Extra Curriculars/ Internships?

Answered

Good question, and it's great you're getting started on building up a relevant extracurricular resume so early! There are many different kinds of extracurriculars you can do now that will help you develop strong future medicine-focused college applications. Various STEM-based clubs and competitions (Science Bowl, Science Olympiad, HOSA, Pre-med Club, etc.) will all look good on your applications, as will any research, internship, or volunteer experience in labs or healthcare settings. You could look for formal programs that will require applications and may require you to pay money to participate (in general, the most prestigious summer research programs are the free ones -- the costly ones are generally less selective but might still be worthwhile if the money isn't an issue and/or the field of study is particularly interesting to you). You could also look for less formal options on your own by emailing local scientists, labs, or clinics to see if they might be able to use your help. Finally, you should consider shadowing a doctor and/or other healthcare professionals. This can also be done by reaching out directly via email.

I've included a number of links to relevant blog posts below, and I hope you'll find them useful. One last thing I should note, though, is that while participating in science/medicine-related extracurriculars in high school is definitely a good idea if you want to pursue medicine in the future, you don't only need to participate in these kinds of activities! It can often be good to have a couple non-science activities on your resume as well.

Extracurriculars for High Schoolers Interested in Studying Medicine:

https://blog.collegevine.com/extracurriculars-for-high-schoolers-interested-in-studying-medicine/

How to Get a Research Assistantship Position in High School:

https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-get-a-research-assistant-position-in-high-school/

15 STEM Internships for High Schoolers:

https://blog.collegevine.com/15-stem-internships-for-high-schoolers/

15 Medical Internships for High Schoolers:

https://blog.collegevine.com/15-medical-internships-for-high-school-students/

Internship at your local hospital, ride out with your local EMS, if you have an explorers program where you live for emergency services join it, some areas even have Junior EMS groups where if your in high school and want to become an EMS or work on the medical field you can you will get trained as an BLS medic or ALS which those are great places to start.

I have heard from the college consulting service I use that starting a club doesn’t look that good on college applications because so many students do it. Maybe you should try a more unique extracurricular activity that showcases your passion.