hi,
i am assuming that you are a freshmen in college. if not, then you can disregard this reply. what i have found out during college and speaking with many adcoms, the first and foremost extracurricular that they (the adcoms) are interested in is clinical exposure. if you want to apply to medical school but are lacking in volunteer experience, that, in some way, shows the adcoms that this individual does not have an underlying passion for medicine. however, research is important as well. what i would recommend is to try and land some volunteering or clinical internship during your freshmen year. it won't be that demanding as research will be and you can formulate your own schedule, so it is very flexible. it is always good to get this done early and out of the way, that way when you progress through college, you can spend a solid amount of time doing undergraduate research. spending a consistent year on a research study may allow you the chance to get a publication in or two, which would dramatically help you out. so, if i were you, i would spend some time during my freshmen year doing some volunteer work in a hospital or other clinical setting. then, later on in college, probably during my junior year, i would start research on a topic that interests you. just keep in mind to be consistent with the study. i hope i have been of some help and best of luck to you in the future. feel free to ask any more questions if you like. regards.
