<p>On medical school applications, do you have to provide some sort of proof of volunteering?</p>
<p>Would this just be some kind of signed letter from the volunteer director at the hospital, or what? Thanks</p>
<p>Not that I've heard of no...but u might have to explain it a bit during the interview</p>
<p>Since what you've learned is much more important than the number of hours, no.</p>
<p>I'm assuming the same applies for shadowing experiences?</p>
<p>Look, you don't need to provide proof for any of your EC's. If it's impressive and noteworthy, they'll ask you about it at the interview or they'll hope for a rec letter.</p>
<p>Hmmmm..... so technically one doesn't have to go out and volunteer 300 hours or even shadow a doctor as long as that person is aware of what goes on and can answer related questions during the interview? And at the same time put down that he volunteered at so and so hospital and shadowed so and so doctor?</p>
<p>The questions will be of a deeply personal nature and will involve a lot of exploring of the situation. Getting caught is not only an automatic rejection but they will actually throw you out of medical school for it if they catch it, even years later. Beyond that, you're a premed. You should want these experiences.</p>
<p>Let me add this: if you're going to do that, it's on par with cheating on the MCAT.</p>
<p>100 hours of volunteering and 50 hours of shadowing aren't hard to do and won't earn you any acceptances. If you want to compromise your integrity over a couple of worthless EC's, go ahead.</p>
<p>Everyone has worthless filler activities and awards that they use to fill out the 15 EC's slots on the AMCAS. What med schools are more interested in are the 4-5ish unique activities that define you. For me, it would be raising hundreds of thousands of sports cards for hospitals (I'm a huge sports fan and memorabilia collector) or helping a cancer survivor support group develop surveys to access the efficacy of their program or my research project at the NIH. For someone else, it might be playing D1 football. For someone else, it might be art. For someone else, it might be Teach for America. We all have to do hospital volunteering and doctor shadowing. But everything else should be stuff you enjoy or at least have some interest in. Therefore, people are unlikely to fake these activities. And if you can't find any EC's that you like, then you are a sad sad individual.</p>
<p>50 hours of shadowing? </p>
<p>I know this varies from applicant to applicant, but do people generally do that much? Is this with one single doctor?</p>
<p>I had 150, plus volunteering plus overseas experience.</p>
<p>50 hours of shadowing = approx. 5 work days for a doctor. In 3 years of college, you can't find 5 days to shadow?</p>
<p>Anyway, those were just random numbers. That wasn't the point of my post.</p>
<p>BDM, how many seperate doctors did you shadow to reach 150 hours? 1, 2, 10?</p>
<ol>
<li> Hm. A little math in my head.... probably closer to 210, actually, now that I think about it.</li>
</ol>
<p>210! I find it hard to shadow one, let alone 210. Thanks!</p>
<p>210 hours. One physician.</p>
<p>Thanks for clearing that up!</p>
<p>i think he meant 210 hours not doctors...i don't think i've even met 210 doctors and i've worked/volunteered in 4 hospitals and was an EMT. </p>
<p>i think having something substantive to say about your experiences (work, volunteering, shadowing) and time spent on said experience have a very strong positive correlation. if you literally spent a few hours on something it'll be very very obvious right off the bat because you won't have any in depth stories to tell about it. You're demeanor will even be a giveaway!</p>
<p>EDIT: oops, there was a second page that i didnt notice lol</p>
<p>
[quote]
210 hours. One physician.
[/quote]
lol.... 210 doctors would be ridiculous.</p>
<p>^ nah by cc standards, it would still not be enough.</p>