<p>A friend of mine was accepted to nearly all of the Medical Programs (Rice-Baylor, HPME, PPSP. UMiami Med Scholars, Caltech/UCSD, WashU Med Scholars, PLME, and a few others). He said that shadowing is one of the most unimpressive things that a student can place on his/her app for these medical programs. For two reasons:</p>
<p>A.) EVERYONE does shadowing. Seriously, look how many people responded to this thread.
B.) It’s not hands-on, you are just watching. Unless you can derive a unique experience from shadowing, it really doesn’t mean anything.</p>
<p>@Practical, my friend did no shadowing through his career. I asked him the same question, and he said that if you truly have a passion for medicine and if you really belong in those programs, then you shouldn’t be asking that question. If you really have this “passion” you speak of, then you shouldn’t need any number of hours to justify it or to find a meaningless EC to justify your “passion.” Follow what you think is right, and follow your “passion” for medicine. If this passion is truly legitimate, then it will help you find success, no matter what others say. My friend didn’t have a great SAT score (<2300), but he did have the passion.</p>
<p>Okay…how will they know that he has passion? He prolly had another amazing medically related EC. Also, shadowing being unimpressive? That doesn’t really sound right because there’s nothing else to do. It shows that you are involved with medicine and know why you want to be a doctor as opposed to not having done anything.</p>
<p>You guys really need to step out of your comfort zone instead of complaining on a message board. GO UP TO THE DOCTOR WHEN HE’S NOT BUSY (LIKE WHEN HE’S IN HIS OFFICE) AND ASK HIM IF YOU CAN SHADOW HIM. The worst he can do is say no. You will do this again and again when you’re in medical school. On my obgyn rotation, every day I asked multiple obgyn’s who I had never met before if I could deliver their patient’s baby. Some of them said, “yes.” Some of them said, “no.” And some of them said “no” and looked at me like I was crazy. </p>
<p>Medical schools are looking for Type A personalities who don’t let any set backs get to them. It’s nice if you have connections but if you don’t, then go out and make them. The worst a doctor can do is say no. Then try again. Same with getting research opps. Most professors don’t want high schoolers or probably even undergrads. You have to email them in sets of 10 and prepare not to get very many responses back.</p>
<p>Yup, as many hours as you can get.
And with doctors of different specialties can really help you.</p>
<p>^Yeah, that’s what I thought. Some people are saying it’s not even important.</p>