Recommended Extracurriculars in Medical School

[deleted1095841]

I am an M1 and trying to decide which extracurricular activities I should get involved in, to maximize my chances of matching into residency, other than research (research is something I'm interested in and will do anyway, regardless of residency implications).

I have some interest in a lot of different things, but no clear passion, other than research.

I'm planning to apply to neurosurgery, ophthalmology, or internal medicine.

I'm looking for activities that will look good on ERAS, won't require a huge time commitment, and are hopefully at least a little bit fun. As I mentioned above, I've already decided I'll be doing research. I want to go into academic medicine.

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[DrStephenStrange]

Research, research, and research.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Seriously, nothing really matters on ERAS other than research. Getting involved in your various interest groups may help you decide between your interests, and may help you find a mentor, but ultimately your research is what's going to help elevate your app.

 

[MedScat]

In the time of COVID, there's a lot of research that can be done remotely. I hated research and was a actually able to get involved in something remotely (mostly chart checking/recording) and I actually got my first publication out of it, not even looking for one. So, maybe try to get involved in some remote research since its not super time consuming and can still get you pubs.

 

[AzBasRad]

Concur with above, research productivity will the most important factor. If you are gunning for top tier IM (i.e. top 10), having significant service involvement/leadership + AOA in addition to research may be necessary if you are coming from a low tier medical school.

 

[Dral]

If you don't plan on putting a significant amount of time into an activity, I'd agree with the rest and say just do research.

As an interviewer, I don't really care too much if you went to a few meetings of your school's Neurosurg interest group but didn't hold a position or do something like pretty much singlehandedly run a significant fund raiser.

If you're not going for depth of involvement, just skip it. Breadth of involvement without significant depth tells me you're just checking things off for your application (Unless I can tell it was an honest attempt at trying to figure out where your interests might lie to begin with).

 

[deleted1095841]

If you don't plan on putting a significant amount of time into an activity, I'd agree with the rest and say just do research.

As an interviewer, I don't really care too much if you went to a few meetings of your school's Neurosurg interest group but didn't hold a position or do something like pretty much singlehandedly run a significant fund raiser.

If you're not going for depth of involvement, just skip it. Breadth of involvement without significant depth tells me you're just checking things off for your application (Unless I can tell it was an honest attempt at trying to figure out where your interests might lie to begin with).

Thanks for the advice.

One thing that you mention, that I hadn't thought too deeply about earlier, is that I might be interested in things other than research, but that I'll never know unless I try some other things out. And if I don't try some of these things, I wouldn't have made the best use of my time in med school.

In addition to research, I'll attend neurosurg interest group meetings (just to network and see if neurosurg is really right for me). I'll also try to shadow doctors in various specialties.

But beyond this, there are a few things which catch my interest:
Volunteering in student-run free clinic
Volunteering to educate local youth about science/medicine
Volunteering on admissions committee
Joining various clubs (specialty interest groups, hobbies, etc.)

As someone who's gone through medical school, are there certain things you recommend I try first? (which I may or may not have listed here)

I'm hoping to match in a top-10 NS or IM program.

 

[Dral]

Volunteering on the admissions committee might be very helpful. You may get some insight about what makes a good interview which could in turn help with your own interviews for residency.

Volunteering in a free clinic is always a good thing in my book. It is pretty common and doesn't stand out a lot as being unique, but I still personally look favorably on someone who has done that.

 

[deleted1095841]

Volunteering on the admissions committee might be very helpful. You may get some insight about what makes a good interview which could in turn help with your own interviews for residency.

Volunteering in a free clinic is always a good thing in my book. It is pretty common and doesn't stand out a lot as being unique, but I still personally look favorably on someone who has done that.

Thanks! I'll look into those.

Also, what are some examples of leadership you've seen students do?

 

[Lawpy]

Yeah seconding volunteering in admissions. I'm sure the med ed guys in programs will be pretty thrilled to see this

 

[Dral]

In terms of leadership, I have seen apps where the students have actually started up a free clinic at their medical school. Serving as president of an interest group shows more than just mere participation. Being the primary organizer of a significant volunteer event also stands out as a leadership role.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Do ECs in med school because they seem fun/fulfilling, not specifically for residency. that said, of ones you mentioned:

Free clinics: a significant leadership position >>> occasional volunteering in terms of resume impact (and also time commitment), but even just volunteering can be great for your personal development/early exposure to clinical skills, if that's something you're into

adcom: probably a good way to get facetime with admin/deans and inside scoop on admissions type decisions if that's something you're into

local youth education: a good way to give back to the community/practice your communication skills, if you're into that. probably great for peds minded folks.

other leadership opportunities available at most schools include things like student government, starting new initiatives related to something you're passionate about, etc

 

[Phloston]

I am an M1 and trying to decide which extracurricular activities I should get involved in, to maximize my chances of matching into residency, other than research (research is something I'm interested in and will do anyway, regardless of residency implications).

I have some interest in a lot of different things, but no clear passion, other than research.

I'm planning to apply to neurosurgery, ophthalmology, or internal medicine.

I'm looking for activities that will look good on ERAS, won't require a huge time commitment, and are hopefully at least a little bit fun. As I mentioned above, I've already decided I'll be doing research. I want to go into academic medicine.

No extracurriculars. Just do well on Steps. No one cares about volunteer activities, etc. They just look at numbers. *Get high STEP SCORES.* That needs to be your focus. Then use your extra time to go to the gym, or date, etc.

 

[Lawpy]

No extracurriculars. Just do well on Steps. No one cares about volunteer activities, etc. They just look at numbers. *Get high STEP SCORES.* That needs to be your focus. Then use your extra time to go to the gym, or date, etc.

I feel this mindset justifies the P/F shift in Steps even more. Extracurriculars can matter especially if there's leadership positions and are factored in AOA (which matters a lot), and when done well can help stand out people from the group

 

[Phloston]

I feel this mindset justifies the P/F shift in Steps even more. Extracurriculars can matter especially if there's leadership positions and are factored in AOA (which matters a lot), and when done well can help stand out people from the group

People just look at numbers, broadly speaking. Extracurriculars are like 1% of the equation, or if we're talking about sifting out students at the highest level for top spots somewhere. 99% of the equation is just: USMLEs and grades. Letters and research are next most important.

 

[Cornfed101]

Seriously, nothing really matters on ERAS other than research. Getting involved in your various interest groups may help you decide between your interests, and may help you find a mentor, but ultimately your research is what's going to help elevate your app.

Why do PDs care about research when a very small percentage of attending physicians conduct research on a regular basis? Seems kinda dumb

 

[Lawpy]

Why do PDs care about research when a very small percentage of attending physicians conduct research on a regular basis? Seems kinda dumb

It is dumb and most research being pumped out is complete garbage because it takes a lot of time to get good papers out.

PDs care because they need something to compare