Volunteering in hospital for med school

[pizzamaker]

Hi guys,

To start this off I am Canadian, and I was just wondering if I volunteer in a Canadian hospital is that much worst than doing it in an American Hospital if I want to be accepted in a US med school. Also, I know that this is pretty stupid of me, but gonna ask anyways, if I volunteer for 6 months before application and apply right away would they think that my volunteering is just like a checklist and I am just completing it because I have to (how bad will this look on me?). Also, if I am a junior is it okay if I apply on June this year and while I am applying finish off the rest of my degree or should I have the degree done before even applying (because I would be applying to get in, in my 5th year and I dont want to be a year behind.)

Thanks guys

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[Tekbright510]

As long as you have your pre-reqs completed and have taken your MCAT, you can go ahead and apply. Most or all US schools want you to have your undergrad degree completed before you start medical school.

If the only volunteering you are doing is started 6 months before applying, that may not look so great to an adcom. They usually like to see a sustained involvement over a period of time. I would suggest you start as soon as possible and do a little bit each week. This would look better.

I don't think it matters if you volunteer in a Canadian hospital or US hospital. It's hard to volunteer in a US hospital if you live in Canada, no?

 

[pizzamaker]

Oh so you do have to have your pre-reqs completed before even applying? Say that you apply on June 2nd or so and the medical school requires you to complete physics 2, does that mean you must have completed it in winter before June 2nd? Or can you apply on June 2nd and be done with physics 2 at around August?

 

[LizzyM]

You do not have to have completed the pre-reqs before applying; the pre-reqs need to be completed before you matriculate.

Volunteer work in a Canadian hospital is acceptable. Many successful applicants don't begin volunteering until their 3rd year of college either because of other extracurriculars or because that is the point when they decided to test an interest in medicine (rather than another career).