{"id":977,"date":"2020-12-09T16:09:59","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T16:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gillianmathews.com\/pugmed\/?p=977"},"modified":"2020-12-09T16:10:05","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T16:10:05","slug":"3-things-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-extracurriculars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gillianmathews.com\/pugmed\/3-things-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-extracurriculars\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Things to Look for When Choosing Your Extracurriculars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

3 Things to Look for When Choosing Your Extracurriculars<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Choosing the right extracurriculars can make or break your medical school application.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three things you should look for when picking your extracurriculars: Quality, Leadership Opportunities, and Passion.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

When it comes to medical school applications, you want quality over quantity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to find a club or organization that has opportunities for long term service and involvement.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical schools would rather see you involved in one long term volunteer commitment then ten one time activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Check out my article on How Not to Write A Personal Statement<\/a> to learn how use your activities to portray your brand in your essays!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you start checking out different clubs on campus ask yourself: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much competition will you have for leadership opportunities<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s a super popular club on campus with lots of members. It may not be the best club to get the opportunities you need for your application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s much easier to get a leadership position in a small club<\/strong>, than one with hundreds of members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passion: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes. Extracurriculars and volunteering are necessary for a strong application to medical school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in my opinion, what’s on paper only gets you as far as your secondaries or your interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What gets you into medical school is what makes you… You. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s your passion, your empathy, and your unique qualities that make the admission committee take you from the qualified pile to the accepted pile. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why picking extracurriculars and clubs is so important\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When joining a long term extracurricular ask yourself:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n