Intro
Let's just cut to the chase. Medical School is extremely competitive and gaining admission is certainly an honor of prestige. However, the path to medicine is a journey to behold. It can be intimidating; hours of work, volunteering, MCAT, grades, you name it. So many things to do and yet it may not even be enough. If you are a serious premed who really wants to stand out in the admissions cycle, you’re in the right place. We are going to discuss a few extracurriculars that will make you stand out as an excellent candidate for medical schools.
Clinical/Medical ECs
Well if you plan on applying to medical school, then it certainly helps to have sufficient Medical related extracurriculars. This can range from clubs, to volunteering in hospitals, or shadowing doctors. Many medical related clubs even incorporate volunteering and service events to give premeds an incentive to maintain membership. As a fellow premed, I am part of organizations like SODA and Global medical Brigades chapters at my university, to help serve the local community. Now it is important that whatever activity it may be, you must be truly present in the moment and passionate about what you're doing. You don’t want to be doing an activity just for the sake of it. Being in clubs is good and all, but in the grand scheme of things, being just another member is far from significant. If you really want to show that you are a passionate leader, then you should consider running for positions in the club or even lead initiatives to help contribute to your organization. These are experiences that could be memorable enough to talk about in your application.
Most importantly, get out there and SHADOW! I emphasize this because this might be one of the most important clinical related EC that can make a huge impact for your application. By shadowing a doctor in a field that you are interested in, you can get to know what the lifestyle is like and know what you are getting into. Aside from that, you will see how things are run in a real world setting and gain valuable patient interaction that may further inspire you to pursue the field. Not to mention, the valuable letters of rec from the doctor you shadow
Non-clinical ECs?
You may think that non-medical extracurriculars are useless for your medical application, but I can argue that this might actually be the most important. Solely doing medical Ecs can be overwhelming and too much at some point for both you and the admission committee going through your application. Yes, medicine should play a huge role in your life but remember you are not a doctor yet! You are a college student and supposed to have a life outside of just school and medicine. You shouldn’t be one dimensional and only focus on medical experiences. Get out there and explore your other passions that you’ve been wanting to do a while. For instance, maybe you’ve always been into music and want to start a group or make music then you should certainly try to pursue that. It could be anything. Yes, grades and work are important, but having fun can’t hurt you. You should make time to do other things you truly enjoy and make some memorable experiences. I personally joined a fraternity at my university where I met some really great people that are both career oriented but also know when to have fun. I was able to participate in many service and philanthropic events through many of its affiliated organizations and meet so many people through that. Additionally, I love to play basketball and a day does not pass by without getting my shots up. Now, you may not be a person that likes to open up to people or someone into sports, but there must be things you are passionate about that you still have not made an effort to explore yet. Well, you are in college. If this isn’t the time, then when is it?
Final Verdict
Your experiences matter. Medical Schools don’t want a robot who just gets straight As or aces their standardized tests. Rather they are looking for your humane qualities as this is what can potentially make you a successful physician. It is important to share interpersonal connections and relationships and form memorable experiences in whatever you do. I think it’s time I end this blog right here and hopefully you guys are more inspired than before, to get out there and explore what you love to do.
- By Akash Sureshkumar
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