4 hrs /week x 12 weeks = 48 hrs = you're not going to be a doctor.
What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering?
“That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!
Yours is not the application of a person who dearly wants to be a physician. It is the application of someone who wants to be a doctor as long as it is convenient.
From the wise LizzyM”: I am always reminded of a certain frequent poster of a few years ago. He was adamant about not volunteering as he did not want to give his services for free and he was busy and helping others was inconvenient. He matriculated to a medical school and lasted less than one year. He's now in school to become an accountant.
Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.
Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??
We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.
I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.
Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.
Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.
Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!
Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.
As the application cycle draws to a close, my chances of acceptance appear increasingly bleak. I have a stellar MCAT, above average research, average GPA, below average clinical experience, and minimal volunteerism. Last semester I volunteered ~125 hours in a lab and shadowed ~10 hours. Starting in March, I intend to volunteer in a homeless shelter 3-4 hours weekly and perhaps shadow another 10-20 hours in a different specialty. I understand the focus should not be on numbers alone, but for the sake of anonymity, I'd prefer to avoid specifics.
I understand that serving the underprivileged is important to ADCOMs - is three months of 3-4 hours weekly sufficient? Also, is there any overlap between research and community service volunteering from the standpoint of ADCOMs? Finally, will the clinical experience I mentioned be a significant improvement?
