not to position myself as an expert. In many cases, creating these videos serves as a way to consolidate my own understanding while making the material more approachable for others.

That said, I’m aware of the broader reputation of TikTok as a platform that often rewards oversimplified or misleading scientific content. I’m concerned that admissions committees may view this activity skeptically or assume it falls into that category without engaging with the work itself. While I would hope that reviewers might evaluate at least a sample of my content, I recognize that this is not a conventional extracurricular and may not receive that level of attention.

I’d appreciate any perspective on how this kind of work is typically perceived and whether there’s an effective way to present it so that its rigor and intent are clear.

If permitted and helpful, I can share my TikTok page here.

— Experts please respond to this post —

 

[Mr.Smile12]

This is just my opinion, but if that's what you're doing,... no one really cares (for admissions decisions). It's better than using it to promote misinformation or to sell yourself in a very unprofessional way (in which case, we care as a negative).

"Back in the day," bloggers would express similar concerns. Don't worry about it.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I agree, this activity is intrinsically neutral and could be safely included as a hobby. The way you describe it here, if true, I might give you some slight positive points for it if I asked you about it in an interview, but I would not try and oversell it as a positive

 

[Mr.Smile12]

That's a slight bummer. While I certainly didn't view it as the flagship of my application, my goal in including it was to reflect my understanding of evidence-based medicine and show that I can thoughtfully interpret and share information in the medical sciences. I also saw it as loosely aligned with my volunteering (though I won't input it as such), since it involves making these topics more accessible and encouraging others’ interest in them, as well as bringing greater visibility to more niche areas of research.

Again, "back in the day" there were blogs/vlogs.

Your understanding of evidence-based medicine is not quite the same standard as what doctors mean as evidence-based medicine. Joel Bervell gets a lot of praise for his social media use to address misinformation, which you could be emulating. But his credibility comes with already having the MD. You should be learning what a systematic review is in med school (perhaps before), and it's probably a lot easier with the research bots, as long as you know what you are doing.

Arguably, research shows some understanding evidence-based medicine.

Don't overplay this. Don't signal that you are going to medical school so you can keep doing these videos. Do you have a game plan? Is this going to be a source of supplemental income (as other med student influencers are doing)?

I don't have a TT account, but I'm presuming just about every person under 30 has one. That's why I don't think having such an account really impacts the reviewers, who are more likely older than 30 or worries about their children who also have TT accounts. If anyone looks at your account and finds it innocuous, then at the very least, that's good. But I don't hear adcoms saying "Oh we have to interview this person because of their TT account"; I do hear adcoms saying NOT to if the TT account was not professional. That's my point from my first remark.