Update letter - Worthwhile or not?

[mdfaithful]

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Hi everyone and good luck to everyone else in this year's application cycle!
I have applied to many schools this cycle and have completed the application relatively early (ranging from mid-July to mid-August).
I have not heard many of these schools back. No holds, no rejections, no anything.
The waiting game is indeed painful for everyone including myself, so I am on the edge of writing update letters for some of these schools that are still "reviewing" my application (most of these schools accept them).
After I have submitted my application, I have participated in new endeavors such as: working as a behavior interventionist for children with autism spectrum disorder, took on the volunteer position as a Sunday school teacher for elementary students, and have continued my shadowing work/medical assistant for a physician and volunteer mission trips for underserved areas.
I personally think they are updates worth noting for my application since these experiences are helpful in reconfirming my passion for pediatrics and for treating the mentally afflicted.

So my main questions are:
1) Are these updates worth for update letters?
2) When should I be sending these letters (if I even should in my current pre-II status)?

Thank you in advance 🙂
and GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!! Hope we come out victorious 🙂

 

[crazymedguy123]

Shadowing probably don't need to update unless you have no other shadowing experiences, but the rest sure. Just note that volunteer mission trips are often seen as voluntourism (unless you are talking about other places in the U.S.) unless you spent significant time working in those communities (>> 1 week)

What really matters is how many HOURS you have put into each of these activities since applying. If there is a significant amount of time spent in each of these new activities, then I would say go ahead and send it. I'm not sure strategically when it is best to send them, so maybe someone else can touch on that.

 

[mdfaithful]

Shadowing probably don't need to update unless you have no other shadowing experiences, but the rest sure. Just note that volunteer mission trips are often seen as voluntourism (unless you are talking about other places in the U.S.) unless you spent significant time working in those communities (>> 1 week)

What really matters is how many HOURS you have put into each of these activities since applying. If there is a significant amount of time spent in each of these new activities, then I would say go ahead and send it. I'm not sure strategically when it is best to send them, so maybe someone else can touch on that.

Thank you!
For the mission trips, I have been going to Mexico and have went on 4 trips so far (3 days each trip) Would that be significant?
For the rest of the experiences, I have been stacking up more than 100 hours each so I guess that means a go as updates 🙂

 

[MD-2022]

Not worth yet.

 

[Goro]

Not worth yet.

Agree.

 

[mdfaithful]

Not worth yet.

Agree.

Got it, thanks! 🙂