What do your extracurricular activities say about you?

[lolasmommy]

I want you all to list some ECs that are TOTALLY unrelated to medicine and research and tell me what impression you think admission committees may draw from that. Let me start...

I make and design jewelry; jewelry that you can find at some large retail store that sells it for a couple of hundred dollars (which I know at most costs about $1.25 for materials) and I sell it for a fraction of the price and manage to still profit bula I design jewelry for weddings and other special occasions.

I do some free lance makeup. Nothing major but lots of fun and great money.

I make clothing. The patterns seemed really simple so felt the need not to have to spend that much money on clothing.

What I feel this shows ADCOMS; I found a creative outlet that I can use to express myself and as well put some food on the table.

I guess I simply wanted to know what other people did on their "spare time". Have fun with it people.

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[MilkmanAl]

My three main EC's were being a counselor at my elementary school's daycare, working at CVS, and doing some stuff for a local urban beautification program. From the outside, they say "involved in the community, lots of practical clinical experience." Really, though, I know they mean "I'm just doing this because it's fun. Oh, it looks good? Nice." "I'm getting this job because I know I have to." and "I'm just helping out a neighbor/friend. Oh, it looks good? Nice."

 

[Stewie32]

I am in a group called Students for Social Justice, Students for a Democratic Society, and I volunteer/work at a couple of nonprofits/community organizations. So.... according to some people (Glenn Beck), I am a Nazi, fascist, communist, and socialist. Needless to say, I don't identify that way.

I would hope that these activities woudl reflect positively and show that I actually care for the communities that I live in to an adcom, but I realize that it could have a negative effect on some of them.

 

[broken tibula]

Um... Part time job in an office, founder of a community service organization, event planner/liazon for marching band.

So I'm an involved leader in the community or something. Really, it was more like "I need money, cool community service, and they voted me what?"

 

[SusGob711]

I volunteer as a foster home for future service dogs and I also volunteer with a local pet adoption agency. I guess that tells them I apparently really like animals, lol. Hopefully this tells them that I'm doing them because I truly love them not because they look pretty on an application.

 

[CaliGirl14]

An avid painter

Volunteer a gazillion hours for the American Cancer Society

Camp alo


I'm someone who is creative, loves the outdoors, and wants someone to find the cure for cancer?

 

[Seven of Nine]

One of the jobs I had summer after freshman year through sophomore year was at a smoothie shop. This was not a spectacular EC by any means; it was for just the sake of having a job. I quickly became shift manager, but I was most recognized in our community (literally) as the dancing [fruit] mascot out in front of the store. You could say that I became somewhat of a local celebrity. It was fun to say the least

I would hope (with more context/description, of course) that it conveys that I have a sense of humor/character, don't take myself too seriously, and can be lighthearted to cheer people up

 

[mexicochangedme]

raiser of guide dog puppies/teacher of obedience classes for other peoples' puppies, leadership in my college's sign language club, prison fellowship led several service trips to a deaf school in jamaica, taught/lived at a deaf school in mexico for a year. i think/hope these things communicate that i love people and am dedicated to a living a life of service.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Well, I've worked since I graduated college in 2003. I guess for me an EC, if you could call it that, would be the assorted classes I've taken off and on since graduating. Most of them have been taken because I didn't have anything else to do. I used to work part-time as a paramedic. I've been a volunteer fireman for about seven to eight years although the last year or so has involved much less dedication on my part due to moving and not trusting a lot of the other guys on the VFD. I like to shoot guns: target, combat, you name it. I'm rather good at that, but ammo is pricey so I don't do it as much as I'd like. I don't collect anything, I don't hunt or fish, I don't travel although I'd like to A LOT and like it when I have / can, I geocache sometimes, go to state parks a lot, I rent lots of movies to watch, and....idk. Now, in about seven weeks I'll be jobless and enrolled as a full-time student. Mostly, that just sucks.

 

[Bruingirl6]

When I was a pre-med I was a cheerleader at UCLA for 4 years, an officer in my sorority, and involved in the alumni scholars club. I also volunteered for 1.5 years in the Care Extenders Program at UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital.
I didn't get into UCLA med school because I didn't have enough extracurricular activities.....go figure.

 

[ksmi117]

Marching band as part of the colorguard for 4 years. Student organization junkie - held offices in at least 5 or 6 of them, I'm gonna miss them so much. Preschool teacher. In one of the school choirs. Mardi Gras krewe royalty for three years.

 

[Janieve]

ESOL Children's Camp counselor (two countries).

Peer adviser.

YMCA/YWCA mentor.

Red Cross Blood Drive liaison and on-site first aid (I dress as a giant drop of blood and take care of people when they faint. No joke.)

ESOL Tutor and instructor.

English Conversation Leader.

Self-Defense classes for international/exchange students and new immigrants to the USA.

.......more than half my ECs are centered on ESOL and immigration. Wonder what that says about me!

 

[EvenK]

When I was in the UK, I would assist in the admissions process for a number of graduate programs, and I loved students who had unusual EC's; however, I did not love them enough to make up for large deficiencies in grades or test scores. But I was more forgiving of applicants with extraordinary EC's. I remember one applicant who worked part time in a circus as a juggler. He was amazing at juggling torches, but that ability didn't seem to translate into above-average standardized test scores. He was not accepted.

 

[mvenus929]

I'm the President of an online non-profit aimed at getting teens and young adults to get involved. We encourage progress in any form, but mostly we exist as a forum for discussion on issues that are important to today's youth. I've been with it for several years and get more involved with each passing year.

I am a Mary Kay consultant. While at first glance that means make-up, I emphasized that participation in MK events has helped boost my self-esteem and confidence. After all, I can now comfortably talk to people I don't know

I was a representative for our building in our residence halls association, so I liked to be involved in what was going on in the community and take a leadership role.

I participated in lots of science activities (not medicine, mostly chemistry) for kids in the community... I was a judge for our regional Science Olympiad, and I taught a whole bunch of kids how to use a pinhole camera. I don't know what that tells adcoms, but it was a lot of fun

 

[ksmi117]

I'm the President of an online non-profit aimed at getting teens and young adults to get involved. We encourage progress in any form, but mostly we exist as a forum for discussion on issues that are important to today's youth. I've been with it for several years and get more involved with each passing year.

I am a Mary Kay consultant. While at first glance that means make-up, I emphasized that participation in MK events has helped boost my self-esteem and confidence. After all, I can now comfortably talk to people I don't know

I was a representative for our building in our residence halls association, so I liked to be involved in what was going on in the community and take a leadership role.

I participated in lots of science activities (not medicine, mostly chemistry) for kids in the community... I was a judge for our regional Science Olympiad, and I taught a whole bunch of kids how to use a pinhole camera. I don't know what that tells adcoms, but it was a lot of fun

RHA ftw. I was the VP of my school's RHA. Definitely the best experience of my college time.

 

[mvenus929]

RHA ftw. I was the VP of my school's RHA. Definitely the best experience of my college time.

He he... I ran for VP my senior year, and it turns out that I was the only person that was NOT running unopposed. I lost, but it ultimately turned out alright. I don't think I would have had enough time to be on the exec board, but being one of the only senior members, I worked closely with them anyway. It was definitely up there in my college experiences.

 

[FlowRate]

Lots of dance/skill-toy related stuff; hopefully that shows dedication, dexterity (hey maybe this kid will be good at surgery in the future?), and appreciation for art and what not. But I do it because.. I like dancing?

Teaching/tutoring because.. I like teaching?

Research because.. I like discovering stuff?

I'm a very active member of one of our student political organizations, but I'm afraid to put it down because, when interpreted incorrectly/to its extremes, libertarianism can be seen as the political opposite of altruism. I'm mostly libertarian for the social and economic justice/equal rights aspects. But mostly because.. I like freedom?

 

[familyaerospace]

I've started several business, have been an officer of professional level organizations for an multiple years, have a long, long long history in theater, and I was a medieval reenactor (although I haven't done it in a little bit.) I was also an officer twice of the local branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, I collect swords, etc and used to make armour.

Who knows what they would say about me. Maybe they would think with all the knives and swords in my house that I would want to be a surgeon. No, no surgery for me thanks.

 

[familyaerospace]

Oh and I've also done the standard stuff like volunteering (hospital and a space non profit), research (multiple years), teaching (multiple years), shadowing, and publishing and presenting.

 

[lolasmommy]

Thank you all for taking the time to write your ECs and what you think they would mean to ADCOMS. It was very entertaining and gives me an optimistic outlook that future docs. are real people with a myriad of interests! Good luck to all applying this cycle