How to Increase Your Extracurricular Activities for Your Medical School Application

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By docjenny
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When you apply to medical school, you will be asked about your extracurricular activities, known as EC's. EC's are broken down into these categories: medical volunteering, non-medical volunteering, research, honors, employment, military, arts, athletics, teaching, hobbies, leadership, publications, and other. To increase your EC's for med school, follow the steps below.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Let the EC's that fit into more than one category show your diversity. Remember, admissions committees want to see a well-rounded applicant, so the more categories you cover, the stronger your application. For example, if you have five extracurricular activities as a medical volunteer, but one of those EC's was a teaching position, then use that EC to fulfill the teaching category on your med school application.
Step 2

Get a volunteer position at a local hospital or clinic. Hands-on clinical experience is the most important kind of volunteering you can do as a med school applicant. Most hospitals and clinics require a four hour a week commitment.
Step 3

Join clubs and classes that interest you at school or in your community. There are many classes to be found at community colleges and on message boards at cafes. If you enjoy being outdoors, join a hiking club or a walking group. If you enjoy reading, join a book club. If you like dancing, take a dance class.
Step 4

Start your own club. This EC can be categorized under leadership. For example, if you love snowboarding, start a snowboarding enthusiasts club. You can alert club members of recent snow activity and manage a carpooling schedule for trips.

Comments

bossypants said

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on 5/10/2009 This is terrific advice for anyone, not just for med school applicants! Show you are well rounded by being well rounded! Thanks for the inspiration!