Undergrad ECs

[superfrogpoke]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So I'm just wondering if I'm on the right track as far as my ECs go. I'm an EMT, I became lieutenant of the campus emergency squad my freshman year and have worked my way up to assistant chief (second in command of the organization.) I am also on the town fire department as an EMT, and I lab instruct for the local EMT class.
I am also in a sorority, which frequently particpates in and runs philanthropic events.
I'm worried that this will not be enough, but I'm not sure if my schedule can handle research on top of all the EMS I'm involved in. Does anyone have any opinions?
Also, I'm currently a sophomore.

 

[SLC]

So I'm just wondering if I'm on the right track as far as my ECs go. I'm an EMT, I became lieutenant of the campus emergency squad my freshman year and have worked my way up to assistant chief (second in command of the organization.) I am also on the town fire department as an EMT, and I lab instruct for the local EMT class.
I am also in a sorority, which frequently particpates in and runs philanthropic events.
I'm worried that this will not be enough, but I'm not sure if my schedule can handle research on top of all the EMS I'm involved in. Does anyone have any opinions?
Also, I'm currently a sophomore.

You've got time, but get involved in research if at all possible. While DO schools may not be as research intensive as a lot of MD schools are (as a group), they all value it.

And work on diversifying your EC's a bit more, get outside the EMS system and do some non-medical volunteering.

 

[DocEspana]

So I'm just wondering if I'm on the right track as far as my ECs go. I'm an EMT, I became lieutenant of the campus emergency squad my freshman year and have worked my way up to assistant chief (second in command of the organization.) I am also on the town fire department as an EMT, and I lab instruct for the local EMT class.
I am also in a sorority, which frequently particpates in and runs philanthropic events.
I'm worried that this will not be enough, but I'm not sure if my schedule can handle research on top of all the EMS I'm involved in. Does anyone have any opinions?
Also, I'm currently a sophomore.

greatest advice ever given to me, and was given by an admissions director. "Please stop worrying so much about extra curriculars and research. If you like it do it. If you don't like it, don't do it. Extra-curriculars and research, no matter what other students tell you, have never made or broken any candidate. As long as you're doing something, and you clearly enjoy doing it, it will be an enriching experience and thats all we are seeking. We want diverse people who actually like what they are doing, not 65 EMTs and 65 Lab research assistants, no offense to those people, who do it begrudgingly"

This is obviously off my memory, but I know I got the major points exactly right (though probably not verbatim). Thats from UMDNJ - Newark. and my cousin who had (an admittedly transient) position in the admissions process at TouroCA echoed a similar thought.

I will add: clearly you should be doing things. But I really think that the 'need' to do x hours of research, y hours of shadowing and z board positions in clubs is a total myth. Just do stuff you are drawn to, go into it full force, and your ECs will look fine. I personally think that it doesnt matter at all what your ECs are (including research and volunteering) as long as you do something. Also, diversify. If you do nothing in any field but medical fields it seems like your interest is forced or disingenuous. The stories I hear about people with 3.9GPAs and 34 MCATs that dont get into a school are all either 1) asshats or 2) did all their ECs in medical-related fields. Doing nothing is a death sentence even worse than doing it 100% in medicine stuff.

okay. getting off my soapbox now (and taking it with me. it's *my* soapbox)

 

[fiznat]

My ECs were all in EMS (8 years as a paramedic working full time post-undergrad, instructor, leadership positions, etc). I did *no* volunteering or research. All of my interviews asked me about my EMS experience and seemed genuinely interested in it. I did get the sense, though, that they were trying to gauge whether my experience was "real" or not. As in, how many patients do I manage per month, what kind of system I work in, what was the depth of my experience and responsibility, etc.

I was a bit non-traditional given I've been out of undergrad for a while, and I'm proud of the experience I've gained as a paramedic, but I did find myself sometimes wishing I had diversified a little more. I don't know how much it would have mattered though. I think the numbers (MCAT/GPA) still play the biggest role by far.