<p>What are some unique medical ec's that show passion but are not something that everyone has.</p>
<p>For example, what can someone do besides:
Shadowing a doctor
Volunteering at a hospital
Research</p>
<p>Also, do you know of any medical related awards for high school students?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>for the BA/MD programs having "medical experience" is actually not all that important. (if your parents are doctors it is even less important since it's more likely that, as a child of a physician, you will understand what the profession entails.) </p>
<p>what they look for is that you like to and can interact with people in different settings. things you can do: tutoring/mentoring (i'd recommend young kids, low income kids, etc. go out of your comfort zone.), getting a job where you have to interact with people i.e. salesman, customer rep, cashier, etc., human rights, etc. just do things that show you care about people.</p>
<p>medical related ec is important, but imo SAT is probably the first thing they look at. If you're looking to get into the top programs (hpme, for example), get lots of some heavy duty research. Otherwise don't worry too much about your ecs as long as you have some clinical experience</p>
<p>i wouldnt say medical experience is not that important. actually its very important for the top programs, as long as you also have the high scores. its how you demonstrate interest in the field--just saying it and knowing about the profession is often not enough. </p>
<p>but yes, you dont need a lot of experience, usually the things you originally listed are enough to get an interview (again, only when combined with high scores and an overall strong application). then through the interview you can show your people skills and passion for medicine.</p>
<p>The programs I was thinking about were Sophie Davis and Howard and UMKC.
What would be a GOOD sat score that could get you in (What should I aim for) and also for the act.</p>
<p>BTW, parents are doctors. would I write that?</p>
<p>scores are tough because sometimes programs overlook slightly underaverage scores if ECs and other parts of your app are exceptionally good. usually to be a competitive candidate 2200+ and 32+ are a good start.</p>
<p>um mentioning parents are doctors could be dangerous because it might suggest that you feel pressure to go into medicine from them and not by your own motivation. but im not really sure about that</p>
<p>Having parents who are doctors won't automatically be a negative or a positive. But, you need to be able to articulate your motivation for entering medicine in a manner that lets the adcom know the decision was 100% yours.</p>
<p>having parents who are physicians helps you to understand how demanding the profession is from an entirely different perspective than you would have if you were only volunteering in a hospital or doing research. i would agree that it isn't an automatic positive or negative, but if you can spin it it is a huge positive especially if you are asked a broad question like, "what do you know about the medical profession?"</p>
<p>also, since your parents are doctors make sure emphasize that it was your decision to become a doctor.</p>
<p>
[quote]
imo SAT is probably the first thing they look
[/quote]
definitely true but i think that the OP was asking about ECs specifically. on this point though, standardized test scores only get you so far. once you make the cut off, essays and recs become increasingly important because they are looking for mature high schoolers who demonstrate leadership, etc.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The programs I was thinking about were Sophie Davis and Howard and UMKC.
[/quote]
are you instate for UMKC?</p>
<p>all the advice in this thread has been great; however, i would warn you that these are all the traditional ways of getting into a BA/MD program. in general, if you take a traditional approach to anything you're more likely to experience more resistance and more competition.</p>
<p>also, i am not saying that you don't need any medical experience. definitely shadow your parents sometime so that you can talk about your "medical experiences" during an interview. (use common sense in the interview. if medical experience is not your strong point don't spend a lot of time talking about your medical experience or better yet your lack of it.) it's just that it's definitely not as important as people are saying. i think that doing ECs that show you can maturely interact with people and show you are genuinely interested in helping people are more valuable than doing "research" and "volunteering" in a hospital over the summer for 100 hours.</p>
<p>lol, high achieving students, fail to realize that one of the easiest ways to distinguish themselves from other high achieving students is to get a real job during the summer. most smart kids are off attending summer programs, volunteering, etc. however, there are kids who find the time to work 30+ hours a week and do meaningful volunteering 30 to 50 hours over the summer.</p>
<p>bump [][][][][][][][][[][][[]][
Any other advice?</p>
<p>Try to get medical experience from a unique perspective that sets you apart from everyone else. For example, I ended up writing full page stories on anorexia, autism and diabetes for my newspaper which ended up winning several awards and piqued the interest of some admissions committees. I may not have had any clinical or shadowing experience, but I showed that I'm still passionate for medicine, but using other methods that I also happen to be passionate about.</p>
<p>Become an EMT.</p>
<p>Can you become a EMT in high school?</p>
<p>yes.... I am</p>
<p>Age requirements for becoming an EMT vary by state. Even if you can't be an EMT, possibly you could help out in some way with a volunteer rescue squad. Our town's squad has a specific program for high school kids.</p>
<p>Redwood, did you become a emt through school, hospital or fire dept?</p>
<p>it was through the hospital....but the rescue squad sponsored the fee.</p>
<p>bump...hhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaa</p>
<p>bumppppppppppp</p>
<p>just a little hint...if it's on this thread it's NOT unique
to be unique...just pursue your passion
your EC will find you if you really like what you're doing
that's my two cents</p>