Medical extracurriculars in the SF Bay Area?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi,
I am currently a 15 year old sophomore who will turn 16 in the middle of summer. I am interested in the medical/biological sciences field.
What are some extracurriculars I could do to reflect this?
I already have volunteering at a local hospital, volunteering at a local animal shelter, mentoring kids for science fair, and participating in science fairs.</p>

<p>Is there anything else, like a job/internship, shadowing, starting a club, etc. that I could do related to medical/biological sciences in the SF bay Area?</p>

<p>Also, are there any summer programs besides UC Davis YSP that accepts rising juniors and has a research with a mentor aspect?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>Why just limit yourself to ECs in the Bay Area? Have you considered volunteering abroad during the summer?</p>

3

<p>Also, shadowing a local physician is a fantastic opportunity to lean about being a doctor AND showcasing this interest to adcoms.</p>

4

<p>gradee,
Well, I guess I could do that for the summer but I think that’s rather costly (in the bad position of being too well off for financial aid yet too poor to afford many luxuries).
So, because I live in the Bay Area, I will probably have to stay in the area for EC’s.</p>

<p>If such programs abroad are less than $5000 and are for a decent amount of time, then I would, but I haven’t come across any.</p>

5

<p>You can definitely find programs for less than $5000. I only paid $700 + airfare for my two week trip to India (it’s about $100-$150 per additional week). Also, many people are able to fundraise to help pay for their trip.</p>

6

<p>Check with your pediatrician. He/she may have some office work you could do - or know another doctor who does. My children’s pediatrician made it a point to hire mature/focused high schoolers with an interest in medicine.</p>

7

<p>gradee,
What kind of volunteering did you do on your trip?</p>

<p>katliamom:
Thanks.</p>

8

<p>How’s your Spanish? What about your computer skills? Contact any social service nonprofit with a health mission (Planned Parenthood, a local public health clinic, AID awareness programs, local emergency med tech with the fire dept, etc…) and volunteer your time. You will learn a great deal about public health and the social dimensions of healthcare.</p>

9

<p>I volunteered at an HIV/AIDS orphanage. I was able to add-value to the orphanage in both medically-related ways and more compassion-based ways.</p>

10

<p>Thanks so much!!
I found two programs so far that are pretty interesting; one is an internship and another is volunteering in the medicine field.</p>

<p>@M’s Mom
I don’t know Spanish, but I have some computer skills.
Thanks for the suggestion.</p>

11

<p>Also, does anyone know if it’s possible to become something like a massage therapist, that requires only a few classes, in high school?
Or at least get certified?
That would be super cool :)</p>

12

<p>You may want to check you local community college’s course catalog.</p>