What should I change for sophomore year?

[Round786]

Hello, now that my freshman year is coming to a close, I would like to see what you guys think I should change for my sophomore year

I will be taking Orgo, physics, and upper level bios so I wanna see what activities are lowest yield and could be dropped in favor for more studying time (Big Brother and Scribe must remain though)


Here’s a overview of my freshman year + projected summer hours:

Overall gpa: 3.8
SGPA: 3.8

Total Clinical: 355 hours (192 more hours projected before I start sophomore year)

ED Transport: 115 hours

Scribe: 240 hours

Total NonClinical: 56 hours (445 more hours projected before I start sophomore year)

Affordable housing complex/homeless shelter volunteer: 40 hours

Reach Out and Read: 6 hours

Big Brother: 10 hours

Americorps (starting in summer): 400 hours

Total Research: 43 hours

My lab closed down, so I gotta find a new lab in sophomore year

Total Shadowing: 6 hours

Was with a pediatrician

(In my sophomore year, I want to shadow inpatient specialities)

Is 6 hours enough? There’s honestly very little difference between my scribing job and the shadowing. The only positive thing I can think of is that the pediatric clinic has residents and medical students so it is interesting to see the dynamic between the attending and these people.

LORs: Bio 2 prof guaranteed, Gen Chem 2 prof guaranteed, Stats 1 prof is a maybe



Also, I was initially planning on doing a hospice volunteering position as well as a crisis text line counselor position during sophomore year. These positions are good cause the counselor position is per diem and hospice is really close to my house.

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[GoSpursGo]

No reason to do more shadowing.

Frankly, you're way ahead on ECs. We can't tell you how to prioritize things, but the bottom line is that you probably should back off and focus on your academics to make sure you don't slip with your increasing difficulty courseload. You'll probably be fine even if you only continue scribing + big brother, and then if you wanted to pick another activity to prioritize I'd probably say another research position. All the rest is more or less superfluous.

 

[Round786]

No reason to do more shadowing.

Frankly, you're way ahead on ECs. We can't tell you how to prioritize things, but the bottom line is that you probably should back off and focus on your academics to make sure you don't slip with your increasing difficulty courseload. You'll probably be fine even if you only continue scribing + big brother, and then if you wanted to pick another activity to prioritize I'd probably say another research position. All the rest is more or less superfluous.

When you say no more shadowing, do you mean no more shadowing overall or no more shadowing the pediatrician?

 

[LunaOri]

I’d keep the homeless shelter volunteering. Look for a research job for thr summer

 

[Round786]

I’d keep the homeless shelter volunteering. Look for a research job for thr summer

You are saying I shouldn’t do Americorps?

 

[GoSpursGo]

When you say no more shadowing, do you mean no more shadowing overall or no more shadowing the pediatrician?

Overall. I see no point when you have so many other hours and scribing

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

The Sophomore Slump is very real. Physics and Orgo together are very demanding. You still need general education stuff as well. How many credits are you taking? Three labs?

You don't want to risk your GPA. This is why everyone does an extra year in undergrad these days.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'll also note... you don't have any campus or community leadership.

Be careful not to go too fast and burnout.

 

[Round786]

I'll also note... you don't have any campus or community leadership.

Be careful not to go too fast and burnout.

I currently have two leadership positions planned/currently in development.

1. This Formula 1 Go-Kart club I am in has a problem where every fall more new people join then old people stay, so it’s in a constant struggle to retain trained upperclassmen. This means, whenever a upperclassman does stay, they’re almost guaranteed a leadership position in whatever unit they are in. I was hoping this one activity is enough for campus leadership. I was thinking of trying to fix this problem by creating an alumni system.

2. In Americorps, I will be combining my passion for cooking and teaching impoverished kids stem. I’m going to be spearheading multiple events where the kids can learn cooking skills and also learn about chemistry or physics or biology (ex. Having them make sourdough starter and then teaching them about yeast, sugar, etc.)

Assuming I follow through with these activities, would I need even more leadership? The only other one I could think of right now is Chief Scribe. But I don’t wanna do that. At my program, you get more pay but there is so much new work involved that you are better off remaining a regular scribe.

 

[LizzyM]

I currently have two leadership positions planned/currently in development.

1. This Formula 1 Go-Kart club I am in has a problem where every fall more new people join then old people stay, so it’s in a constant struggle to retain trained upperclassmen. This means, whenever a upperclassman does stay, they’re almost guaranteed a leadership position in whatever unit they are in. I was hoping this one activity is enough for campus leadership. I was thinking of trying to fix this problem by creating an alumni system.

2. In Americorps, I will be combining my passion for cooking and teaching impoverished kids stem. I’m going to be spearheading multiple events where the kids can learn cooking skills and also learn about chemistry or physics or biology (ex. Having them make sourdough starter and then teaching them about yeast, sugar, etc.)

Assuming I follow through with these activities, would I need even more leadership? The only other one I could think of right now is Chief Scribe. But I don’t wanna do that. At my program, you get more pay but there is so much new work involved that you are better off remaining a regular scribe.

The go-kart thing could be leadership if you are leading other students. The cooking thing is not leadership. The point is to be leading peers. Getting children to do as they are told is challenging but it is not leadership.

That said, I'd give you a pass for not having leadership during your freshman year but having it in junior year is important if you want to apply during the summer before senior year. It is also the reason that many people take a gap year after college, so as to have senior year activities on the application as having been done.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Go-Karts are quite a niche. Good luck with the leadership opportunity there.

I can be flexible with Americorps but that doesn't sound like other projects I would associate with them. Could you be more specific? Also, I appreciate teaching STEM through cooking, but that falls under academic competency to me. I've seen experiences with cooking classes for families on food assistance... makes more sense as community service in that case.

 

[Round786]

Go-Karts are quite a niche. Good luck with the leadership opportunity there.

I can be flexible with Americorps but that doesn't sound like other projects I would associate with them. Could you be more specific? Also, I appreciate teaching STEM through cooking, but that falls under academic competency to me. I've seen experiences with cooking classes for families on food assistance... makes more sense as community service in that case.

Im a bit confused on what you mean by “falls under academic competency”. I couldn’t find it on AMCAS’s core competencies list. Could you elaborate more on that?


Also, the cooking is a very small portion of the entire AmeriCorps position. I initially viewed it as leadership because without my involvement, the cooking activities would literally not exist.

The actual bulk of the AmeriCorps position will be providing recreational, therapeutic, and an educational experience to kids K-5. Basically school 2.0. Will provide homework, food, field trips, etc.

 

[Round786]

The go-kart thing could be leadership if you are leading other students. The cooking thing is not leadership. The point is to be leading peers. Getting children to do as they are told is challenging but it is not leadership.

That said, I'd give you a pass for not having leadership during your freshman year but having it in junior year is important if you want to apply during the summer before senior year. It is also the reason that many people take a gap year after college, so as to have senior year activities on the application as having been done.

Thank you for the clarification! Would you say it is in my best interest to become chief scribe at the clinic I am working at?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Im a bit confused on what you mean by “falls under academic competency”. I couldn’t find it on AMCAS’s core competencies list. Could you elaborate more on that?

It demonstrates science/thinking competency. One cannot tutor or teach without demonstrating mastery of the content. Not everyone can be a professor, and a biochemistry professor probably should not teach East European nihilist literature unless they are an expert in that subject too.

 

[LizzyM]

Almost any of your activities could become a leadership experience if you rise in the ranks enough to train and lead new employees/volunteers.

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

...
Also, the cooking is a very small portion of the entire AmeriCorps position. I initially viewed it as leadership because without my involvement, the cooking activities would literally not exist.

I think this is an important distinction to make. This is seizing initiative and creating new opportunities and running programs.

I think of this more as entrepreneurship rather than motivating a team and rallying them and managing their needs.

It does all fall under the leadership umbrella but I think this might be the distinction you're not getting from what Lizzie said earlier about managing peers.

Think of what it takes to be a restaurant manager during a busy Friday night. You have to meet the needs of the business while also keeping the customers and your team happy. While dealing with hundreds of variables mishaps burn out hours being cut schedules being changed last minute. Trying to keep morale to the point where everyone doesn't quit... Trying to balance your own sanity... Because no matter who you make happy someone else is going to be equally unhappy in these types of situations where you literally just cannot win.

Feeling that you have to make tough decisions and certain decisions that keep you up at night is how you know that you are being an effective leader. When people come into work the next day or they stay an extra hour late when they don't have to. Convincing someone not to call corporate for the hundredth time to get something for free. Leading by example not through rule of law. Understanding that respect is earned not commanded.

These are the lessons that you get through leadership experiences.

 

[Round786]

I don’t mean to revive a dead thread, but I was recently appointed to oversee all clinical training for our scribes (half of the scribes quit so there is a bunch of trainees).

Is this a notable leadership role, or do Adcoms pretty much expect this? I would imagine that since Scribes rapidly quit/start between semesters, most scribes who stay eventually get into a trainer/mentor position.

Do I need to become a chief scribe before I can actually say I exhibited leadership?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I don’t mean to revive a dead thread, but I was recently appointed to oversee all clinical training for our scribes (half of the scribes quit so there is a bunch of trainees).

Is this a notable leadership role, or do Adcoms pretty much expect this? I would imagine that since Scribes rapidly quit/start between semesters, most scribes who stay eventually get into a trainer/mentor position.

Do I need to become a chief scribe before I can actually say I exhibited leadership?

Just add it. Don't worry about adcom expectations. We see it a fair amount, and many of us know it doesn't pay well.

 

[LunaOri]

It’s a leadership role.