<p>I am interested in applying to MSTP programs but have no non-clinical volunteering experience whatsoever. I am interested in volunteering at a computer center, where I learn to build computers, then build computers that are donated to non-profit organizations. So obviously this volunteering position means that I will not be interacting with others and helping them "directly", I will just be learning to build computers. </p>
<p>Would this count as a good non-clinical volunteer experience for MSTP programs? Do you actually need any non-clinical volunteer experience for those programs (like, is it recommended? are people with non-clinical volunteer work more likely to get into MSTP programs?)? What do you think?</p>
<p>So here’s the thing that a lot of people don’t seem to really understand, med school admissions (and probably MD/PhD even more so) isn’t a checklist or strict rubric process where you’re racking up points for this or that and you have to get above a certain threshold or be in the top x% to get in.</p>
<p>Your application is a story and every aspect of your application should be contributing to that story in some way. Your story should not be “I am an MD/PhD applicant” and thus nothing you do should be just for the sake of looking good on the resume. Your essays and your extracurriculars should paint a picture of who you are as a person. What motivates you to pursue this path of physician-scientist? What are you trying to accomplish? How do you see yourself getting there? What have you learned along the way so far that makes you think this is all possible? What are you hoping to pick up along the way? Etc.</p>
<p>FWIW, I had 0 non-clinical volunteering hours, but if you like helping people and you like computers and so volunteering at this place allows you to do both, then do it, but there are plenty of ways to discuss your desire to help people that may not fall under non-clinical volunteering and that’s ok too.</p>
<p>I see volunteering as a totally different area than what someone calls non-clinical volunteering. </p>
<p>You can volunteer 2000 hours doing whatever but I don’t this is what people refer to as non-clinical. Why call anything non-clinical at all as opposed to saying just volunteering?</p>
<p>I am not sure clinical/non-clinical/just do it volunteering gets anyone into medical school let alone MSTP but that is an entirely different story. :p</p>
<p>IWB Brown, Your “application is a story” was a really nice and accurate way of describing what you should write in your application. Work to build the story not a build a checklist. It should be linked for all future applicants to view as required reading.</p>