I am a sophomore interested in majoring in biomedical engineering at college. My hobbies include visual art, reading, and baking - none of which have to do with Biomed. eng. I am in NAHS and Diversity club at school - again, neither of which has to do with Biomed. eng.
Which specific extracurriculars could I do that relate to STEM and can make my application stand out?
Since Biomed engineering is both bio and engineering, there are a variety of different ECs you can participate in.
The first that comes to mind (and i participate in) is competing in science fair. Within science fair, there is the specific category of biomed engineering in which high-school students engineer their own "gadget" by conducting research on how, and then taking the time to prototype and actually create a tool. One of friends was able to create a Vest which was a non-invasive glucose monitoring system for diabetes management through ECG data. There is a whole lot more you can do, if you are interested just look up "ISEF Database" and scroll through all the internationally qualified projects from around the world. Since these projects do take months to complete, it will be a lot to handle, especially if it is your first time. If your school doesn't offer it, ask a teacher to help you find a local/regional fair that you can compete in. I highly recommend participating in science fair because of the amount of experience you earn by writing your research plans, technical papers, and conducting experimentation.
Since biomed eng is fully STEM, just participating in any STEM club will do. For example: Science bowl, Science Olympiad, Math Olympiad, National Science Honor Society, etc. I'm just saying, as long as you look, there are a ton of STEM clubs available.
Another thing you can do is find opportunities such as internships in research facilities near you. A common one is using connections to be able to have an internship at some college lab. I did this to explore my interests and I found it really helpful to hone in on what exactly I wanted to do.
These are things that I do that I personally have seen upperclassmen succeed in. And at the end of the day, as long as you have the passion for wtv you want to do, succeed will follow.
To keep this community safe and supportive: