WIll this EC plan make up for lost time?

[Zyto]

---

Members do not see this ad.

.

 

[plumhill]

You're only a sophomore, you've still got time!

Your ideas listed are good...go with that! You're going to have to learn how to do a good amount of volunteering while also studying and keeping up your grades. Top schools also aren't going to want cookie cutter applicants...think of things you can do to stand out from the crowd...I'm sure they get tons of people with near-4.0's and stellar MCAT scores who have also volunteered/shadowed extensively. Figure out what you can do that's different, but still relevant

 

[Catalystik]

I am a sophomore.

I did pretty much 0 ECs my freshman year. The only thing I did was attend probably 10+ seminars at my school, which were basically professors/researchers from other schools traveling to mine and presenting their findings. (I go to a big state school that has a lot of research going on). These seminars were attended by mostly grad students and professors.

The plus side is that I made a 4.0 GPA 🙂. And unless I bomb finals I will be doing the same this semester.

This past summer I had an internship with a small company that is not related in any way to medicine or science. I also volunteered as a youth sports coach.

This semester I continued attending said seminars and trained to get my EMT-B certification.. I applied for a research position but did not get accepted (probably due to lack of lab experience, even though it was an undergrad position....?😕). And I will be keeping my 4.0 this semester 😛

I feel like I'm really behind on ECs. Especially clinical and research, which I've read here are the most important. My plan to improve that is:

1)Volunteering at my local hospital ER during winter break, spring break, and weekends over the summer. (already confirmed this is happening)

2) Working as a research/lab intern for a life science company over the summer

3)Securing a research position each semester (should be easier because of seniority and because I've talked to a few professors about working in their labs) and trying to get published.

4) Tuturing Biology I and II and Gen Chem during the semester (will help with the MCAT)

5) Working and tutoring for my school's EMS class and service.

6) Becoming a volunteer or paid firefighter/EMT-B.

Are these the types of ECs that will allow me to be a competitive applicant for "top" schools? Specifically those on the east coast? I see posts on here with ECs like "working for clinic in impoverished area overseas" and "200 hrs of shadowing" or "3 yrs of research" and they make me feel like the time I spent studying should have been used for something else. What types of ECs can I do that will really stand out and help give me something to be enthusiastic about during an interview?

I think you'd be fine with 2+ years of research, but I'd try hard to have most of that take place in the same lab for the sake of a meanigful LOR from the PI. It's also a good idea to take on a substantive leadership role that accomplisheds good things. A unique hobby or artistic endeavor is also helpful. And if you get paid to be a firefighter, try to find a nonmedical community service for a cause you care about (which is a good place to gain a leadership role).

 

[Zyto]

.

 

[SuhanaS]

I just got placed into a lab for next semester! 😀 So happy.

Bad news though, apparently I will not be volunteering at a hospital over break because none of the hospitals around my hometown are taking volunteer applications until 2012. More good news is that I will be able to get a ton of volunteering done over the summer as I submitted my application to 3 different hospitals 😛

But now I'm stuck as to what what I should do for the next 5 weeks😕. Some kind of community service? I'm not involved in much at home, and I was really hoping I could get some clinical.

I recently just got out of high school and am a freshman in college. I'm not sure if my thinking is right or wrong, but I'm kind of iffy about joining volunteering positions at big hospitals. I feel like everyone in high school did that and it didn't really make them seem very special since every other applicant did the same. So I'm debating over whether I should volunteer at a hospital or not. Based on my personal opinion, I think small clinics are better. That way you can be more one on one with the staff members and actually do things (vitals, etc) that are health related rather than just filing. I just a position in a clinic (exciting!). They're were actually taking applicants but it was really low-profile so I though I'd give it a try. But if your having trouble finding positions, I think it would be best to mass email clinics asking them if they wanted volunteers (maybe even attaching your resume). Some might turn you down, but you never know if you'll get accepted and it's worth a shot. I do however, think it's better to show up to the clinic personally (especially really small ones) and talk to who's in charge. One out of a million they might be rude to you, but most likely they'll at least appreciate you taking to initiative to ask them. This is just advice I've gathered up from my research, I don't know if its really valuable or not, but I just thought I'd let you know 🙂