<p>Besides looking at grades what else do admissions look for? They look for your interests in medicine right? So how do you show your interested? I plan on volunteering at a hospital and studying to become an EMT during the summer. What else can you do to show admissions that your the right candidate? I don't do clubs and frats or things like that because I think it's a complete waste of time and doesn't reflect my career aspirations. I want to do things that are related to medicine. What else is there to do?</p>
<p>personally, i think clubs show that you're a well rounded person. you have to show them that you stand out and that you're well rounded.</p>
<p>I'm not sure but I would guess that studying to be an EMT would be valued much more than joining a club. Although being well-rounded is valued I doubt that a medical school would pick an applicant who joined a club over someone who did something more medical-related (all else equal). Can someone clarify this? I'm also interested to know.</p>
<p>At my collge most clubs have one meeting a week and maybe some fun activity they plan out. It's mostly just appealing to people with a specific hobby. But my concern is that how involved do you have to be for a club to be worth something on your application? I mean there is a pre-med club at my school and its actually very informative but if I don't hold any positions, is it worth considering it an EC?</p>
<p>i agree that clubs are usually not looked at as showing care for medicine. In fact, most premeds who I know have NOT joined our school's premed society because it is too political. Everyone seems to be in it for positions and transcript notations. Something more hands on is much much better.</p>
<p>i would suggest volunteering at a firehouse or ambulance company. I have been volunteering for about a year and a half and i love it. I plan to become an EMT next summer.</p>
<p>Any sort of volunteering or humanitarian effort is considered a good sign. It doesn't have to be medically related.</p>
<p>med schools obviously like to see the usual medical-related activities (hospital internships, Emergency Medical Services, etc) however what they will like to see even moreso is that you have a passion for something and went somewhere with it, instead of doing all these BS medical clubs where you arent really ACTIVELY involved in any of them.</p>
<p>Even if its music, spending alot of time doing something you love will stand out more then volunteer 12 hours at a hospital because you want to show you care about medicine.</p>
<p>You wont be able to show you care about medicine if you dont find something medically related that you really enjoy doing. And if you ask me, I wouldnt force something like that.</p>
<p>I have been in EMS for approximately 5 years, an EMT for 2...I have about 5000 hours on call and I have seen PLENTY of "pre-meds" come and just about the same number leave because they cant handle it and because they probably forced themselves into it because they thought it would "look good"</p>
<p>Doggie311, can you pls describe how it's like to be an EMT? cuz seriously, i think that's something i'd like to do for now. lol not because it'll look good. when i was a kid that was actually something i wantd to do. lol.. save lives..kinda</p>
<p>Well although Doogie will say otherwise most EMT calls in most places are boring and you aren't doing much "saving" of lives. You transport someone here to there. Pick up drunks/homeless people. You'll mostly deal with old people with stupid problems (ie "i cut myself"). Its not car crash after car crash victim or gunshot after gunshot. Those aren't too common, even in areas where it is common. And I know this as someone who works in a VERY busy ER and sees every ambulance that comes in. Most patients that come in, in a ambulance are just GOMERS, and PITA. They have no real problem many times. Or their problem is very minimal. For example a drunk person who was found passed out. Not too much to say or save with a patient like that, they bring them in and we put them in a bed and "watch" them. The end.
As far as being an EMT check you local community colleges they usually have programs. Or ask you local ambulance crew, they will know.</p>
<p>ill agree with bigndude that depending on where you are it can either be very exciting or very dull. I work in two seperate areas, the south bronx of NYC and my local suberb. In the south bronx, my crew and I are faced with life/death situations daily. Since NYC is priority dispatch, my crew will respond to the very important calls and the less important calls wait. I usually handle major MVA's, GSWs, stabbings, and major assault where alot of the times it is life and death. </p>
<p>Back in the suberb, I have had plenty of life/death situations. Now you have to remember it can be a life death situation and still not have that adrenaline rush you see on TV. Many medical calls may not seem like they are very important but the simple chest pain call or elderly party fallen can quickly turn on you from being a "transport from here to there" like bigndude said to a "we need to get this guy to the f*n hospital now before he dies". </p>
<p>So all in all, I am going to have to disagree with bigndude and say that as an EMT, if you do it long enough, you will probably see more intense situations then you will probably want.</p>
<p>Also, bigndude has more of a broad perspective on medicine because he sees just about everything in the ER. Im not sure what "VERY" busy ER he works at but I can probably assure you it isnt busier then some of the ED's i transport to in New York City, and what I bring the medical team there are usually pretty life-threatening cases. </p>
<p>Since we do have priority dispatch, the BS cases usually end up taking themselves to the hospital because they are gonna have to wait a long time for an ambulance, so I rarely get to see them.</p>
<p>And we NEVER transport drunks in busy areas, police handle that.</p>
<p>You choose the right area or if you are an EMT for long enough, you will get the right experience. End of story.</p>
<p>suburban areas will have lots of people who consistently are thinking they are sick (aka frequent flyers) but trust me, any where you are, you WILL have a call where you can make a difference and learn and see something new.</p>
<p>yup, MikeF hit it right on the head</p>
<p>If you are just going to attend meetings with a club and show up to events, then yes, joining clubs is a waste of time whether they are medically related or not.</p>
<p>However if you join a club because you want to be there, and then actually get involved, take on a leadership role and do something, then any club is worthwhile. Leadership is key b/c physicians are looked upon to lead teams of other health professionals. </p>
<p>Medical schools do want well rounded people. They want people who do things and have passions outside of medicine, b/c being a GREAT physician is about being well rounded. Yes, you have to be intelligent and understand the science, but if medicine was only about the science, they could just develop a computer to make all the medical decisions. But it's not, it's about reading people, relating to them, showing empathy, and then using and applying the science knowledge one has to help others. </p>
<p>The whole reason why medical schools have interviews is to screen candidates in such a way. Can you hold a conversation? are you perceptive? or are you just a robot? That's one reason why getting a job waiting tables can be beneficial for aspiring med students because it's inherently a social position. And being social is one of the reasons why MD's look down upon PhD's (of course PhD's look down on MD's for not really caring about the science or not being smart enough to handle it or something - it goes both ways)</p>
<p>Finally, you should never do anything just because you think it will help you get into medical school. Do things because you genuinely enjoy taking part in them. If you do that, it will show and it won't matter what you did, whether it was medically related or not.</p>
<p>I guess what I'm trying to get at is that if you look at what the nature of being a physician is, and the types of qualities a great physician has, doing things that show you have those qualities (in activities that are important to you) are more important than just following the crowd and doing what every other pre-med is doing b/c you don't know any better.</p>