While having a 4.0 GPA and perfect standardized test scores will benefit your application, they are only the tip of the “application iceberg” that admissions officers consider. Officers not only want to see you excel academically, but also want to see you apply yourself outside of school. Extracurriculars are an incredibly crucial part of your application, as they help showcase who you really are. Read below for some must-have extracurriculars, as told by our Pre-med Panel!
Shadowing
By Daniah
Shadowing is one of the easiest ways to help you understand the medical field. When shadowing a doctor, you are able to find out more about the medical field, specifically the area the doctor you shadow specializes in, as well as understanding the day in the life of a doctor and if medicine is truly right for you. Shadowing is like another form of schooling; you are simply learning about the field of medicine and you won’t be asked to do anything clinical since you are not trained to do so. The doctor you are shadowing serves as your mentor and you should be open to asking them questions whether it be about the medical field in general or what your doctor is doing at the moment. These doctors can end up writing your recommendation letters for medical school, and asking them questions and showing your curiosity can help them understand you better as a student and they can write a better recommendation.
In order to actually start shadowing, you may want to start with shadowing your doctor that you normally go to. They already know who you are and it is usually easier to ask them if they would not mind you shadowing them. Sometimes, this may not be the case or you may want to shadow a surgeon. You can ask your doctor if they can recommend you to another doctor to shadow or you can find a doctor you are interested in and directly contact the volunteer office (if there is one) or talk to the receptionists one day. They can try guiding you through the process and you may even have a chance to speak with the doctor. Important rules of shadowing are being professional, wearing business casual clothing, and knowing you are merely a student and not the doctor or nurse.
Research
By Daniah
Although research is a requirement for people aspiring to go into pre-med, pre-PA, pre-dentistry, etc. it is something that can look good on applications as well as become something that you may be interested in. The things that happen at the lab, most commonly mistakes, can be stories you can talk about in your personal statement or during your interviews. Once again, research isn’t mandated. If you do not want to deal with the responsibility and you simply are not interested in research, there are other opportunities you can take advantage of. Research requires a lot of discipline and you should enjoy it. You will usually start with shadowing someone doing research so they can teach you the basic skills, especially if you are a freshman or sophomore doing research, but later on you will be able to do research on your own. You can even end up presenting your research.
If you want to do research, you can start as a freshman! Go to your university website and check if any of the professors in chemistry, biology, physics, etc. are doing research. You can find their email and directly contact them. If you want, you can also talk to one of your professors and ask them about their research or that you are interested in researching and they can take you in. Some professors might require you to take quizzes to assess how you think and solve problems before they take you in. In addition, there are programs such as REUs that you can apply to so you can do research at another university over the summer. Granted, this program is extremely selective but it never hurts to try. Especially with research at your university, if you are close with the professor who you are helping with their research, they can write amazing letters of recommendation for you.
Athletics
By Nic
Despite being one of the most challenging and time-consuming extracurricular activities in this list, I can say from experience that being involved in athletics has brought me so much joy and friendship. In high school, it is a lot easier to join a sport and if you find one you’re interested in. Try out your freshman or sophomore year, this is likely when you’ll have the highest chance of making the team. Throughout my experience with athletics in high school, I became a more organized person because you have to adjust to the harder courses while having hours and hours of practice on top of games, on top of travel times, on top of team meetings. Despite it being hard, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I met some of my closest friends and had more fun than I ever thought imaginable.
In college, being in athletics is much more difficult. If you want to be a part of a varsity sport, it is likely that you must be recruited while in high school in order to play. There are few walk-on opportunities but luckily, most colleges also offer club sports, which are much easier to be a part of and require less commitment. If you are nervous about being a student-athlete while in college, it’s understandable. The first year adjustment is incredibly difficult but, from the second I hit that ‘confirm acceptance’ button, I had an entire team of mentors, tour guides, friends and human encyclopedias right in front of me. I went to them for any questions I had, any advice I needed. Although playing sports in college is a challenge, you are given the resources to make it possible.
Also, colleges absolutely love having applicants who show they are able to work hard enough to achieve high grades and dedicate ample time to a sport. But you must keep in mind that although being a part sport can increase your chances of being accepted into a college or graduate program, it shouldn’t come at the expense of your grades. Academics always comes first and even if you are the best player at your school, if you consistently get C’s and D’s, you won’t be accepted.
Volunteering/Mentoring
By Nic
Most colleges (undergraduate or graduate) require some amount of volunteer hours and even if they don’t require it, they’ll prefer the hours. Luckily, there are tons of volunteer opportunities all around you. You just need to reach out and find them. Calling your local senior center, local juvenile correction center, a nearby hospital/clinic, YMCA, and even your city hall can open up lots of volunteer opportunities. Also, not all volunteer opportunities require a lengthy commitment. Some opportunities just need volunteers for things like events or beach cleanups, so it’ll only last a day or two. Taking advantage of as many opportunities as possible will help those hours stack up and make you a more desirable applicant.
Mentoring is much more of a time commitment and does require a little bit more digging to find. The best places to hear about mentorship programs are with your local city government and any schools near you (at any level). You’ll need to make sure you’re a good fit for the program and that you are of good standing to be a mentor, as most programs usually require some form of proof that you have good grades or can offer experience/expertise in a certain area. These opportunities can both be incredibly rewarding and can increase your chances of acceptance somewhere. Just make sure you’re actually passionate about the cause; you will be doing more harm than good if you are only joining a mentorship or volunteer program for the benefits you’ll receive rather than give to others.
Clubs
By Kshama:
During college, it is a great idea for students to reach out and join different clubs and organizations because this will give them the opportunity to meet new people and make connections, which is extremely important to succeed in life. For the most part, every college has a platform where students can go to see what organizations they may be interested in. There are a variety of clubs in college including academic or educational organizations, community service organizations, media and publication organizations, political and multicultural organizations, recreational organizations, student government organizations, and religious organizations. Additionally, if the college does not have an organization you are interested in, take the initiative and start the club at your college.
I recommend that during one’s freshman year of college, you reach out and attend general club meetings of organizations that you think you would like to be a part of. During freshman year, go all out and explore all the clubs you think you will be interested in, but come sophomore year only participate in the clubs that you will be an active member in and will enjoy the most. Then, continue with the organizations that you are most fond of and try to get leadership positions within those clubs. This will prove character development as your interest and time commitment in the club will increase. I recommend sticking to 3-6 clubs, depending on the type of organizations you’re a part of because a majority of clubs require a certain number of committed hours in order to remain a member. Furthermore, if you become a leader, then more time commitment will be required. Just remember, have fun when finding an organization you are interested in and participate in organizations you are passionate about, whether it relates to your academics or not.
Tutoring/TA
By Aliyah
Leadership is a very crucial component of an individual’s medical school application. There are a variety of ways to earn leadership experiences, commonly, through holding an executive position in a club. One extraordinary way to earn leadership experience is through devoting time and energy as a tutor or a teacher assistant. This position strengthens an individual in many ways, as they have to uphold integrity, academic excellence, responsibility, and so much more. Through being a tutor or a teacher assistant, you learn how to be flexible with your teaching style to truly impact all of your students. You provide healthy and effective study habits to help your student student in your course, but even the rest of their college career. If you can teach the subject, you truly know the material and that speaks volumes for you, as a leader and a student.
The process can be intimidating at first; however, you were given the position for a reason and you will excel. You gain an immense amount of confidence through being a teacher assistant/ tutor, since you’re lecturing in front of a class that is usually around 30 students. You’re paving the way of success for these students and evolving as a leader through the journey. Being a teacher assistant/ tutor is a very valuable way home to earn leadership experience and it is a very rewarding experience too!
Medical Wonders 