What extracurric and awards worth putting on resume?

[Neuronette]

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Quick question.
For awards/competitions that were won throughout HS, is it worth putting them on your resume?

 

[deleted357625]

Nothing from high school should be mentioned unless extremely significant such as a research endeavor that led you to pursue further research @ your university. As for basic EC's etc from HS, they don't want to hear it.

 

[NickNaylor]

Nothing from high school should be mentioned unless extremely significant such as a research endeavor that led you to pursue further research @ your university. As for basic EC's etc from HS, they don't want to hear it.

Agreed. Only put things from HS that are well-known, extremely competitive, or have played a role in your decision to enter medicine. Even then, I wouldn't make it it's own entry - try and bundle it in with something else.

 

[Neuronette]

would it be okay if they were contests that are related to my hobbies and or interests in medicine?

 

[NickNaylor]

would it be okay if they were contests that are related to my hobbies and or interests in medicine?

If they're significant or if you're going to mention them elsewhere in your app (e.g., your PS), then I would include them. Otherwise, no.

 

[LizzyM]

If it is a national award and/or somewhat quirky (e.g. the National Geography Bee or the National Spelling Bee national champion) then it might be worth adding just to make you stand out as non-cookie cutter. Ditto for national or international competition prizes in the performing arts or athletics.

 

[Brownshorts]

.

 

[LizzyM]

Eagle Scout?

Many applicants do.

Some adcoms criticize them for it and others eat it up.

I always ask "what was your project" as it is a good opportunity to hear the applicant talk about their leadership in their local community and how they phrase it, etc.

 

[DAPI]

This question has seemed to go from "What EC's/awards should I put on my resume from HS?" to "What EC's/awards should I put on AMCAS from HS?" and I agree with the advice that has been given so far for AMCAS, but a resume is a bit different and needs to be specifically tailored to the job you're applying towards.

Say you were heavily involved in volunteering with American Red Cross in HS and are now in college and applying for a part-time job with them. I would definitely include that experience and a few bullet points about what you did/learned even though it was from HS. They would probably rather hear that you have worked with them in the past over replacing that spot with tutoring for o-chem or something completely irrelevant.

So my answer is if it is relevant to the job and you are still able to talk about the experience, include it on the resume.

And keep the resume to 1 page so only include what is most relevant.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Resume isn't a document to show how special a butterfly you are; it's a document that shows the skills and education you have that are valuable to employers.

 

[NickNaylor]

This question has seemed to go from "What EC's/awards should I put on my resume from HS?" to "What EC's/awards should I put on AMCAS from HS?" and I agree with the advice that has been given so far for AMCAS, but a resume is a bit different and needs to be specifically tailored to the job you're applying towards.

Say you were heavily involved in volunteering with American Red Cross in HS and are now in college and applying for a part-time job with them. I would definitely include that experience and a few bullet points about what you did/learned even though it was from HS. They would probably rather hear that you have worked with them in the past over replacing that spot with tutoring for o-chem or something completely irrelevant.

So my answer is if it is relevant to the job and you are still able to talk about the experience, include it on the resume.

And keep the resume to 1 page so only include what is most relevant.

Resume isn't a document to show how special a butterfly you are; it's a document that shows the skills and education you have that are valuable to employers.

Good point - I didn't see that this was for a resume. In that case, I wouldn't list ANY ECs unless they are DIRECTLY relevant to what you will be doing in whatever position you're trying to fill. I agree with notbob in that you should keep it to a page.

If you're making a CV, I would include significant activities but not everything. For example, I included my involvement in a service fraternity and a summer internship with a hospital most times I sent out a CV.

These sorts of things are very context-dependent though. Try and get an idea for what they're looking for and if you'll have an opportunity to include this kind of information elsewhere. If there are some important things that you want to mention and are RELEVANT to what you're trying to do but won't have a chance to mention it anywhere, then I would include it. It's all about being brief and relevant: include everything that is critical to evaluating your ability for whatever position you'e applying for and nothing more.

 

[survivordo]

A good rule of thumb is to only put items on your apps from the "Step Before" (HS for College entrance, College for Med School entrance etc) as this is the time that Adcoms will most care about. However, there are clearly exceptions. If you were a three time Teen Jeopardy champion that's pretty cool and I think it is worth putting on a resume/app.

Survivor DO

 

[wonderdog]

In general, it's how you word it. If you're really good, you can make almost anything sound good.