What should i do!?!?!?

[WestKelvin]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi,

I really really confused because I do not know what kind of leadership experience do medical schools want. I have been getting involved many different clubs on campus with board positions but I am tired that every board member is arguing or disagreeing with each other and that my work is being underappreciated. I have also been tutoring and working in homeless shelter overnight once a week, where I ensure all homelesss shelter maintain a peacful environment and they respect each other (kind of like a kid's camp). I really enjoy both experience but how much does medical school weight these experiences and which experience is better: board positions in clubs or tutoring and volunteering.

 

[ThaliaNox]

Asking which is important is like asking whether small children should drink their milk OR eat their veggies. Leadership, teaching and volunteering all all important. Not all leadership has to come from clubs, either. Tutoring, however, doesn't count for leadership. If you don't like your current form of leadership, find another one.

 

[WestKelvin]

Really? But I read from other post that teaching or tutoring is leadership too. I do feel like I am in a position of power over my tutees

 

[ThaliaNox]

Leadership is for peer relationships. Teaching is when one party has a different level of "power" as you put it. The difference is that in teaching, they're stuck with you. In leadership, they supposedly picked you and let you lead, and could take it away at any time.

It may seem like semantics, but they really are asessed and counted differently. Both are valuable, and not everyone has both, but they're separately considered.

 

[Tin Man]

Leadership experience is hard to "fake" (like proving an interest in medicine with a clinical experience) because there is almost no leadership position you'll be able to attain in less than three years that's going to make you stand out. It's something you should have been showing for a long time. For instance, my leadership experience is extremely strong compared to most applicants, but I had been a member of the program for eight years and had time to work Ito a position of high responsibility.

My suggestion would be to look for youth organizations. Most of them have a system where an adult is, by default, a leader, and if you put in a few months with them, that should help you pad your resume enough to get by.

 

[WestKelvin]

so does president of a club count? and I used to work in China when I am in high school and is in charge of supervising 25 factor workers

 

[LetsGo352]

Does being a TA count as leadership?

 

[WestKelvin]

Actually I believe so

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Better question:

If you've got leadership experience, i.e. you are a leader in the work place, specifically a paramilitary, government job, is that enough to put on your application? I ask because I'm quitting my job to go to school full-time to take the lousy o-chem and physics classes. It's the only way to do it. Am I going to have to seek something else out over the next nine months? 🙄

 

[Tin Man]

so does president of a club count? and I used to work in China when I am in high school and is in charge of supervising 25 factor workers

President of a club? Yeah, that should work, as long as it took you more than a few months to get there. The key is to be able to talk about WHAT you do as a leader. Simply having the title isn't really going to mean much if all you really do is send out weekly emails telling people how cool they are. Leaders have a goal, to reach. Same with the factory workers. What were you doing as a leader? Were you just sitting back and watching them work? Setting agendas? There is a difference between a leader and a supervisor.

If you've got leadership experience, i.e. you are a leader in the work place, specifically a paramilitary, government job, is that enough to put on your application? I ask because I'm quitting my job to go to school full-time to take the lousy o-chem and physics classes. It's the only way to do it. Am I going to have to seek something else out over the next nine months? 🙄

I would imagine so. I think once you've reached a point where you've demonstrated your ability to lead, you've gotten what you need to put on an application. It's not like a clinical experience, where it's ideal to be working in it as long as possible to demonstrate a continued interest and dedication to medicine. Leadership ability doesn't tend to disappear with time, as is the case with pre-med motivation.