Too Weird??

[Severus]

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I'm filling out my AMCAS stuff (pretty much EC's right now), and I'm just debating whether or not my EC's and life experiences are a little too, well, weird for medical school. I haven't done a lot of the typical pre-med things like clubs and research (no time due to work and doubling up on chem and physics classes), so I'm feeling a might odd about everything. Below is what I'm planning on putting down, but, are these experiences too out of the ordinary/weird?

homeschooled (not that that should matter)
General chemistry/organic lab teaching asst. (3 years)
Volunteer tutor (independently) for highschool and college students (5 years)
Russian interpreter and ESL tutor (independently.. 5 years) for recent immigrants (frequent medical/emergency situations)
Hospital volunteer (okay, that's typical)
Publications (online mostly) on religion in Middle Earth
Wiccan High Priestess training: first degree (1.5 years)

I played competitive tennis freshman season (with some pretty decent results) before injury and work took me out of competition... should I even bother to add that in? 😕

In any case, thanks for any input. My pre-med advisor isn't responding to any calls/ e-mails, so I'm quite at a loss for what to do.

Sev

 

[W222]

I would leave out the Wiccan thing. That is "weird" by medical school standards, but may not be unusualy to you. I am not downplaying the importance of your religion but just bringing up some things that may be troubling to ADCOMS. AND WHAT EXACTLY ARE ON-LINE PUBLICATIONS OF RELIGION IN MIDDLE EARTH? Ohh, you have been watching WAY to much Lord of the Rings I guess, hmm. Writing a non-peer reviewed paper is like saying I invented the question mark, no one is there to call "b#ll****" on your findings.

 

[velo]

yeah if i were you i'd drop the wiccan and the lord of the ring publications

 

[bkmonkey]

yea dont bother applying. youre gonnna get SERVED.

that's not cool. other than a couple of ecs, the rest of the op's ecs are "normal."

 

[Medikit]

Yeah, drop those last two, everything else is fine.

 

[leechy]

yeah if i were you i'd drop the wiccan and the lord of the ring publications

leaving out the lotr publications? it depends on whether your publications are scholarly (in academic journals) or not. if yes, then i think you should put 'em in, and maybe call it "literature publications" or something of that sort. if not - if you write a lot as a hobby, and some of it gets published on lotr websites - then i would put down that you do a lot of writing for websites as a hobby in your spare time, but not specify that it's about lotr or fantasy in general. sadly, scifi and fantasy are best left out of college / prof school applications. i don't agree with that mentality, being a fan myself, but that's the way the world works.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Trust the Valar!

 

[velo]

leaving out the lotr publications? it depends on whether your publications are scholarly (in academic journals) or not. if yes, then i think you should put 'em in, and maybe call it "literature publications" or something of that sort. if not - if you write a lot as a hobby, and some of it gets published on lotr websites - then i would put down that you do a lot of writing for websites as a hobby in your spare time, but not specify that it's about lotr or fantasy in general. sadly, scifi and fantasy are best left out of college / prof school applications. i don't agree with that mentality, being a fan myself, but that's the way the world works.

Yeah i see your point...its just when the subject is fantasy and the publications are largely "on the web" I think it would sound fishy to an adcom...or at least strange. Maybe if you reword the description, but I think you should err on the side of caution, you have plenty of other solid ECs that you don't need to list the others that might come off as "weird"

 

[liverotcod]

I wouldn't call any of your experiences "weird", but you do run the risk of sounding flaky, which can't be a good thing to adcoms. I would leave off the publications, the homeschooling (irrelevant) and the religious training. Your other ECs are much more suggestive of readiness for med school, anyway.

 

[Severus]

Well, I'm probably going to drop the Wicca thing (it just takes up a lot of time that I feel the need to explain away.) Anyway, with the publications, haha, maybe I should put down SDN? No, actually, the articles comprise about a 50-60 page book/thesis that I've been working on for about a year. I had started working on it just out of pure interest in the whole interplay between religion and fantasy, but then decided to incorporate it into my religion department project (did further research on it, presented it, yadda yadda yadda). I wasn't sure if I should list it as a publication or more of an avocation...

Also, what are you guys putting down as far as awards? Big ticket items (Phi Beta Kappa, NASA scholarship...) only, or adding in departmental awards/college awards as well?

Thanks,

Sev

 

[liverotcod]

I have nada as far as awards go. Oh well.

--> off topic alert! --> Severus, have you read _Following Gandalf_, by Matthew Dickerson? I just finished it... pretty good scholarship and an interesting hypothesis. I don't know that I completely agree with him, but he seems to have a pretty deep understanding of his sources.

 

[Wahooali]

I agree with what has been previously posted. Just keep in mind that medicine as a whole is a pretty conservative profession (not necessarily in a political sense, but more of a traditional sense). And as far as the Lord of the Rings thesis or religion, those are things that could be brought out in an interview if they are important to you if your interests come up and you would have an opportunity to fully elaborate on them.

 

[Severus]

liverotcod, yes, I have read "Following Gandalf". As far as the subject goes, I found Dickerson's book to be pretty interesting, even if, like you said, I didn't completely buy into his theory. "One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien's Mythology" is also a pretty good read.

Sev

 

[liverotcod]

liverotcod, yes, I have read "Following Gandalf". As far as the subject goes, I found Dickerson's book to be pretty interesting, even if, like you said, I didn't completely buy into his theory. "One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien's Mythology" is also a pretty good read.

Sev

Thanks, I'll check it out. I figure this summer is my last chance at anything resembling easy reading for a whole buncha years.

 

[darin]

I think you should just cast a spell on the adcoms.

 

[Severus]

I think you should just cast a spell on the adcoms.

Ha, I was thinking about it... but maybe if I put my training on the app, they might be afraid to not interview me. A little hocus pocus never hurt anyone's chances. 😀 But alas, personal gain is a touchy subject in the magickal community.

Sev

 

[leechy]

Also, what are you guys putting down as far as awards? Big ticket items (Phi Beta Kappa, NASA scholarship...) only, or adding in departmental awards/college awards as well?

Thanks,

Sev

Certainly put in the departmental awards / college awards. Those are worth mentioning.

 

[MoosePilot]

Is the homeschooling thing really post secondary? Or was it your secondary schooling, which would rule out it being a post secondary experience.

 

[Severus]

MoosePilot, oh, it was my highschool. I was just asking about it since the apps ask about highschool education (like what the school was named, I believe). I just didn't want to appear overly flaky, you know, like homeschooler, with stoner parents, who is doing this whole new age thing and applying to med school.

So, overall, I'm thinking I might want to let the hair dye wash out before interviews start, and try and act as conservatively as possible. It's going to be tough. 😛

Sev

 

[liverotcod]

...So, overall, I'm thinking I might want to let the hair dye wash out before interviews start, and try and act as conservatively as possible. It's going to be tough. 😛

Sev

Yeah, but it's just for a few months. Then you'll have a couple more years before you have to look "respectable" for rotations. Enjoy them!

 

[leechy]

Yeah, but it's just for a few months. Then you'll have a couple more years before you have to look "respectable" for rotations. Enjoy them!

Yup. And livertocod, might you also have to (temporarily) forgo the pleasures of abuse? Ahh, the sacrifices we make for medicine.