<p>I was wondering, how much does volunteering and ECs matter when applying to PhD programs in life sciences? Im just wondering if there is more that I could be doing, aside from becoming involved in Dorm Gov't...</p>
<p>N.B. I DO realize that there is a large emphasis on research and LORs.</p>
<p>They do not matter at all, and in many cases there will not be space to write them on your application. </p>
<p>The only things that matter are those that are subject-related – for example, if you tutor or TA in biology, that’s worth noting, but volunteering in something unrelated is generally not worth noting.</p>
<p>I completely agree that those activities will not help for applying to grad school, but in some cases extracurriculars, especially volunteering, may help with NSF or other fellowship applications.</p>