2 answers
alejandro
Student
La Ceiba, Atlántida Department, Honduras
3
Questions
Asked
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What extracurricular activities would help to apply for a med school?
Would any volunteer work help aswell?
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2 answers
Gina Cabrera,
I am an executive concierge at PwC. I am also a mother of two boys.
20
Answers
Hernando, Florida
Updated
Gina’s Answer
Hi Alejandro, thanks for your great questions!
Volunteering can definitely help, but for medical school, it's good to have a variety of experiences. This shows you understand medicine and love helping people.
Since you have time, focus on a few meaningful activities instead of joining everything. Consider volunteering at a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or community health program. Even non-medical volunteering is valuable if you're helping your community regularly.
Try to shadow a doctor to see what their daily work is like. If you can, get involved in research, science clubs, health-related groups, or leadership roles at school too.
Most importantly, choose activities that you truly care about, not just ones that look good on an application. Being able to talk about what you learned and why it mattered is more valuable than a long list of activities.
And it's great that you're thinking about this early. You have plenty of time to explore different areas of medicine and find what really interests you.
Volunteering can definitely help, but for medical school, it's good to have a variety of experiences. This shows you understand medicine and love helping people.
Since you have time, focus on a few meaningful activities instead of joining everything. Consider volunteering at a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or community health program. Even non-medical volunteering is valuable if you're helping your community regularly.
Try to shadow a doctor to see what their daily work is like. If you can, get involved in research, science clubs, health-related groups, or leadership roles at school too.
Most importantly, choose activities that you truly care about, not just ones that look good on an application. Being able to talk about what you learned and why it mattered is more valuable than a long list of activities.
And it's great that you're thinking about this early. You have plenty of time to explore different areas of medicine and find what really interests you.
James Hanson
Pediatric Intensive Care Physician; Consultant
267
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
James’s Answer
Medical schools look for well-rounded individuals who are smart, but also caring. Any way you can demonstrate the human, connected side of yourself is good. Leadership is also important, so if you can become a team captain, school officer, or similar, that is good. Volunteering in any way that helps others be healthier (helping with nutrition, housing, education, improving the environment...) is a positive.
There is no one extracurricular activity that is better than another. Do what you enjoy. Sports are good just because it is good to be in good physical shape. Any art is good, as it demonstrates your humanity and connection with others. Debate or public speaking could be good, as physicians need to be excellent communicators.
There is no one extracurricular activity that is better than another. Do what you enjoy. Sports are good just because it is good to be in good physical shape. Any art is good, as it demonstrates your humanity and connection with others. Debate or public speaking could be good, as physicians need to be excellent communicators.