Medical school admissions committees select applicants
who have demonstrated intelligence, maturity, integrity, and a
dedication to the ideal of service to society.
A Snapshot of You
One way of assessing your nonacademic qualities is to look at how
you have lived your life prior to completing your medical school
application. To this end, many committees will ask you to submit
a list of the extracurricular activities with which you have been
involved.
While not all admissions committees consider them in the
application process, many value the nature and depth of your
extracurricular activities as significant factors in your
admissibility to medical school.
Areas to Consider
Clinical Experience
Of all the activities you could be involved in, the one that is
most likely to be considered essential by a medical school
admissions committee is clinical experience.
Start by calling organizations in your community that work
with the chronically ill or disabled. They may be involved with
conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, mental
retardation, battered women and children, spinal cord injuries,
AIDS patients, and so on. Pick an organization of interest to you
and go for it. Remember that you may be asked to make a
commitment of up to one year, but in return you will be a real
member of the team.
Research Experience
In general, the only time research experience is an absolute must
is if you are planning to apply to M.D./Ph.D. programs or are
considering an academic or research career. If this is the case,
then again it is important that you have documented experience
that validates your interest and potential in the career
field.
However, that doesn't mean that applicants planning a pure
clinical career wouldn't benefit from a research background. As a
future physician, your job will involve research, either as you
seek to determine your patients' medical conditions or through
the process of continuing education, in which you study other
individuals' research efforts.
Teaching Experience
One of the most important roles that a physician plays is that of
a teacher as he or she imparts information to patients and
teaches them to play a more active role in their own health
care.
The diversity of teaching experiences of medical school
applicants during their undergraduate years is very broad. Such
experience might include teaching bible study in your place of
worship, teaching swimming or a musical instrument to children,
or becoming a teaching assistant in a lower division class in
which you did exceptionally well. Teaching can encompass just
about anything you enjoy doing. All you need to do is share it
with others in a structured, organized manner.
Employment
Many undergraduate students need to work throughout their college
years. Most admissions committees recognize that the time you
work necessarily means that you have less time for your studies
and other forms of extracurricular activities. These committees
understand that maintaining academic performance while holding
down a job is hard work.
If an applicant has been able to do both well, it is an
indication that he or she will be able to maintain his academic
performance upon entering medical school when academic pressures
increase.