Unusual ECs

[EdgeTrimmer]

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What are some of the unusual ECs people mention? How about actively promoting an electric vehicle and also producing an video which was mentioned by several news sites and got 100k+ Youtube views?

 

[Planes2Doc]

That sounds pretty neat. If you're passionate about it, then include it! Be aware that this doesn't make up for any volunteering though.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

That sounds pretty neat. If you're passionate about it, then include it! Be aware that this doesn't make up for any volunteering though.

Not trying to make up for any volunteering. Should have enough clinical and non-clinical volunteering by application time (next year). How would you mention this as, hobby?

 

[Planes2Doc]

You can put film-making or video editing as the hobby, and then describe this experience in detail.

 

[Catalystik]

Not trying to make up for any volunteering. Should have enough clinical and non-clinical volunteering by application time (next year). How would you mention this as, hobby?

Artistic Endeavor, if your son has a Contact. Hobbies if he doesn't.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Artistic Endeavor, if your son has a Contact. Hobbies if he doesn't.

It's more like technical. He combined videos from different cameras (on the vehicle) into one cool video, hence picked up by lot of sites.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

All that unusual EC's get you is a different nudge at a adcom meeting:

"which applicant are you talking about? the one who swam the English Channel? Or the one who ballooned from Nevada to New Mexico?"
"No, I think its the one who had those two papers with the team at JHU? Or was that Yale?"
"Oh, you mean the one who had the instagram with nearly a million followers?"
"No its that one who had some video on electric vehicles, what was his MCAT and GPA again? "

The one with very high GPA, high MCAT, research and also made a cool video ? 🙂

 

[Catalystik]

It's more like technical. He combined videos from different cameras (on the vehicle) into one cool video, hence picked up by lot of sites.

Sounds like he's a film maker or film editor. Both are artistic endeavors.

 

[907914]

All that unusual EC's get you is a different nudge at a adcom meeting:

"which applicant are you talking about? the one who swam the English Channel? Or the one who ballooned from Nevada to New Mexico?"
"No, I think its the one who had those two papers with the team at JHU? Or was that Yale?"
"Oh, you mean the one who had the instagram with nearly a million followers?"
"No its that one who had some video on electric vehicles, what was his MCAT and GPA again? "

I sincerely hope I get to be “the guy who farms with fish poop” instead of just “Army lab tech guy”

 

[AnMDtoB]

All that unusual EC's get you is a different nudge at a adcom meeting:

"which applicant are you talking about? the one who swam the English Channel? Or the one who ballooned from Nevada to New Mexico?"
"No, I think its the one who had those two papers with the team at JHU? Or was that Yale?"
"Oh, you mean the one who had the instagram with nearly a million followers?"
"No its that one who had some video on electric vehicles, what was his MCAT and GPA again? "

I mean, it's gotta be better to have any of those labels than being the applicant who has no unique way to be identified, right?? At least you're memorable? (aka please justify all of the time I've spent on my unique EC purely because I love it haha)

 

[Goro]

What are some of the unusual ECs people mention? How about actively promoting an electric vehicle and also producing an video which was mentioned by several news sites and got 100k+ Youtube views?

Pretty cool.

 

[I'mJustCurious]

Pretty cool.

I upload videos of cats.

 

[Goro]

I upload videos of cats.

Auto-accept for you!

 

[Moko]

I upload videos of cats.

Auto-accept for you!

The cats are out of the bag now.. Now I wonder if I've been watching your videos.

Not an unusual EC, but I personally like it when folks volunteer at their local animal shelter.

 

[907914]

Don't worry, when I see your screen name, I will always think "very fishy crap"

Hey now, I give 2/3 sound advice 1/6 ignorance and 1/6 memes.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

No, not really.
"Oh thats that guy with the youtube on a electric car?"
"Yeah, his MCAT and GPA are okay and besides this silly ass video that has nothing to do service to underserved, disadvantage, marginalized, etc"
Yeah, its cool and has no bearing on your acceptance. What did you for others? Producing a video that you tell us was mentioned on news reports can be view as self-centered and aggrandizing. I am not impressed

Your skepticism is understandable. It'a not a silly ass video as you said, it's about showing technical capabilities of a product to world in an unique way (hence worldwide coverage) and steering more people towards green energy while excelling in the things expected from premeds. It's not done to convince any adcoms, purely done out of passion for technology and just wondering if it's worth mentioning as hobby.

 

[Moko]

just wondering if it's worth mentioning as hobby.

Yes. Not everything needs to be related to medicine!

 

[907914]

I get applicants all the time who put too much weight on how much a allegedly unique EC or hobby will get them noticed. What they fail to realize is
1) there are a vast number of people who apply with something "cool"; very few things are unique
2) For every optimistic idea that applicants think will help, you need to also estimate risk on this can be interpreted as a negative. Then you need to mitigate that risk by presenting it in a way minimizing negative interpretation.

What sort of emphasis do applicants place on their hobbies? Is it not just simply one tab on the Work/Activities section where the put 2 or 3 hobbies and call it good?

 

[Rachapkis]

As an applicant, you are a compilation of scores, traits and ECs. Obviously, there are no substitutes for a high GPA, MCAT and the right ECs. However, something like your film--which is cool AF--will help you at the margins. And when you're balanced on the razor's edge, it's all about what happens at the margins. Good luck, OP.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I get applicants all the time who put too much weight on how much a allegedly unique EC or hobby will get them noticed. What they fail to realize is
1) there are a vast number of people who apply with something "cool"; very few things are unique
2) For every optimistic idea that applicants think will help, you need to also estimate risk on this can be interpreted as a negative. Then you need to mitigate that risk by presenting it in a way minimizing negative interpretation.

@gonnif - I completely understand and that's the reason asking here about whether to mention that or not. He is passionate about electric vehicles (national gold medal winner in EV event in Science Olympiad in HS) and he continued his passion his college thru referral program and producing videos with hidden data. He got referral prizes worth over 15K. Is it a red flag to mention that?

 

[907914]

Hobbies. like any other EC, should be expressed in a way that emphasis characteristics that adcoms may want to see in a prospective physician
for example,
if you play sports, it can emphasize teamwork, discipline thru practice, leadership
If you mountain climb, it can emphasize preparation, facing challenges, pushing yourself

Applicants lose sight that it isnt the activity that matters, it is what it says about you.

Well oops I guess. I just listed my hobbies (2 with one sentence descriptors about what they are, 1 with ‘loving adventure’ sort of thing, and then just two that are nifty and self describing). Oh well.