How critical is volunteering?

[Rogue42]

I feel like I have done a lot, but I have not done much volunteering (or what I have done, I do not have anyone to vouch for me that I have done it).

I have like 60 hours as a volunteer assistant athletic trainer which I do have someone who can vouch for this, I have 12 hours in an under-deserved rural clinic which I have someone who can vouch for me. I have volunteered around 40 more hours throughout other things but do not have anyone to vouch for it; therefore, I cannot list it.

How detrimental will the low volunteer hours be to my overall application?? Like I said, I have a lot of other stuff, but its mostly paid.

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[TheRealCookieMonster]

All depends on what your app looks like and is focused around.

 

[Rusrus]

I feel like I have done a lot, but I have not done much volunteering (or what I have done, I do not have anyone to vouch for me that I have done it).

I have like 60 hours as a volunteer assistant athletic trainer which I do have someone who can vouch for this, I have 12 hours in an under-deserved rural clinic which I have someone who can vouch for me. I have volunteered around 40 more hours throughout other things but do not have anyone to vouch for it; therefore, I cannot list it.

How detrimental will the low volunteer hours be to my overall application?? Like I said, I have a lot of other stuff, but its mostly paid.

Lack of volunteering can be detrimental to your application, especially considering that most applicants have over 100 hours of volunteering.

I'd recommend that you work on improving your clinical volunteering and seek volunteer opportunities that serve the lesser fortunate. If you have paid clinical experiences, then you may be able to scrape by, but I imagine your other ECs need to be stellar.

 

[dial1010usa]

How's your rest of the application? gpa, mcat?

 

[Rogue42]

How's your rest of the application? gpa, mcat?

I am from a small town (less than 10,000)
-3.61 Overall GPA, 3.9 non-science, 3.50 Science
-200 shadowing hours in surgery, internal medicine, anesthesiology, and family medicine through ETSU's Medical Horizons program (this is a program that is run by Quillen COM)
-20 Hours shadowing in Vanderbilt Cardiothoracic surgery
-60 hours spent volunteering as an athletic trainer in my home-town
-400 hours of being a Teaching Assistant in Biology
-150 hours of research experience with a University Research Award and Publication to my name.
-Volunteered for RAM clinic. I was a dental assistant for the clinics. (Free medical, dental, and vision clinic for the Under-deserved)
-Participated in the Childhood Arthritis Walk in Nashville, Tennessee for the past four years.
-Member of the Chemical Medical Club and The Wildlife Society
-2000 hours working as a Scribe and triaging patients in a Family Practice clinic underneath several MDs, PAs, and NPs. (this is my current job, so my hours should continue to climb.)
-I was Student Ambassador for my University.
-I am starting my Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Management.

MCAT is scheduled for July 24th.

 

[dial1010usa]

I think you are pretty good candidate for even MD if you hit 510+ on your MCAT.
It all depends on your MCAT score now.
Are you URM?
Applying this cycle?

 

[Rogue42]

I think you are pretty good candidate for even MD if you hit 510+ on your MCAT.
It all depends on your MCAT score now.
Are you URM?
Applying this cycle?

I think I am. I come from a school district where less than 50% of people go to a 4 year university, and pending on how one looks at my parent's education, I am a first-gen college student. I am applying this cycle. You don't believe that I should be concerned about my low amount of volunteer hours?

 

[dial1010usa]

I think I am. I come from a school district where less than 50% of people go to a 4 year university, and pending on how one looks at my parent's education, I am a first-gen college student. I am applying this cycle. You don't believe that I should be concerned about my low amount of volunteer hours?

Keep adding non clinical volunteer e.g church or shelter.
Apply asap and add only one school so your application gets verified.
After your mcat score add more schools.

 

[Goro]

I feel like I have done a lot, but I have not done much volunteering (or what I have done, I do not have anyone to vouch for me that I have done it).

I have like 60 hours as a volunteer assistant athletic trainer which I do have someone who can vouch for this, I have 12 hours in an under-deserved rural clinic which I have someone who can vouch for me. I have volunteered around 40 more hours throughout other things but do not have anyone to vouch for it; therefore, I cannot list it.

How detrimental will the low volunteer hours be to my overall application?? Like I said, I have a lot of other stuff, but its mostly paid.

My own student interviewers would eat you alive.

What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

From the wise LizzyM: I am always reminded of a certain frequent poster of a few years ago. He was adamant about not volunteering as he did not want to give his services for free and he was busy and helping others was inconvenient. He matriculated to a medical school and lasted less than one year. He's now in school to become an accountant.

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

 

[BlueFeesh]

I did non-clinical volunteering at a therapeutic riding academy for children and adults with disabilities in my hometown community.

Honestly, I loved it. Loved the people, the riders, everything about it. I found that I put in hundreds of hours there not because I wanted to prove myself or my worth, but because it gave me a sense of satisfaction in my own life and made me happy. This was reflected in my application and is one of the main reasons I was accepted this year.

 

[Rogue42]

My own student interviewers would eat you alive.

What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

From the wise LizzyM: I am always reminded of a certain frequent poster of a few years ago. He was adamant about not volunteering as he did not want to give his services for free and he was busy and helping others was inconvenient. He matriculated to a medical school and lasted less than one year. He's now in school to become an accountant.

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

In response, I would point to my position as a scribe! However, I thoroughly enjoyed your input, and definitly understand. So my next question would be: Should I not apply this cycle?

 

[Goro]

In response, I would point to my position as a scribe! However, I thoroughly enjoyed your input, and definitly understand. So my next question would be: Should I not apply this cycle?

Yes, if your MCAT is 500 or better