Extracurriculars...

Does Anyone have any Advice on some great extracurriculars? Hospital work is hard to come by and sometimes volunteering just doesn't cut it. I have received a number of questions from people about a good outside of school activity to help the application stand out. Perhaps one of the most important aspect that I can offer you is to do something where patient contact occurs readily. Medical schools want to know that you are not only smart enough to make it through, but once you do they need to know that you actually like interacting with patients. Many people work in a hospital and decide that medicine is not for them. The admissions board knows this... Don't take that chance of them wondering if you have the capabilities to actually relate to people. Get out there and prove to them that this is what you want to do and erase the question of doubt from them before they even need to think about it. But How? There are many different ways that a student can obtain the necessary and valuable experiences. The easiest and the most popular is to volunteer. If you are going to take this route be sure to do one of two things: First, be able to describe that you were more than just a volunteer. The admisions board wants to know that you like working with people. Be sure to develop relationships with some of the patients and get the different ways in which you can help them. In your application and interview don't say hospital volunteer, but be sure to list all of the details, and of course make patient interaction at the top of the list. Secondly, try not to stick to the typical volunteer schedule if possible. I know that some hospitals will schedule their volunteers only once a week for a few hours. Try to make it a point to come regularly. This is also a great way to get to know many of the doctors and you may eventually be able to ask for letters of recommendation.

What are your thoughts and experiences with volunteer opportunities?