I agree. For your first year, don't worry about ECs. Focus on your GPA. Once you get a hang of things, start shadowing and volunteering somewhere you find interesting. It can just be 3-4 hours a week, every other week or something. Don't let that distract you though. To get your foot in the door, its all about MCAT and gpa. The rest is all about the lessons you learned from your experiences and you don't need a substantial number of volunteer hours and physician shadowing, although more will give you a better sense of if the profession is for you. Read up on professor ratings. Often the grades given depend solely on who is teaching and their style. Try to find the easier route to get your requirements met and get good grades. There are already enough challenges and learning opportunities on the path to med school. Don't make your life any harder than it needs to be.