Extracurriculars/Volunteer/Research etc.Answered
Hi, I am currently a junior in high school, well a senior in a couple day, anyways, I was wondering what i can do now and over the summer that will help my college application stand out. One of my goals is to get into medical school so in college along with my major i will be on a premed track. I was wondering what type of extracurriculars i could do that would look good on applications and that will eventually come i handy for later. Like are there any virtual volunteer work and shadowing i can do virtually? I know that some colleges have research available to undergraduates but is there anyway i can start now? And is there anyway i can get like a mentor that i can learn from or is it to early for all of this? I hope its not to early or too late to get my foot in the door.
Basically what are some things that i can do over the summer that will not only help will my college apps but will also help me in the future when i go to apply for med school.
Any advice will help :)
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4 answers
Hi, I am about to be a sophomore in college and these are some things I did in my junior & senior years that definitely made my application stronger.
1. Volunteering - Email, call, reach out to places, leave voicemails, ask your family, friends, classmates. Find a place near you to volunteer and set a goal to do a certain number of hours by the end of summer. If this is your first time volunteering and you aren't taking summer classes or working, I would suggest doing at least 15 hours weekly, if not more. Some volunteering places: libraries, pharmacies, health departments, medical clinics.
2. Shadowing - Depending on where you live, it can be extremely hard to find a place to shadow. I was thankfully able to shadow some doctors and nurse practitioners and connect with them through LinkedIn. If you don't already have a LinkedIn, make one. Make one. Make one and make one!!!!! It will seriously help you connect with people from all over the country and you'll be able to learn about the different job positions that are available during Summer, Fall, Spring semesters and if you want to you could possibly get a part-time job when you're in college in a few years.
3. Mentor - I'm happy to hear you're thinking about finding a mentor as a junior! I found some of my mentors when I was a senior and I'm so grateful for them! I truly would be lost without their guidance. I met mine when I was shadowing and volunteering. For now, I would say, time will let you meet your mentors. Until then, find a place to volunteer or shadow for this summer :)
It is hard to find shadowing or mentorships during this time, but try reaching out to family friends who might know someone in your field and get mentorships through that. If not, try calling your physicians and see if they know anyone who will mentor you if not themselves. Volunteering wise, try being a leader or conduct your own events, which will help boost your resume very quickly. It is definitely not too early to do internships and such.
you can work online ig, here is a website example https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Chegg/reviews
It's a bit tricky to find high school internships online. Internships at a doctor's office, hospital, or some medicine related organization would be best. I would suggest you find such places and call them up to see if they offer high school internships or volunteer work. Do so ASAP cos it's almost summer so may be too late soon. You'll need to ask if they've got online options, but since you're eligible to get vaccinated, you should get the shot soon and work onsite.
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