<p>Okay so I know some on here have been saying that extra-curricular are not as important in getting in med school, but for some reason my pre-med advisor has been strongly pushing for them. What kinds of things are considered "good" that I can do this winter break? Shadowing a doctor? Volunteering in a hospital? What???</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/214373-extracurriculars.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/214373-extracurriculars.html</a></p>
<p>extracurriculars not important? What the hell kind of posts are you reading? who is writing them? Either you’re misreading them, or you’re getting bad advice…</p>
<p>Bottom line, med schools admissions are the most holistic of all graduate/professional school admissions. Being a “well-rounded” applicant will get you so much further in med school admissions than in any other venue. In fact, unlike any other path, med schools expect you to have some minimum level of extracurricular activity…in this case, clinical experience (something that would fall under extracurricular activities) if you plan on being a legitimate candidate…</p>
<p>While clinical experience of some sort is a necessity, having non-clinical extracurriculars can make the difference between a mediocre applicant and a great applicant. This is particularly true if your experiences demonstrate leadership qualities and/or you can explain how your experiences will make you a better physician in the future.</p>
<p>The biggest recommendation I can give is to do things you love. Do the things you are passionate about, even (perhaps especially) if they aren’t related to medicine. Your enthusiasm and passion will come across any time you talk about them and your excitement will make a lasting impression on anyoen you tell. Even more importantly, don’t do things because you think that’s what med school adcoms want to see. Lastly, if you can, holding a leadership position is always better than simply being a member.</p>
<p>lol, yeah I was skeptical on that advise. But anyways…I really want to do research but I don’t know HOW exactly to ask my professors to join them on their research. Wouldn’t he/she be insulted if I just went into his office after never before talking to them (class is 350 students) and ask to do research with him? Is there some other way I should go about this?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to look like a “cookie-cutter” pre-med, but regarding clinical experience, would volunteering at various places doing eye screenings for poor communities count? This is one of the things I have been doing since this year and I’ve come to like it, just not sure how much this would factor into pre-med seeing as how this is related to optometry. On the same note, would shadowing an eye doctor be a good idea? I have a good relationship with an optometrist and I feel like that would be an enjoyable experience.</p>
<p>Also, when is it good to shadow? Should I ask for a LOR afterwards (how would this work if I am a freshman)?</p>
<p>Don’t ask for an LOR; it wouldn’t be useful anyway. But it’s a good idea to start ASAP.</p>