what does it take to have life experience and not be like any other applicant?

[ashxxch]

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[HybridEarth]

Find something you like and become really really good at it. The more things you're really good at = better chance of standing out. Very watered down answer but that's the gist of it

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I am doing the traditional things but, also, doing what interests me. I am a biology major. I love art and I am minoring in it. I was actually thinking about joining some program/activity over break that had something to do with art.

I absolutely love to travel and have traveled to many places and I will continue to do so.

Is that enough or am I still considered a typical Asian applicant?

You're never going to be truly unique (in the sense of doing things that no other applicant has done) so just focus on being yourself. You love art--that's interesting! Keep doing that. It's always good to show medical schools what you're passionate about, including things that aren't medicine-related. And if you wanted to, you could definitely find ways to tie your interest in art back into medicine. (For example, I work at a children's hospital and we have volunteers who come in to draw/paint with sick kids.)

Bottom line, though: Do what interests you. Adcoms can usually tell when you're box-checking just to make yourself look good on paper.

 

[kenalvann]

At an interview, one of the other applicants was a professional pianist. The entire room (admissions dean included) listened with rapt attention as he talked about playing. But here's the catch: it was so interesting BECAUSE he felt real passion for what he was talking about.

Bottom line: there is no down side to pursuing areas in which you have an interest. Worst case scenario: you get to make art for a few years; best case: you're the person that the admissions dean is thinking about when s/he thinks about a particular interview day.

 

[rilte4]

I am doing the traditional things but, also, doing what interests me. I am a biology major. I love art and I am minoring in it. I was actually thinking about joining some program/activity over break that had something to do with art.

I absolutely love to travel and have traveled to many places and I will continue to do so.

Is that enough or am I still considered a typical Asian applicant?

Get really good at conveying your passion via writing and speaking. Your application will boil all of your "life experience" down to a handful of short activity descriptions, a personal statement, secondary essays, and hopefully interviews. The same exact bundle of experiences can sound completely vanilla or ridiculously exciting to the point where the person reading your application says "I have to meet this person".

 

[Goro]

Love what you do and do what you love.

I am doing the traditional things but, also, doing what interests me. I am a biology major. I love art and I am minoring in it. I was actually thinking about joining some program/activity over break that had something to do with art.

I absolutely love to travel and have traveled to many places and I will continue to do so.

Is that enough or am I still considered a typical Asian applicant?

 

[jlh19]

Live your life and be you... Short and sweet but so true

 

[MatthewDamon]

I am doing the traditional things but, also, doing what interests me. I am a biology major. I love art and I am minoring in it. I was actually thinking about joining some program/activity over break that had something to do with art.

I absolutely love to travel and have traveled to many places and I will continue to do so.

Is that enough or am I still considered a typical Asian applicant?

+1 to all of the above. Pursue your passion for art-- Someone I know was very talented in graphic design and used his/her talents to contribute to campus publications and the graphics of a magazine about scientific research. He/she was also very well invested in research too and was able to integrate both topics into a personal statement seamlessly. These seemingly unrelated things keep you sane and more interesting.

 

[Wolf3D]

The way to gain life experience is to life your live, young Padawan

 

[baratheonfire]

See, I don't understand this. Why are premeds expected to be professional pianists or talented sculptors? Why do you have to pretend to be passionate about something else when becoming a doctor is your passion?

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

Just do some awesome stuff. Im asian and I love anime and cosplaying. I've been making props like swords, armor and shields out of foam and fiberglass for years, and used this skill to sculpt a 3d model of the EAC and tympanic membrane while I headed a otitis media campaign abroad. Adcoms were floored because movie special effects was my wild card.

Fuse your talents together and own it no matter how unrelated it seems to medicine.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

The way to gain life experience is to life your live, young Padawan

That awkward moment when "having a life" ironically becomes another box checker.

 

[asw98]

I volunteered in a maximum security prison, played roller hockey, and am passionate about Russian poetry. I actually recited a poem in Russian at one of my interviews. I think having dimensions was super important to my application.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

I volunteered in a maximum security prison, played roller hockey, and am passionate about Russian poetry. I actually recited a poem in Russian at one of my interviews. I think having dimensions was super important to my application.

How cool! My dream was always to shadow a lethal injection physician at a maximum security after reading about it in an Atul Gawande book...

 

[Cotterpin]

See, I don't understand this. Why are premeds expected to be professional pianists or talented sculptors? Why do you have to pretend to be passionate about something else when becoming a doctor is your passion?

Lol, don't pretend. If your only passion is becoming a doctor, then maybe you're not going to stand out. But the solution to that is not to be phony. Either you have other passions or you don't.

How cool! My dream was always to shadow a lethal injection physician at a maximum security after reading about it in an Atul Gawande book...

That sounds horrible though! Killing people? What did Gawande say about it that made it sound cool?

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

That sounds horrible though! Killing people? What did Gawande say about it that made it sound cool?

Oh no no no! The physicians don't push the lethal dose, they just monitor vitals and pronounce death! I admire these docs because they do so often under no appreciation, community backlash and stigma. However, they are very much in touch with tackling problems with mortality, medical ethics and respect to criminals.

 

[ConfusedChemist]

See, I don't understand this. Why are premeds expected to be professional pianists or talented sculptors? Why do you have to pretend to be passionate about something else when becoming a doctor is your passion?

Because only caring about one thing that you're not even guaranteed to get into tends to make people a little odd/intense and not the best at relating to others....aka patients
Also, burnout is kind of a thing

 

[Cotterpin]

Oh no no no! The physicians don't push the lethal dose, they just monitor vitals and pronounce death! I admire these docs because they do so often under no appreciation, community backlash and stigma. However, they are very much in touch with tackling problems with mortality, medical ethics and respect to criminals.

I guess it's because I believe the death penalty should be abolished, but I cannot admire anyone who participates in it.

 

[Law2Doc]

See, I don't understand this. Why are premeds expected to be professional pianists or talented sculptors? Why do you have to pretend to be passionate about something else when becoming a doctor is your passion?

Simple really. The profession realized a few decades back that it benefits from not being a bunch of narrowly focused bio majors. Now you can argue that forcing people to find their unique "hook" is too far to the other extreme, but at some level the person with diverse interests and skills brings much more to the table. The bio major crap ceases to be of much value after the basic science years while you'll draw on your other experiences the rest of your career. And you really can't focus on a passion of becoming a doctor before med school other than through taking pre med courses, which again will matter very little after the basic science years.

But I think part of OPs real problem is he's approaching at having an outside interest as a "check the box". Once you do that you've already failed the task. Once you ask how what you are doing impacts you as an applicant, you've probably lost focus on why you should actually be doing it, and are a poser.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

Simple really. The profession realized a few decades back that it benefits from not being a bunch of narrowly focused bio majors. Now you can argue that forcing people to find their unique "hook" is too far to the other extreme, but at some level the person with diverse interests and skills brings much more to the table. The bio major crap ceases to be of much value after the basic science years while you'll draw on your other experiences the rest of your career. And you really can't focus on a passion of becoming a doctor before med school other than through taking pre med courses, which again will matter very little after the basic science years.

But I think part of OPs real problem is he's approaching at having an outside interest as a "check the box". Once you do that you've already failed the task. Once you ask how what you are doing impacts you as an applicant, you've probably lost focus on why you should actually be doing it, and are a poser.

Dullards who box check past the diverse talents criteria make grumpy, Mr. Grinch type doctors

 

[baratheonfire]

Lol, don't pretend. If your only passion is becoming a doctor, then maybe you're not going to stand out. But the solution to that is not to be phony. Either you have other passions or you don't.

I just think it's dumb that proving your commitment to medicine is less valuable than being interested in a bunch of other things.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

I just think it's dumb that proving your commitment to medicine is less valuable than being interested in a bunch of other things.

It isn't, being committed to medicine is by far the most important thing that adcoms must see in your UG career...Having other passions simply make you a more dynamic applicant, but by no means overshadows the former.

 

[Cotterpin]

I just think it's dumb that proving your commitment to medicine is less valuable than being interested in a bunch of other things.

It's not less valuable. I feel like you're setting up a false dichotomy, as if you think you can either only be passionate about medicine or be passionate about other things, but that's not it at all. If you can't prove your commitment to medicine, then you're out. But looking at the group of applicants left after that cut, the ones who have proved their commitment to medicine and are also interesting people with diverse interests and passions are more attractive, memorable candidates.

 

[Goro]

Because there are literally tens of thousands of candidates who are at the academic level clones of each other. The median acceptee has a GPA of 3.7 and an MCAT of 31. They're ALL passionate about Medicine.

How else would you distinguish them????

If you're not passionate about something else besides Medicine (and I hope that you are), you're quite one-dimensional.

See, I don't understand this. Why are premeds expected to be professional pianists or talented sculptors? Why do you have to pretend to be passionate about something else when becoming a doctor is your passion?

 

[w0rldw3y3d]

"Becoming a doctor" is just a means to end, with the end goal being employed. At the end of the day medicine is a career, it's not who you are. That, in my opinion, is why admissions look for more substance in an applicant.

 

[ashxxch]

Simple really. The profession realized a few decades back that it benefits from not being a bunch of narrowly focused bio majors. Now you can argue that forcing people to find their unique "hook" is too far to the other extreme, but at some level the person with diverse interests and skills brings much more to the table. The bio major crap ceases to be of much value after the basic science years while you'll draw on your other experiences the rest of your career. And you really can't focus on a passion of becoming a doctor before med school other than through taking pre med courses, which again will matter very little after the basic science years.

But I think part of OPs real problem is he's approaching at having an outside interest as a "check the box". Once you do that you've already failed the task. Once you ask how what you are doing impacts you as an applicant, you've probably lost focus on why you should actually be doing it, and are a poser.

First of all, it's she, I'm a girl. Second, I wasn't trying to check off a box. I was trying to take whatever I am passionate about and try to use it to my benefit by showing it off to medical schools because they do look for applicants that are not typical. I was looking for a better way to show my interest in art and traveling; which I already do a lot of anyway because they are some of my favorite things to do, except I just do them on my own. My question was, do I need to be doing them on a more advanced level for medical schools to notice my interest in them or can I just keep doing what I am doing. So, in response to your poser comment, I think you missed the whole point and don't understand my problem at all.

 

[NoTownPreMed]

Just do some awesome stuff. Im asian and I love anime and cosplaying. I've been making props like swords, armor and shields out of foam and fiberglass for years, and used this skill to sculpt a 3d model of the EAC and tympanic membrane while I headed a otitis media campaign abroad. Adcoms were floored because movie special effects was my wild card.

Fuse your talents together and own it no matter how unrelated it seems to medicine.

Perhaps you can mold me a Trafalgar D. Law sword in the near future. .

 

[NoTownPreMed]

You want to stand out as an applicant? Start off by having multiple kids, work a full time job, nail your courses, learn multiple languages and to top it off, volunteer at the hospice center. Just kidding . Just be yourself and hope ADCOMS like what they see.

 

[Lawpy]

First of all, it's she, I'm a girl. Second, I wasn't trying to check off a box. I was trying to take whatever I am passionate about and try to use it to my benefit by showing it off to medical schools because they do look for applicants that are not typical. I was looking for a better way to show my interest in art and traveling; which I already do a lot of anyway because they are some of my favorite things to do, except I just do them on my own. My question was, do I need to be doing them on a more advanced level for medical schools to notice my interest in them or can I just keep doing what I am doing. So, in response to your poser comment, I think you missed the whole point and don't understand my problem at all.

>SDN experts try to help
>OP doesn't like the response and angrily condemns them

Typical preallo

Btw, you do realize there's a gender option in your profile right? Since you didn't specify, the default assumption was set to a neutral "he".

 

[baratheonfire]

>SDN experts try to help
>OP doesn't like the response and angrily condemns them

Typical preallo

Btw, you do realize there's a gender option in your profile right? Since you didn't specify, the default assumption was set to a neutral "he".

>instigates
>uses response as ad hominem fuel

but i agree that the gender thing was stupid, on the internet everyone is male

 

[Lawpy]

>instigates
>uses response as ad hominem fuel

but i agree that the gender thing was stupid, on the internet everyone is male

Mimicry is fun amirite. Fact remains that an OP attack on an expert is unwarranted so best to set that straight before things take a nosedive.

 

[ashxxch]

>SDN experts try to help
>OP doesn't like the response and angrily condemns them

Typical preallo

Btw, you do realize there's a gender option in your profile right? Since you didn't specify, the default assumption was set to a neutral "he".

If telling me I'm a poser and already failed the task is helping, then sure. I didn't condemn anyone, I simply just cleared up my question. If my question was how the person had depicted it then i would have definitely agreed because the SDN expert is right. and I honestly can't be bothered, I just needed advice and most people were able to give it to me so I'm done here but thanks

 

[Cotterpin]

Why is the default assumption always that a person is male? It's a 50/50. Calling someone "he" is not gender neutral. I'm going to start referring to every single person on SDN as "she."

 

[Lawpy]

Why is the default assumption always that a person is male? It's a 50/50. Calling someone "he" is not gender neutral. I'm going to start referring to every single person on SDN as "she."

He and singular they are used interchangeably for anyone and not just guys. I personally use they or s/he.

 

[baratheonfire]

It's a 50/50.

It's actually not.

 

[Cotterpin]

He and singular they are used interchangably to anyone and not just guys. I personally use they or s/he.

Just because some people say "he" when they have no idea who they're talking about, that doesn't mean the pronoun "he" is gender neutral. It just means they're inconsiderate, imo.

It's actually not.

Oh please.

 

[baratheonfire]

Oh please.

It really isn't. It's a fact that the majority of internet users are male.

 

[familyaerospace]

I am doing the traditional things but, also, doing what interests me. I am a biology major. I love art and I am minoring in it. I was actually thinking about joining some program/activity over break that had something to do with art.

I absolutely love to travel and have traveled to many places and I will continue to do so.

Is that enough or am I still considered a typical Asian applicant?

My thoughts are if you have to ask if something is enough, it is not enough. Personally, I can think of several people from my class who did the same.

You will know if you have enough life experience to be considered unique.

 

[Cotterpin]

It really isn't. It's a fact that the majority of internet users are male.

OH PLEASE. Is this going to turn into some pedantic thing where because men comprise some slightly higher percentage of internet users, that somehow justifies assuming that everybody on the internet is a man? It's basically a 50/50.

 

[baratheonfire]

OH PLEASE. Is this going to turn into some pedantic thing where because men comprise some slightly higher percentage of internet users, that somehow justifies assuming that everybody on the internet is a man? It's basically a 50/50.

"On the internet, everyone is male" was a reference you didn't understand apparently.

 

[baratheonfire]

My thoughts are if you have to ask if something is enough, it is not enough. Personally, I can think of several people from my class who did the same.

You will know if you have enough life experience to be considered unique.

It's hard to be confident when you frequent this site.

 

[Cotterpin]

"On the internet, everyone is male" was a reference you didn't understand apparently.

That's not what I'm talking about. I get that's a meme. I was responding to what Lawper said earlier about how the default thing to say is "he." I think that's a bunch of b.s. and people should stop doing it because you have a roughly 50% chance of being wrong.

 

[baratheonfire]

That's not what I'm talking about. I get that's a meme. I was responding to what Lawper said earlier about how the default thing to say is "he." I think that's a bunch of b.s. and people should stop doing it because you have a roughly 50% chance of being wrong.

cool beans

 

[Cotterpin]

cool beans

Okay, girlfriend.

 

[baratheonfire]

Okay, girlfriend.

[meme]Wow, you just triggered me by assigning me a gender. I refuse to be opressed by cis ****lord scum like you.[/meme]

 

[Cotterpin]

[meme]Wow, you just triggered me by assigning me a gender. I refuse to be opressed by cis ****lord scum like you.[/meme]

That's cute.

 

[baratheonfire]

That's cute.

I would continue memeing but I'm all memed out for today

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

Back to the topic...OP you don't really need to artificially increase your involvement to make it "look good". It ought to be organic and actually fun for you. There is no point in living a proxy life just to please some strangers on a panel. And trust me, they will see right through you anyways.

 

[7331poas]

OP is pretty condescending for someone who cant apply basic reasoning at what it means to be good at a task.

If you like art, the logical next step would be to attain some level of achievement with your art. I had a friend whose art was featured in the museum of modern art a year or so ago. You dont have to be at that level but some sort of achievement.

 

[familyaerospace]

It's hard to be confident when you frequent this site.

Oh trust me, I am 100% confident I am unique. I was too unique I would suspect.