Medical School Extracurriculars

My husband has successfully helped many people get in to medical school. It is a little early to choose your field of interest though, i.e. psychiatry.

There are many elements to a strong resume:

1. In your letter with the application definitely mention psychiatry as your primary interest but add a personal story or experience to support the why. Is there someone in your immediate family or circle of friends that has suffered with mental illness and this leaves you with a better than average insight to the trials and tribulations of the patient? Etc...you get the gist.

2. So, will you be shadowing a psychiatrist in your community? Have you set something definitive up? If you can't find a Psychiatrist, then definitely find a Psychologist with a minimum PhD. to shadow. They will be looking for a real serious commitment with a lot of hours, not just a once or twice scenario. Then after that shadowing experience, make sure to ask for letters of recommendations from these professionals.

3. Go to your university and find a research lab in any of the Neurosciences. Either volunteer or asked to be paid, even better for a part time position. To combine your interests, maybe you can find a lab specializing in stroke coupled with rehab research in one of your areas of interests.

4. Contact the medical schools you will be applying to and have them make specific recommendations to your application as it stands right now. They are willing to tell you before hand based upon what you would be submitting what they would want to find in your background to augment your application. It could be more bench research, more clinical studies where you volunteered as the coordinator in a hospital, higher sciences grades, so maybe you need to commit to a Masters degree in a bio medical field, even if you don't finish it, it shows that you are currently working towards it....

Also, ask your own primary care MD their own personal story and if you are a stellar patient and on good terms, they would be helpful with many suggestions. Don't be afraid to ask the doctors around you for their stories of how they got into medical school.. The answers are amazingly varied.

You have a wide variety of interests, so I think there are a TON of things you could do. The first thing that came to mind was volunteering at a youth center. You could do some tutoring, help with sports, music, etc. I bet they would love you have you. You'd probably be a HUGE asset! You could also do something like Big Brothers/Big Sisters. You could coach a soccer team, be a Girl Scout Leader, volunteer to help at a martial arts school. There might even be a sports program for underprivilaged kids that you could volunteer for.

Could you volunteer with a local community organization that serves individuals with psychological disorders or developmental disabilities? My local United Way has a link on their website where you can search for such opportunities. Good luck!

I happen to love English Country Dancing; great exercise, and, as I sometimes tell people, "The most fun you can have standing up with your clothes on!" But I don't know if that will help you......

You could take your interests and teach them to others, e.g. your scrapbooking, and do it with kids, elderly, Girl Scouts, sick kids, etc

Start a music class for an after-school program, or go play every month at a nursing home or hospital.

Read to nursing home residents, or sick kids in hospital

Adopt a nursing home, make b-day cards for the residents, maybe bring each one a b-day cupcake (if rules permit) , and a small gift. Take your kids along. When I was growing up, the women's group at my church did this, and we brought cakes for the residents, I think each member took a month or something like that, all I remember was that my Mom did it, and always took my brother and me. Sometimes the residents found that the best part was seeing us kids, the cake and card/gift were secondary!

Good luck, I am sure you will figure something out!

K. Z.

take notice.. they want to see volunteer work.. like with sick children.. or something like that.. or helping with a food pantry... or making meals for shut ins.. check with churches in your area.. a lot of churches make meals for shut in.. sometimes they need help making or delivering them.. good luck