What are the best extracurriculars for medical school?

Activities like volunteering, patient care, physician shadowing, research, leadership opportunities, healthcare-related internships, tutoring, and even personal hobbies can enhance your application and provide experiences that prepare you for a medical career.

Do medical schools care about extracurriculars?

Extracurriculars for medical school help the admissions committee identify which individuals possess essential non-cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, and the dedication required to handle the rigors of medical school and become competent, passionate physicians.

What looks good on medical school applications?

Keep in mind that applicants generally have some flavor of the following in their applications: community service, research experience and/or publications, leadership experiences, medical exposure (shadowing or work-related), and extracurricular activities.

What kind of volunteering do medical schools look for?

What extracurricular activities should I do for Harvard Medical School?

Harvard Medical School considers your extracurricular activities for admission, including healthcare-related experiences, research, and community service work. While there are no extracurricular requirements, varied activities strengthen your application.

MY COMPLETE AMCAS APPLICATION | Accepted Medical School Application w/GPA + MCAT + Activities!

Do med schools care about high school extracurriculars?

Extracurriculars provide medical schools a window into what makes you, you. Beyond your grades and test scores lie your personality, character, motivations, and interests. It's an opportunity for admissions committees to get to know you better.

Is 200 clinical hours enough for med school?

Many advising departments note that the average number of clinical hours needed is around 100. Keep in mind that in many cases, a specific number is not explicitly stated by med school admissions departments. Doing more than the minimum requirement can improve your chances of getting into med school.

How many hours should I volunteer a week for med school?

There is no magic number of hours that will guarantee you admission to medical school. However, it is generally recommended that you aim to volunteer for at least 100-150 hours per year. This shows a sustained commitment to volunteerism over a long period of time.

How many hours should I volunteer for med school?

While there is no set number of required volunteer hours for medical school, admissions committees typically look for a minimum of 100 hours of volunteer work.

What are the best volunteer opportunities for premed students?

Clinical volunteering opportunities take place in a healthcare setting, such as a health center, free clinic, nursing home, mobile medical clinic, or cancer center. When a pre-med student is involved with patient care or interacting directly with patients, it is considered clinical experience.

Can you get into med school without extracurriculars?

Your GPA and MCAT will get you to the door but your extracurricular activities will set you apart in the medical school application process. As a prospective medical student, you also need to find ways of showcasing your passion through your scholarly pursuits, activities, and hobbies.

What is the average MCAT score?

Data Summary. The average MCAT score for all test-takers in 2023-2024 is 501.3. The average MCAT score for test-takers who applied to medical school in 2022-2023 was 506.5. The average MCAT score for all medical school applicants who ended up enrolling was 511.9.

What are the odds of getting into medical school?

Overall, med school acceptance rates are higher than you might expect. Medical schools in the United States have an acceptance rate of around 41%. While these programs are hard to get into, medical school is an attainable goal for many people.

How many clubs should I be in for med school?

It's much better to focus your energy on only a few extracurriculars rather than joining several clubs or organizations as simply a member. I made the mistake of joining multiple pre-med or health-focused student groups as simply a member and never pursued a leadership position.

What are pre med hobbies?

Describing interesting hobbies such as traveling, cooking, playing intramural sports or an instrument, and website building are all ways to show a school that you'll be able to contribute to the school in more ways than just academics.

How many extra curricular activities for med school?

You have a limit of 15 activities that you can include in the AMCAS application. The types of activities that you include, the length of time you participated in them, and your description of these events all have an impact on how admissions committees will view your dedication to this career path.

How many hours of shadowing do you need for med school?

Many medical schools have a minimum requirement for shadowing hours. This may vary; some schools require 12–24 hours, while others require more than 75 hours. Generally, the range is between 40 and 100 hours.

What counts as clinical experience for med school?

Clinical experience for med school encompasses any medical-related activity you've participated in where you've interacted with patients and their care. Clinical experience can include (but isn't limited to) shadowing a physician, volunteering as an EMT, or working as a hospital scribe or pharmacy tech.

Does shadowing count as clinical hours?

Just because you aren't directly providing care doesn't mean that shadowing is a lesser pursuit. Provided you'll get enough time, exposure, and mentorship, physician shadowing does count as clinical experience.

Do med schools fact check volunteer hours?

No, it's not screened. However, if they suspect that you're lying, they might check it out.

Does amcas verify volunteer hours?

AMCAS does not verify your volunteer hours or any of your other hours in any description. There is an honor system though. So, you should put the accurate number of hours you volunteered.

How many letters of recommendation do you need for medical school?

How Many Letters Will You Need? In most cases, schools request a minimum of three recommendations: two from science professors and one from a non-science professor or an extracurricular supervisor.

How much shadowing do I need for medical school?

While clinical experiences, including shadowing, are a crucial part of an application, the number of hours each school expects can vary significantly. According to the most recent 2023 survey by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the average shadowing expectation is around 80 hours.

Does volunteering count as clinical hours?

Generally, your clinical experiences in college will probably include volunteering because you likely don't have the training required for a paid position where you're interacting with patients, but we cannot quantify the amount: how much of your health-related experience is for pay, or through an internship, or ...

How many doctors should you shadow?

If you want to put a number on it, around 100-120 hours is a good ideal range. Shadowing one doctor for one day will be approximately 10 hours, so if you can shadow multiple doctors for a total of 10 days spread over time, (even over a year or so if you start early), then you can easily hit your target.