Valedictorian worth mentioning?

[RexMorganMD]

I was wondering if high school valedictorian was a worthwhile honor/achievement to list? It is a given that the vast majority of high school achievements are not appropriate for listing on ERAS, but sparing one line to write valedictorian doesn't seem too outlandish, does it?

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[minstral]

presumably it was very useful to get into med school. It may sound i bit immature now. things like publications are numerously more valuable, so populate it with professional things. "HS Valedictorian" will not replace these things in anyone's mind. PERHAPS- if you had something also like High School Senior Class President. You could add something where something like HS SCP and Valdictorian. Just my opinion


EDIT- I just say "ERAS"- i personally would not include... on a CV maybe...

 

[randomedstudent]

Agree with above...I don't think anything from high school should be included. Being valedictorian really doesn't hold much weight anyway (BTW I was one also, so I'm not saying this out of sour grapes) - there is no way for a PD to know whether your graduating class was 50 or 500 or the level of competition of your school. Being valedictorian at some schools isn't saying a whole lot, whereas it could be a significant achievement at others, however there is no way for someone not familiar with your high school to know the difference.

 

[dara678]

Also, remember you are in MED school -- it is probably true that 75% or more of medical school students were the valedictorians at their high school (I was too).

 

[mlw03]

nope, not worth mentioning. at best it was 8 years ago, and it doesn't support your candidacy for residency in any way. that's a good thought to have for anything on your CV - does X support my application for this position? in my opinion, being a high school valedictorian does not do this.

 

[RexMorganMD]

How about national merit? Worth listing?

By the post above, the answer would be no.

 

[deleted109597]

Also, remember you are in MED school -- it is probably true that 75% or more of medical school students were the valedictorians at their high school (I was too).

Hardly. Some weren't even in the top half, and I know of more than 5 that only received GEDs. Not everyone is the same.

 

[buckley]

I would post it. It may not be stellar, but hey, it shows hardwork and discipline. Look back and see just how tough it was to graduate valedictorian, be it highschool or college or medschool. That's my opinion.

 

[MonkeyRalph]

Listing that you were valedictorian is like saying... "Hey, my step 1 score is ok, but look at my SATs, I totally rocked them!"

 

[mlw03]

How about national merit? Worth listing?

By the post above, the answer would be no.

yeah, i would again say this is not worth mentioning. national merit is also something in the remote past and says nothing of your ability to perform as a resident.

 

[Tiki]

There is no way I would include it.

Honestly, if someone started including high school stuff on their CV, I'd think that they were desperate and didn't have enough activities to fill up their CV from med school/college. But I'm no PD, just a fourth year applicant so do what you wish. 🙂