Here's the situation. I have done 125 hours of volunteering at a nursing home, however this was done 2+ years ago over a one month period and no one will be able to verify that this happened (Yes, I actually did it lol). Can I just list myself as the contact or should I just scrap this experience due to how "sus" this is going to sound. If I scrap it I wont have any volunteering experience, so obv not preferred. Thanks.
Volunteering verification question
- Thread starter Paprika41
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You haven't done any volunteering whatsoever besides a one-month stint at a nursing home over 2 years ago?
Yes, was planning on doing some right before applying but then covid hit. I know it is not good/ideal, but better than 0 I hope.
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Since you have no choice, just list yourself.
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Actually, a single two year old experience where you are your own contact (no matter how many hours or over how long a period of time) is as close to close to zero as one could get without actually doing nothing! It's honestly not going to matter either way.
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I disagree with this. 125 hours over one month at a nursing home is substantial clinical volunteering compared to 0 hours and OP could list a friend or professor someone else that knows OP did the volunteering for collateral
Is there a generic contact for volunteer info on the website? Id use that over yourself.
Interesting approach, never thought about it this way. Pretty much just choose a professor who knows me well and can vouch for my trustworthiness.
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Further, I’d be willing to bet that at least some schools auto-sort applications based on a minimum number of hours in different category. Even if it was 2 years ago with a suspect contact, that will still get qualified as non clinical volunteering, and if the rest of OP’s app is excellent could be the difference between getting looked at and not getting looked at. With that in mind, OP this is a very unideal volunteering situation and you may want to consider taking another year to improve your app unless you’re a stellar applicant in other ways
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Yes, or wherever you volunteered - if they have an email address from the coordinator or something you can add. You can do that as well. Basically someone that knew you at the time when you did it and could say, "yep, @Paprika41 did this"
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Sure, if OP can put someone down to vouch for him, he's good. Also, if the rest of his app is great, it might not matter. I'm just saying a single experience that cannot be verified is going to be discounted by an adcom, so it won't matter whether or not he includes it. I never meant to imply that 125 hours wasn't substantial.
If its a screening measure, it will matter.....
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Okay, until they get to the point where he is his own contact.
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I'm just curious, are you on an adcom or faculty? If you speak with authority on a subject, it could harm people if it's not necessarily true.
And see the rest of their application at the same time? Aka their app is read...? Idk whats so hard. If there is something else compelling and he gets an II, he can be grilled about his volunteer hours in person.
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No, but I also have never volunteered anywhere where I didn't have to go through a volunteer coordinator, and where the institution did not maintain formal records that transcend the tenure of any particular person, so I'm reasonably certain that in a competitive endeavor like med school admissions, an activity that can only be verified by the applicant will be discounted when everyone else has an actual person at an actual institution that can verify items on an application.
Maybe I'm wrong. For how many activities did you serve as your own point of contact on your application?
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Three, one of which I just didn't list a reference for at all
Thanks for the replies so far. Appears to be a few schools of thought here. Does anyone else think it would be smart/feasible to put a professor who can vouch for my character as the contact information? If not, would it be worth it to pursue a nonclinical opportunity such as delivering food to people who cannot go out with covid spreading (even though this would be right before application deadline)?
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I think yes - but is there literally anyone you know at that time who knows you did this? even a friend? - You could think about doing Crisis Text Line right now. You could likely get some good volunteer hours for that and then continue that through the app cycle
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Were these your only experiences? I never said it couldn't be done -- I only said that it would be discounted. If you have other substantial experiences, no harm. If it's your only experience, I honestly don't think getting past an auto screen will yield an II unless you were getting the II without it.
Just my opinion, and no, I'm not on an adcom, but neither are you. Judging by all of your posts, you had a lot more on your application than a few ECs without an independent contact, so you also just have an opinion like I do.
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One was my only leadership activity, one was a hobby, and one was non-clinical research for which I didn't have contact info for anyone that was there anymore. Did I have other ECs? yes but will an activity be discounted because you cannot list someone else as the point of contact? I doubt it. I was asked at every interview about one of the aforementioned self-referenced EC. I don't think it's right to speculate when you haven't been through the process or taken the MCAT yet and it might be helpful to the OP if they know the backgrounds of those responding. I personally would be more willing to trust someone with MD / MD/PhD acceptances over someone who had yet to apply. That said, would it be helpful to have someone actually on an adcom weigh in? Absolutely.
TLDR: I wouldn't speak in such an authoritative tone when one hasn't gone through the process yet and would make sure to add that in so people don't go blindly based on what someone is saying very confidently.
I just still don't get why one would pre-discount their own experience on the assumption that the adcom will and not list it as opposed to listing it with the best contact you can find (yourself, generic email from website, etc) and letting the adcoms discount or count things as they see fit. Why would they not list 125 hours they know they volunteered when they are likely to write it about in applications/ps/secondaries/ etc.?
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I never said not to do it -- I just said I didn't think it would matter.
For the record, I don't understand how a nursing home could allow someone to volunteer full time for a month and have no record of it two years later, but, whatever. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? 🙂
If the rest of the app is strong, it shouldn't matter. If not, and it's the only clinical experience, it also won't matter.
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Don't list someone unrelated to the facility. I had someone list her future mother-in-law as her contact for two of her activities (in two different states!) and it was obvious to me that it was padding the application. The interview raised my suspicions and some snooping afterward sealed her fate.
List the volunteer office at the facility. Even if anyone calls to verify (an unlikely situation), they might say "we don' have records going back that far" and it won't be held against you. Or they do have records (for legal protection) and you are fine as long as you actually did the service work.
List the volunteer office at the facility. Even if anyone calls to verify (an unlikely situation), they might say "we don' have records going back that far" and it won't be held against you. Or they do have records (for legal protection) and you are fine as long as you actually did the service work.
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Dude stop saying stuff that LITERALLY ISN"T TRUE
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Knightdoc if you think a screener is spending more than a millisecond looking at who the contact is on an activity you have no idea how this screening process works. A primary app has a personal statement, 15 activities, a full transcript, 4-7 letters of rec, an MCAT. You think they have time to scrutinize and discount someones app because of what somewhat wrote in the contact line?? Like come on stop saying this stuff on here man its not cool. You are making someone worry over something that doesn't matter when you frankly don't know what you are talking about. Think about how your words come accross to people. Anytime you talk with that kind of authority I would also recommend that you tell them you aren't even an applicant yet who hasn't even taken the mcat. Your WORDS have CONSEQUENCES especially when they are WRONG.
I can’t imagine anyone has ever actually contacted the contact you list with those activities... just put whatever generic HR email is on their website. The way interviews work, they’ll find out if you completely lied about something if you aren’t able to talk about it when it comes up in the interview. They aren’t walking in assuming you’re a liar. You guys are over thinking all of this....
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For everyone reading this thread, knightdoc has not even applied to medical school. Or Even taken the MCAT? Listen to the /thread and LizzyM
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Yes, on second thought, what was I thinking in responding without having applied or taking an MCAT? A single clinical volunteering experience over a one month period from two years ago that cannot be independently verified -- what could possibly go wrong, and how could someone who hasn't already been accepted to med school possible have a opinion worth throwing into the hopper? I am sorry for wasting everyone's time. 🙂
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