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Your MCAT score matters a great deal in order to even get your foot into the admissions door. You should spend a lot of time studying and prepping for the test that determines your future, but how much time? You are not going to spend every hour of every day studying, so you need to fill your spare time with something else to build up your med school resume. If you get a great MCAT score you definitely have a better chance of getting into one of the top med schools. But, if your MCAT score is the ONLY thing that you focused on to prepare to med school, then your chances drop dramatically. Using a couple of hours a day to devote yourself to extracurriculars not only builds up your resume, but also gives you a much needed study break.
Beyond academics and standardized testing, medical schools will expect to see that you devoted significant extracurricular time to three areas: patient interaction, medical research, and community service.
Patient interaction
Clinical experience is key. If you are volunteering in a hospital, make sure that you are actually communicating and listening to the patients. During your med school interviews, interviewers will be looking for characteristics that show you’ve worked directly with patients. This will also give you exposure to the doctor lifestyle and build up your medical experiences.
Medical research
Medical schools like to see that you have some type of medical research experience. Developing your medical research shows your aptitude for the actual scientific work needed to be a doctor. To some extent, clinical research and lab research hold the same merit, so choose the one that seems most interesting to you.
Community service
Doing community service is an opportunity to show leadership and a commitment to helping others. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a medically-related community service activity, but admissions officers want to see what you care about in your community!
Building up your extracurriculars are just as important as studying for MCAT. Use your study breaks to focus on how you can improve yourself as a medical school candidate.
For more information on how to spend your free time before medical school, check out this blog! How to Spend Your Time Before Medical School
Beyond academics and standardized testing, medical schools will expect to see that you devoted significant extracurricular time to three areas: patient interaction, medical research, and community service.
Patient interaction
Clinical experience is key. If you are volunteering in a hospital, make sure that you are actually communicating and listening to the patients. During your med school interviews, interviewers will be looking for characteristics that show you’ve worked directly with patients. This will also give you exposure to the doctor lifestyle and build up your medical experiences.
Medical research
Medical schools like to see that you have some type of medical research experience. Developing your medical research shows your aptitude for the actual scientific work needed to be a doctor. To some extent, clinical research and lab research hold the same merit, so choose the one that seems most interesting to you.
Community service
Doing community service is an opportunity to show leadership and a commitment to helping others. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a medically-related community service activity, but admissions officers want to see what you care about in your community!
Building up your extracurriculars are just as important as studying for MCAT. Use your study breaks to focus on how you can improve yourself as a medical school candidate.
For more information on how to spend your free time before medical school, check out this blog! How to Spend Your Time Before Medical School
