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What is the most impressive EC or non-school related activity
- Thread starter Samiamm
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We were just talking about you....
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Yes!! There he is!!!
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I have a black belt in karate too!! I got it when I was 12.
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There's a guy in my class that was a Nike sponsored, professional runner for a few years. Probably the coolest thing I've heard of.
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Speaking of EC's, impressive or not, this application process has made me reflect on how I spend my time and how I can be more productive with it both for my benefit and the benefit of others.
I'll be honest and say that I would not have been as motivated to do some of the things I do or get involved in certain projects if it didn't have the potential to make my application a little more appealing, but I think the trick for me lies not in doing those things that look impressive because they will look impressive, but those that I actually do have an interest in.
The benefit is that I actually have fun while doing them and I get to develop myself and my interests beyond academia.
That way, when I look at the El-Sayeds of the world, I can be happy that I pursued my own interests and did my own thing...just like they did.
I'll be honest and say that I would not have been as motivated to do some of the things I do or get involved in certain projects if it didn't have the potential to make my application a little more appealing, but I think the trick for me lies not in doing those things that look impressive because they will look impressive, but those that I actually do have an interest in.
The benefit is that I actually have fun while doing them and I get to develop myself and my interests beyond academia.
That way, when I look at the El-Sayeds of the world, I can be happy that I pursued my own interests and did my own thing...just like they did.
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LONG ESSAY ALERT! SORRY!!!
You bring up an interesting point there. I actually had a long discussion about this with my Rabbi shortly before classes started. I asked him if there was anything wrong with putting on a big façade in the eyes of Jewish law. He said that it is still a good thing in some cases, because even if you have the worst intentions initially (resume padding), you might end up enjoying it later on. And of course you will probably be helping people along the way. I think SDN members like Nick Naylor mentioned in other threads how they enjoyed their ECs as they went through them. There will be people like that, and there will be people that will pretend to like them until the moment they drop them.
I was thinking about a useful analogy to explain façades and what it means to medical schools, and finally came up with a good one. The last company I worked for had a very casual, laid-back, and fun atmosphere. Of course I went to the interview well-groomed with a suit and tie, which is definitely not what I wear on a daily basis. But once I started working, I immediately began to wear the accepted attire there, which was completely casual clothing. I came to work every day with a hat, t-shirt, and jeans. Therefore, the impression I gave at the initial interview about my looks was not representative of how I usually dress. On the other hand, the company puts a great emphasis on having a friendly, fun, and outgoing personality. I was able to demonstrate that I had this without trying, because that's the type of person I am (I'm not trying to boast or anything, I try to treat others the way I like to be treated). I fit in right away with everyone at work. What I also noticed was that during my many months with this company, I have never had a single experience with a "mean" person at any point of my employment. This shows that the company is able to maintain it's mission and hire the people it genuinely wants to have.
I think that when medical schools have a genuine desire for altruistic service-focused students, they might get shafted in the process. The AMCAS and the AACOMAS asks for what activities students are doing since starting college. Many people on this board, including LizzyM, have said that unless you had a significant commitment taking place in high school which continued into college, you should not place any high school activities into your application. Even though I did not apply there (so don't quote me on it), but I heard that MSUCOM asks for activities done during high school. It is also known that it is a service-oriented school. And you know what? I think that they are definitely doing it RIGHT! Just think about it, one day you have a student who is not involved in any significant commitments (maybe they volunteer or do an activity every once in a while with friends). But when they officially start on the pre-med track, they pick up a load of activities, like hospital volunteering, mentoring underprivileged youth, soup kitchen, and anything else. It goes from "0 to 100" in the snap of a finger! This is extremely unnatural.
How can someone that was never genuinely altruistic become Mother Teresa overnight? Yes, there are definitely people like Freesia88, for example, that would not have initially done these activities had it not been beneficial for their applications, but actually ended up enjoying them later on. This is exactly what my Rabbi had told me. I am sure that people like you will shine during your interviews. But at the same time, there are applicants who will put your ECs to shame, yet will hate every moment of what they do, and drop it the first second they get. Have you ever been in a relationship where you thought the person was great on your first date, but then you thought they were an @$$hole when you became exclusive? This is exactly what happens. Medical schools that genuinely want people who will commit to their communities will often get students who couldn't care less about this cause.
I think the biggest and most obvious problem is with pre-meds going from "0 to 100" as I mentioned above. Very few people can have such a dramatic change, especially overnight. In the Jewish religion, I knew people who went through the process of being unreligious Jews all the way to ultra-religious Orthodox Jews. This was definitely not an overnight process, and I don't see how a pre-med can magically transform from a normal young adult to the next Mother Teresa so quickly. So if schools were to ask for activities since high school, I think they would definitely get a better sense of who is genuinely committed to service. If someone started extensively volunteering as a high school freshman or earlier (well before the "I NEED TO GET INTO COLLEGE CRUNCH"), you can guess that they probably genuinely care about what they do. But if someone started volunteering immediately when they called themselves "pre-med," then I'm guessing their intentions are something other than doing it for the love of helping others.
Speaking of pre-meds volunteering, why is it that people who drop the pre-med track also drop their volunteering and ECs as well? If they genuinely loved doing it and were doing it because they wanted to, why would they drop when they discontinue their path to medical school? There is a huge discrepancy between the number of students admitted to medical school who took part in long-term EC commitment, versus the rest of the college population.
Alright, I'm almost done... So bear with me! I think the best way to approach this would be to ask for activities that started since high school. People who are genuinely altruistic and are targets for service-oriented schools will show their true colors with years of service. When everyone is saying how HONESTY is such a crucial attribute to an applicant, then why are so many people not only lying to others, but also to themselves by trying to pass themselves off as being committed to their community when they really don't care. I think this is the greatest disservice of all. People on SDN always say, do what matters to you. People will pursue activities and hobbies that are important to them regardless of medical school, business school, their future job, or whatever else. Let's start placing a greater emphasis on this, rather than having everyone drop their real-selves in order to pad their applications toward what they think the medical schools want to see. So do what matters to you, whether it's playing an instrument, body building, photography, or what not. Let schools see that. If you don't enjoy volunteering at this stage in your life (or at all), then so be it! Let the people who genuinely enjoy it see it. If you did start volunteering because of the application process and started to enjoy it like Freesia88 and many others, then it will show! But let the service-oriented schools have a fair shot at getting the applicants they genuinely desire. Going back to my workplace example, everyone was happy because the company hired people with specific personality traits. I could have changed my wardrobe to anything they wanted, but you can't change your personality overnight. People just don't suddenly go from being a normal person doing things they enjoy to dropping everything to become Mother Teresa (and then many whom drop the façade immediately once they get into medical school). This isn't fair to anyone, neither to the schools or themselves. If we value honesty so much, then we should find a way so that medical schools can find a way to judge applicants from a real perspective, not just from a façade.
Sorry again for the long essay!
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I apologize for my long essay...as well
You raise very important points Planes2Doc but IMHO, having med schools look at EC's as far back as HS will not necessarily awaken the altruist in us all earlier...it will likely awaken the opportunist in us all, earlier as well.
The high schoolers in this case will just be even more immature versions of the same college students who go seeking the "most impressive" EC's for their med school app. Perhaps a better way would be to encourage curiosity about the world and an interest in people and places other than our own comfy little circle and then let that curiosity follow whatever path it might want to? This way, not only does the medical field benefit from having well balanced applicants but every other pursuit of life does, as not everyone will be a doctor...
Aaah.... 😍 Butterflies, unicorns and rainbows I see.
In any case, developing interest in altruism while pursuing acceptance is not necessarily the bad thing. The problem I think arises at the level of what we do with this interest...
Do we take a look at our selves, our interests: medical on non-medical and our reasons for wanting to pursue medicine and then pursue the EC's which develop these areas, inform and refine them? Taking the whole process as a journey in self discovery?
Or do we take a look at what others have done to get in and try to do just as much or better, and turn the process into this formulaic travesty? Pursuing things we really do not care about but doing them anyway just because it is what is done?
What path do you think would yield better applicants? Given that they all decided to pursue EC's while already in college?
I realized today, after thinking about your post that I am making my application into a story - a story with a theme. When I finally submit it, I want it to tell the story of how I developed an interest in medicine, how I informed that interest and tested it through my performance in the core sciences as well as my involvement with activities that put me in contact with people engaged in the areas of medicine I am interested in. As a result, I am likely not going to be pursuing any kind of formal research opportunities or trying to volunteer in a hospital here in the US because I do not envision that I will be doing that in the future. But you can be sure that I am actively looking for opportunities to involve myself in projects dedicated to improving the provision of healthcare in poorer communities, here in the US and back home...and where those opportunities are nonexistent, creating them for myself.😉
I hope that by the time I complete my application at whatever schools I apply to, it has that theme and tells that story... This is Freesia. She wants to be a doctor who does this and that and that. This is her GPA and her MCAT score to prove that she has the academic ability to achieve this goal. These are the activities she has carried out to inform herself about her goals and further refine her interests, as well as develop herself as a human being capable of functioning and relating with others both as a compassionate partner and an authority figure, these are the people who can attest to the fact that Freesia means business etc etc...
Some examples that come to mind for me:
1. Navy SEAL or Green Beret (elite military unit involving high risk missions)
2. Inventor (you have some impressive patents)
3. National/World Class Athlete (self explanatory, very few people have the talent to achieve this)
4. A world expert in a particular field
Basically anything good/impressive that is only achieved by a fraction of the population.
1. Navy SEAL or Green Beret (elite military unit involving high risk missions)
2. Inventor (you have some impressive patents)
3. National/World Class Athlete (self explanatory, very few people have the talent to achieve this)
4. A world expert in a particular field
Basically anything good/impressive that is only achieved by a fraction of the population.
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I actually interviewed a guy a few weeks ago that was a captain in the Air Force and served as a combat rescue officer in Afghanistan for several years. I found it amusing that I, a random 23 year old guy, was interviewing a young 30s military officer for medical school. Pretty impressive guy all around.
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So it certainly is not as impressive as the other feats posted here, but I have a feeling there are few others with this one:
Big Ten College Cheerleader
Maybe not the coolest thing, but I definitely learned a lot from it and got some really cool experiences along the way. Placed in the top ten at nationals 2/3 years (which got us on ESPN)
Moreover, for a shy guy like me with no gymnastic experience, it really helped me figure out how I learn things and gave me a lot more confidence. Never thought I'd be doing backflips in my life!
I sometimes feel like my application reads like a "What do you want to be when you grow up?" list for a 1st grade girl.... "I wanna be a doctor, a cheerleader, a firefighter, and a teacher!"
Big Ten College Cheerleader
Maybe not the coolest thing, but I definitely learned a lot from it and got some really cool experiences along the way. Placed in the top ten at nationals 2/3 years (which got us on ESPN)
Moreover, for a shy guy like me with no gymnastic experience, it really helped me figure out how I learn things and gave me a lot more confidence. Never thought I'd be doing backflips in my life!
I sometimes feel like my application reads like a "What do you want to be when you grow up?" list for a 1st grade girl.... "I wanna be a doctor, a cheerleader, a firefighter, and a teacher!"
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Aren't you an MS1??
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No, MS2.
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4
45408
I saw a guy with over 10,000 posts on SDN. Now that's dedication right there.
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at one of my interviews during the initial introduction by the dean, we were asked to introduce ourselves and say something unique about us. People were being pretty chill about it (motocross competitor, make a killer creme brulée) until one girl goes "I had three novels published by the time I was 18 and the most recent is currently being made into a motion picture."
The whole room was like.......
and 
at the same time.
The whole room was like.......
and at the same time.
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at one of my interviews during the initial introduction by the dean, we were asked to introduce ourselves and say something unique about us. People were being pretty chill about it (motocross competitor, make a killer creme brulée) until one girl goes "I had three novels published by the time I was 18 and the most recent is currently being made into a motion picture."
The whole room was like.......
Wonder what books they are?
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That's a good point, but at the end of the day, the job of a physician is a job.
If someone who quit their 600k / year job in finance to apply to med school, then maybe you can presume the person is doing it for something other than personal gains.
Otherwise, there's a big chance they're just trying to climb the career ladder just like everyone else.
I guess one way to fix the problem is to make the medical profession extremely unrewarding.. True compassion comes from one who cannot benefit from it.
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A career changer (despite any possible positive changes in salary) is making SUCH a sacrifice time and economically that an adcom would most likely be certain it is altruism. Especially if you had a career serving the people in some capacity before applying to med school.
It's something I think you can't understand until you have a mortgage, a career that you've worked hard at and I life you've devoted a decade plus to making. It's a LOT to give up.
It's something I think you can't understand until you have a mortgage, a career that you've worked hard at and I life you've devoted a decade plus to making. It's a LOT to give up.
I've heard of someone who volunteered at a nomadic trip so they could experience life in real rural parts of the world. Most people tend to go to countries where they have family/through family( "Oh hey, I volunteered in India/Pakistan/China for summers in a rural clinic!")
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Lol, giving up a career is not an altruistic move. It might demonstrate dedication and prove your sincerity with respect to being a physician, but I don't think "altruistic" is the right adjective to use.
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Three words: competitive dog grooming
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The irony being that CROs look to the enlisted Pararescuemen with envy because they rarely get to go into the field. The moral of the story being that if you want to truly stand out, you want to get yourself in an environment so different/cool that outsiders are totally fascinated by your job, even if you look at others in your profession and think they do way cooler stuff than you do.
So, sure, one way is to place yourself at the top of any given food chain and become the next Ronan Farrow (of course, where would Ronan Farrow be without his parents?). But competition is fierce and stacked against people without immediate access to certain social circles. The last part is often conveniently ignored by those of us who believe in a straight-up meritocracy.
There are plenty of other ways to stand out that are much more achievable. You just have to be willing to sacrifice for them, because most involve living in austere environments, whether in the Marines, Peace Corps, as an arctic fisherman, anti-violence campaigner on the South Side, or as an aid worker. If there's one thing I'm sure about with any grad school application, it's that schools reward taking risks and breaking out of comfort zones. Also, competitive dog grooming.
I've encountered too many people with amazing pedigrees and amazingly small achievements to match. Just because you have a Rhodes or Truman scholarship, just because you went to HYP or published ten papers by the age of twenty-two doesn't mean you've actually impacted those around you. I think med schools are cottoning on to this.
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At a recent interview I met a former member of the US Ski Team...probably would have asked for her autograph if I still cared about those things lol
