What is considered "box-checking"?

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DrMeowMeow

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I have heard about adcoms not liking pre-meds who just box-check for ECs (Shadowing, volunteering, work, leadership, etc). I don't understand though because I noticed in the What are my Chances section that if an applicant is missing one of these it is suggested that they do it. My Pre-Med Advisors would also advise to fill in any gaps for types of experiences missing.

So is an applicant who does all these types of experiences considered a box-checker? I feel like applicants would be at a disadvantage if they were missing something like physician shadowing or clinical volunteering. What are your thoughts?

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If you list it, then it better have merit/substance. Know why? If you get an interview, they ask you about it, and you don't talk about it with passion, then you're ****ed. They smell BS a mile away.

I have heard about adcoms not liking pre-meds who just box-check for ECs (Shadowing, volunteering, work, leadership, etc). I don't understand though because I noticed in the What are my Chances section that if an applicant is missing one of these it is suggested that they do it. My Pre-Med Advisors would also advise to fill in any gaps for types of experiences missing.

So is an applicant who does all these types of experiences considered a box-checker? I feel like applicants would be at a disadvantage if they were missing something like physician shadowing or clinical volunteering. What are your thoughts?
 
A checklist approach to ECs for medical school admissions is discouraged in the sense that you shouldn't just do the activities because you feel you have to check them off the list (halfheartedly).

Doesn't mean you shouldn't use the "checklist" as a guideline for meaningful activities you can participate in.
 
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I have heard about adcoms not liking pre-meds who just box-check for ECs (Shadowing, volunteering, work, leadership, etc). I don't understand though because I noticed in the What are my Chances section that if an applicant is missing one of these it is suggested that they do it. My Pre-Med Advisors would also advise to fill in any gaps for types of experiences missing.

So is an applicant who does all these types of experiences considered a box-checker? I feel like applicants would be at a disadvantage if they were missing something like physician shadowing or clinical volunteering. What are your thoughts?

I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.
 
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I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.


I completely agree with your assessment of the admissions game. State Banjo champion and African clinic coordinator? Welcome to Hahvud.
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.

I think this sums it up pretty well. The top schools seem to look for ridiculously odd/unique experiences in its students. Whether or not those things have anything to do with being a physician, who knows.
 
Thanks for the responses. They certainly cleared up my confusion! At first i wasn't sure if it would good or bad to have everything and if it would have been better to be "missing" 1 or 2 things.
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

Harvard: Educating the rich since 1636.
 
Yup. Unfortunately my average suburban life playing the 3 major american sports is not very interesting. Can't afford a horse, and not into bagpipes.
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.

This is the dumbest thing I've read since Ann Coulter's "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right". You can see why schools look for the unique experiences that you bash.
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.
4) Get lucky (you're looking at one!)

For the OP, what screams "checkbox" is when you volunteered filling broomsclosets in the hospital for 3 months. Despite the cynical (yet mostly true) poster above, it is possible to do "un-checkboxxy" things. For example, rather than volunteer at the hospital like the thousands of pre-meds before me at UMich, I volunteered at a free clinic 20 minutes away for 2 years.

They want to see commitment and tenacity, rather than flitting through activities (research for a couple months without accomplishing anything, volunteering here and there, etc.). Of course rounding out your resume with some padding is better than none.
 
This is the dumbest thing I've read since Ann Coulter's "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right". You can see why schools look for the unique experiences that you bash.

Why? Enlighten us.

PS. Why are you reading Mr. Coulter's books? He's a terrible author!
 
4) Get lucky (you're looking at one!)

For the OP, what screams "checkbox" is when you volunteered filling broomsclosets in the hospital for 3 months. Despite the cynical (yet mostly true) poster above, it is possible to do "un-checkboxxy" things. For example, rather than volunteer at the hospital like the thousands of pre-meds before me at UMich, I volunteered at a free clinic 20 minutes away for 2 years.

They want to see commitment and tenacity, rather than flitting through activities (research for a couple months without accomplishing anything, volunteering here and there, etc.). Of course rounding out your resume with some padding is better than none.


Volunteering at a free clinic is "un-checkboxxy?" Wat.

I agree with post #2. Get something genuinely worthwhile out of the experience and you'll be fine. And don't forget to learn something. And if you do research, don't feel too terrible if you don't get a publication out of it.
 
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I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.

Way to set arbitrary standards. Still going to apply to them, but this was eye opening. Peace corp doesn't sound too bad. Average matriculate is 23 anyway.
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check.

I would agree that you need to check all the boxes but do one thing really well or do one really strange thing.
 
I have heard about adcoms not liking pre-meds who just box-check for ECs (Shadowing, volunteering, work, leadership, etc). I don't understand though because I noticed in the What are my Chances section that if an applicant is missing one of these it is suggested that they do it. My Pre-Med Advisors would also advise to fill in any gaps for types of experiences missing.

So is an applicant who does all these types of experiences considered a box-checker? I feel like applicants would be at a disadvantage if they were missing something like physician shadowing or clinical volunteering. What are your thoughts?

I box checked my way to success. An adcoms entire experience of your activity is summed into a paragraph and a few minute long stories. Make sure you tell good stories.
 
I think this sums it up pretty well. The top schools seem to look for ridiculously odd/unique experiences in its students. Whether or not those things have anything to do with being a physician, who knows.

Agreed with Perot and Nick.
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.

am i being trolled.jpg
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.

This is honestly my favorite post ever on SDN.
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.

Brilliant!
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.
You must be the mint, you make so much sense. :thumbup:
 
Please say this is sarcastic..? Ann Coulter..?
Some people here just don't understand humor.

BTW Perotfish, that post was fantastic. Climbing Everest = automatic admission. It also costs somewhere around $25,000.
 
1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.

4) Have been raised by a. wolves, b. amazons, c. Haitian missionaries. In the case of a, you could probably claim disadvantaged. roll +5 on LizzyM score.
 
Perrotfish, your post just won a spot on my signature line.
 
I think the key is that top school's don't want you to 'just' box check. As in, check all the boxes, and then make sure you devote a significant amount of time to at least one memorable, completely unrelated to medicine, asanine waste of your time so that you seem reliably well rounded. There are three main ways to go about it:

1) Be rich: Rich activities are fun, make you well rounded, and may even be educational. Sail around the world on a tall ship. Climb mountains. Do a sport that requires you to buy multiple horses. Travel, while paying for medical experience along the way. Medical schools love things that only the children of physicians can afford to do.

2) Be old: Jobs, military experience, Peace Corps. Nothing says 'I'm ready for medicine' like several years of experience in not medicine.

3) Do something that no reasonable person wants to do: You need a schtick, it needs to be memorable, you don't want to take extra years to do it, and what that means is doing something really, really f-ing stupid. Learning the guitar? Meh. Bagpipes? Better. Extra degree? No. From clown college? Yes! Involved with your church? Too common. By ringing the giant bells, hunchback of Notre Dame style? Good to go.

OR you could not worry about top schools, just check the boxes, and go somewhere mid range.

haven't even finished the game yet but this is probably one of my top 5 posts on SDN.
 
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