Volunteering types

[austinblnd]

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This past semester the only EC I was involved in was a political club, so I am looking for more things to do. I will be joining the fencing club and begin hospital volunteering this upcoming semester. I also want to volunteer at a public tennis facility. My question is, how would medical schools view this type of volunteering? I am worried that it would not be looked upon favorably because it is sport-related and I will already have a sport-related activity on my application (fencing club). Does the type of volunteer work done matter? Or are hours just hours?

 

[EBTrailRunner]

It's good to have non-medical volunteering, but it should supplement and not substitute for clinical volunteering. After all, med schools want to know that you tested your interest in medicine through clinical exposure.

 

[Stumpyman]

For clinical volunteering it's usually just for the hours. If you really like the tennis volunteering then do it. And clubs don't really matter, unless you actually held a position in the fencing or something.

 

[johnisles2011]

What does the tennis volunteering involve? Working with kids, mentally disabled, or rich country club wives? These are pretty big differences. The first two could sound great in an essay or interview, while the third is probably a 0 win 0 loss kind of thing.

Besides, it's all about how you spin it. On the activities part of the application, you'll have an opportunity to write a decent bit about all the stuff you did. There are DEFINITELY ways you can make that sound good, even if it's rich country club wives.

 

[varsityblue]

What does the tennis volunteering involve? Working with kids, mentally disabled, or rich country club wives? These are pretty big differences. The first two could sound great in an essay or interview, while the third is probably a 0 win 0 loss kind of thing.

Besides, it's all about how you spin it. On the activities part of the application, you'll have an opportunity to write a decent bit about all the stuff you did. There are DEFINITELY ways you can make that sound good, even if it's rich country club wives.

Hey, don't hate on ladies who lunch! 😡 I'd argue that volunteering at a country club might be even more challenging than volunteering elsewhere if the person didn't grow up in either an upper middle class or an upper class environment. There are a lot of unspoken, complex social rules and customs that OP would have to learn in order to blend in nicely.

That said, just like in college admissions, it is all about how you spin it.

N.B. @johnisles, you will likely marry a woman who will become a rich country club wife.

 

[austinblnd]

What does the tennis volunteering involve? Working with kids, mentally disabled, or rich country club wives? These are pretty big differences. The first two could sound great in an essay or interview, while the third is probably a 0 win 0 loss kind of thing.

Besides, it's all about how you spin it. On the activities part of the application, you'll have an opportunity to write a decent bit about all the stuff you did. There are DEFINITELY ways you can make that sound good, even if it's rich country club wives.

All of the above, since it is a public tennis facility open to everyone. And the volunteering would consist of stuff like concession sales, groundskeeping, court attending, being a hitting partner, etc. Is that "spinable?"

 

[varsityblue]

Anything is spinable. I recommend you go to your Career Centre and ask them to help you tailor your job description to whatever programs you send your resume to.

 

[johnisles2011]

Thank you varsity, and how did you know about my plans for my future wife?

That's totally spinable stuff. If I were you, I'd probably focus on the time I worked with children or something like that, and who knows, maybe you'll come away with one unique story that you can tell. Either way, it also shows that you made a commitment and stuck with it, while balancing it with all your other activities AND your schoolwork.

As a side note, I can't believe they won't pay you for that? Volunteer programs at hospitals make sense. Volunteer programs at tennis club's children's clinics make sense. This... sounds a bit more like a summer job. I'm NOT taking anything away from it. It's great for the reasons I said above. I'm just surprised they don't hire someone for that stuff.

 

[varsityblue]

1) OP doesn't necessarily have to be paid for helping disabled children learn to play tennis.
2) All doctor's wives, irrespective of their socioeconomic status at birth, end up becoming ladies who lunch. It's an universally accepted fact that women--especially Caucasian women--try to become more dignified in their demeanor and activities as their looks and youth fade.

 

[candav]

Hey, don't hate on ladies who lunch! 😡 I'd argue that volunteering at a country club might be even more challenging than volunteering elsewhere if the person didn't grow up in either an upper middle class or an upper class environment. There are a lot of unspoken, complex social rules and customs that OP would have to learn in order to blend in nicely.

That said, just like in college admissions, it is all about how you spin it.

N.B. @johnisles, you will likely marry a woman who will become a rich country club wife.

I mean, it's probably possible to spin it, but the point of volunteering (for medical school admissions, anyway) is to demonstrate community service and responsibility, in my opinion. It might be difficult to paint country club tennis lessons as "improving the community." (If you succeed in doing so, more power to you!)

Anyway, none of this is really relevant since it isn't a country club.