The Importance of Extracurricular Activities for Medical School Applications

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An admissions tutor once told me that the best personal statement he ever read was from someone who spent the summer cleaning toilets in a nursing home. The student explained that finding it hard to gain any shadowing experience, he got a job helping with this underrated but crucial task, and learnt a lot along the way through observation and interaction. As I always say to my students: it doesn't matter what you do, but it matters what you learnt from it. Medicine is a people-oriented profession. It matters more to admissions tutors that you can show skills of talking to people and being kind and patient, than knowing every bone in the body out of sixth form.

However, aspiring medical students often focus mainly on maintaining high grades and scoring well on standardised tests like the UCAT. Of course, it is crucial that you achieve high grades as this proves that you can learn the intense amount of knowledge that will be thrown at you over the next 4-6 years. Yet, medical school admissions committees look for more than just academic excellence. They are looking for students who stand out from this crowd, and will make good doctors, not just ones who can pass exams.

Extracurricular activities are therefore a vital component of a strong medical school application. They allow you to demonstrate important qualities and skills beyond academic achievements, such as commitment, leadership, and service. By actively engaging in extracurricular pursuits that align with your interests and values, you can enhance your candidacy and increase your chances of gaining admission to medical school. So, don't underestimate the power of extracurricular involvement—embrace it as an opportunity to showcase your full potential as a future healthcare professional.