<p>When colleges look at ECs, do they see volunteering and internships on the same level if the internship is not a paid internship. I currently volunteer at a hospital. Would that be seen as the same as someone who is an intern? The reason I don't intern is because I don't really know how to find one. I'm definitely interested in the medical field, and interning at a hospital/healthcare facility would be a dream. Does anyone have experience in this or can offer me any advice in this matter?</p>
<p>Well, volunteering at a hospital is a great exposure to the medical field and colleges will surely see that. I would also suggest you make some connections with a few doctors there and ask if you can shadow them, another plus for colleges. </p>
<p>Research (even if not healthcare oriented) is great, but not essential. I would suggest you try to find one (perhaps ask your counselor or do a simple Google search) as a supplement to your hospital experience. </p>
<p>Hope this helps! I have quite a bit of experience with this stuff myself (Volunteered at hospital, shadowed a doc, research, plus medical club at high school) because I am pursuing the medical field, so if you need any more help PM me. :)</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for your great advice. I am going to ask my counselor if there are any opportunities he knows of for intern/research opportunities. I am also going to ask my volunteering director about shadowing doctors. I think it’s cool that you had a medical club at your high school. Are you in high school or are you already in college?</p>
<p>I’m actually in my senior year of high school. I was accepted to UC Berkeley, but I’ve decided to go to Virginia Commonwealth University’s 8 year Guaranteed Medical Program (yes, I’ve already been accepted to medical school! very excited). You should look into programs like these. Yes, the school isn’t ranked high, but the program is impossible to get into (only a 10% acceptance rate, not based solely on your grades and SAT scores but on medical involvement, compared to Berkeley’s 22% acceptance rate). A word of advice: Don’t think that the top 20 schools from US news will make you successful… find a program/school that will be most valuable to you, without caring about US News’ stupid ranking system.</p>