All Branch Topic (ABT) Value of Extracurriculars (clubs) to a military residency

[HungryHungryLion]

Hey all. I'm curious about how much a military residency actually values club activity or student government positions when considering a candidate for residency? With time limited already by studies and family deciding where to try and focus any other time is important. Obviously research and trying to network, but what about joining national organizations or trying to get really involved in club leadership? Should I try and go to as many conferences as I can or be more choosy? This coming for a first year who doesn't know yet what they want to try and specialize if at all. Any insight is appreciated.

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[SirGecko]

You should focus on your grades and your family. Next priority would be getting some (quick) research published. If you are applying for something competitive this should at a bare minimum be a case report of some kind. Highly recommend submitting one for a case review/ quiz series in whatever the applicable specialty as they tend to have a lower bar for what they deem unusual enough to publish. (For example in radiology the ACR publishes a case every weekday in their case in point series, I think you can probably find similar projects in other specialties)

You can certainly do clubs if you find them fun or helpful but don’t do them because you think it will help with residency. There is a section to list that kind of stuff in the application but my impression is that most program directors aren’t going to care too much about that and it certainly will not make up for any kind of grade, board score or research defecit. Basically clubs won’t really mean anything when it comes time for match.

 

[pawprint]

Its not the club leadership position that matters, its what you get out of it that matters. I had no research, but was very active in my extracurriculars to the point where I spent most of my free time being engaged with them outside of school. I was able to very clearly paint a picture with why I wanted to go into my specialty and how I grew throughout medical school through both my medical school requirements and my extracurricular activities. I rocked my interviews being able to talk about how those things would make me a better Navy physician in my field. I matched Navy pediatrics which was extremely competitive, <50% match rate this year (30 applicants, 14 spots) with no civilian deferments allowed.

Don't get involved with things to check off a box, program directors can tell if your extracurriculars didn't mean anything to you except for a resume booster, and at that point they are basically worthless. If spending time with your family is more important and will do a better job at shaping you into a better navy doctor, then spend more time with your family and be able to talk about it proudly.

 

[DrDude2004]

Hey all. I'm curious about how much a military residency actually values club activity or student government positions when considering a candidate for residency? With time limited already by studies and family deciding where to try and focus any other time is important. Obviously research and trying to network, but what about joining national organizations or trying to get really involved in club leadership? Should I try and go to as many conferences as I can or be more choosy? This coming for a first year who doesn't know yet what they want to try and specialize if at all. Any insight is appreciated.

Unless somebody else is paying for conference fees and travel, don't go to conferences. Presenting posters, research, etc at local conferences can be helpful. But attending to feign interest is of no value, spend that money on beer instead.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Having been involved in the match process a few years in a row, I will say this: On a scale of 0 to 10 ***** regarding participation in the activities or organizations described by the OP, we consistently gave 0 ***** about any of it when reviewing and ranking our applicants.

Hope that's helpful.

Seriously, you already got accepted to med school a few years ago. You're actually past the point of pretending to give a **** about things you think you're supposed to care about simply because it looks good on paper.