<p>About how many hours of shadowing a doctor, research or pure volunteer in a medical facility really stand out and make you at the "top" of the list?</p>
<p>300,000...</p>
<p>What do you mean "med major"? There is no such thing, unless you're talking about BS/MD or BA/MD combined programs.</p>
<p>I think the individual just wants to get into a good Pre-Med Program (or on the track to Med School)</p>
<p>Well in that case it doesn't matter whether you do any medical related stuff in high school or not. I mean, if that's what you're interested in doing, go for it, but just get accepted into whatever college you're aiming for. There's really no such thing as a "premed program" most places. Premed is just a track of courses you take that med schools require... 1 yr intro bio, 1 year gen chem, 1 year english, 1-2 semesters of math (some schools require calc), and 1 yr organic chem. My school also recommends biochemistry. You should, however, look for a school where there is good premed advising and where you can get a good GPA.</p>
<p>Also, don't make the mistake of looking at things in terms of hours. A lot of hours are good, certainly, but it's the quality of the experience and what you get out of it (ie what you can write about it) that will make it stand out, as well as the caliber of whatever you were doing.</p>
<p>Being a co-author of a journal article; doing original laboratory research; doing something special/unique in the medical facility where you're volunteering such as organizing an activity or a fundraising drive for needed supplies or teaching chess to children with cancer and learning from the experience, these are the kinds of activities that might make you stand out. It doesn't have much to do with hours per se.</p>