Too much volunteering?

[Turkishking]

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I have a decent GPA. Is this too much volunteering? Will this make me look undesirable to medical schools? Going into sophomore year.

-Big Brothers/Big Sisters (1 year)
-Clinical volunteering (By the end of next summer I'll probably have ~350 hours)

Next summer I'm planning on doing

Habitat for Humanity
Meals on wheels
And the clinical volunteering

I will be starting research junior year, and possibly pick up other leadership positions.

 

[Sardinia]

I don't understand why you would spend so much time in a variety of volunteer orgs when you could just dedicate yourself to one or two.

 

[aalamruad]

I have a decent GPA. Is this too much volunteering? Will this make me look undesirable to medical schools? Going into sophomore year.

-Big Brothers/Big Sisters (1 year)
-Clinical volunteering (By the end of next summer I'll probably have ~350 hours)

Next summer I'm planning on doing

Habitat for Humanity
Meals on wheels
And the clinical volunteering

I will be starting research junior year, and possibly pick up other leadership positions.

What's wrong with liking to volunteer a lot? Just make sure it doesn't negatively impact the rest of your app, and you'll be fine. Maybe spend some time improving your GPA if it's only decent.

 

[Turkishking]

What's wrong with liking to volunteer a lot? Just make sure it doesn't negatively impact the rest of your app, and you'll be fine. Maybe spend some time improving your GPA if it's only decent.

Well if everything goes as planned it will be a 3.96, its a 3.9 right now

 

[Sardinia]

@walloobi As an average Joe, I wouldn't care if you did as many volunteer opportunities as possible. However, if I was someone trying to ascertain more information about who you are as a person, then I wouldn't be sure what to make of a shotgun approach to volunteerism. If you're trying to spread yourself across the board by doing as much volunteering as possible to impress medical schools, then I think it's a waste of time because all you're showing is how eager you are to game your stats. It's like writing your signature as Machiavelli when extracurricular activities are one of the few areas where adcoms are probably looking to see how you are not like everyone else with a perfect GPA/MCAT.

 

[aalamruad]

Well if everything goes as planned it will be a 3.96, its a 3.9 right now

Then you're fine as long as you've covered the other necessary EC's.

 

[aalamruad]

@walloobi As an average Joe, I wouldn't care if you did as many volunteer opportunities as possible. However, if I was someone trying to ascertain more information about who you are as a person, then I wouldn't be sure what to make of a shotgun approach to volunteerism.

OP is only doing 2 volunteer activities at the moment. That'll jump to 3 volunteer activities in a year from now, if I'm reading the OP correctly. I wouldn't consider 2 or 3 volunteer gigs a "shotgun approach to volunteerism."

 

[Turkishking]

OP is only doing 2 volunteer activities at the moment. That'll jump to 3 volunteer activities in a year from now, if I'm reading the OP correctly. I wouldn't consider 2 or 3 volunteer gigs a "shotgun approach to volunteerism."

Yes this semester I'll be apart of BBBS, and clinical volunteering. Then next summer, I'll be doing those activities.

 

[Sardinia]

OP is only doing 2 volunteer activities at the moment. That'll jump to 3 volunteer activities in a year from now, if I'm reading the OP correctly. I wouldn't consider 2 or 3 volunteer gigs a "shotgun approach to volunteerism."

What perspective are you answering this from? Again. I'm making my assessment as an Average Joe and my immediate impression is that someone who takes on multiple unrelated volunteer work tasks when they could have dedicated their time into one major cause is someone who reads like they are trying to "look" like they want to volunteer.

 

[aalamruad]

What perspective are you answering this from?

I'm not sure if I understand your question. I'm saying that I don't think adcoms will consider 4 or 5 volunteer activities over the course of undergrad overkill or disingenuous in any way.

 

[Sardinia]

@Turkishking You're ultimately doing this to pad your app right?

 

[aalamruad]

@Turkishking You're ultimately doing this to pad your app right?

That's pretty cynical..

 

[Turkishking]

Not at all. I like the clinical volunteering I currently do. If I didn't enjoy it I wouldn't be spending 21 hours week doing it. I enjoy volunteering in general. I also like to be a role-model for children that need positive influences in their life

 

[Sardinia]

That's pretty cynical..

It's the only thing that matters in this entire conversation. Whether he enjoys what he's doing or not. So that when he's asked about it in an interview, he can use it as a tool to explain how it's an integral part of who he is as an individual. Otherwise it's a loss to me as to why you would waste your time for others in a non-paying position when you could be busting tables and making $$$. Time is a zero-sum game where if you spend it somewhere you aren't going to be spending it anyplace else. I think that my train of thought is rational. However, that could just be due to me being an average joe thinking in average joe ways.

 

[Turkishking]

It's the only thing that matters in this entire conversation. Whether he enjoys what he's doing or not. So that when he's asked about it in an interview, he can use it as a tool to explain how it's an integral part of who he is as an individual. Otherwise it's a loss to me as to why you would waste your time for others in a non-paying position when you could be busting tables and making $$$. Time is a zero-sum game where if you spend it somewhere you aren't going to be spending it anyplace else. I think that my train of thought is rational. However, that could just be due to me being an average joe.

I'm an average Joe who likes to volunteer. I don't really care about money since my financial situation is good.

 

[aalamruad]

It's the only thing that matters in this entire conversation. Whether he enjoys what he's doing or not. So that when he's asked about it in an interview, he can use it as a tool to explain how it's an integral part of who he is as an individual. Otherwise it's a loss to me as to why you would waste your time for others in a non-paying position when you could be busting tables and making $$$.

Didn't say it wasn't important, I'm just saying it was rude to assume he's doing it out of self-interest.

 

[Sardinia]

Didn't say it wasn't important, I'm just saying it was rude to assume he's doing it out of self-interest.

Let's talk again in 10 years.

 

[aalamruad]

Let's talk again in 10 years.

Looking forward to it.