the Alta Bates website says that "Collegiate is defined as those who are Juniors or Seniors in college or in graduate programs." Is there another type of volunteers for freshmen and sophomores? What are other good places to do volunteering near berkeley? Also, what are some good things to keep in mind when choosing what extra curriculars to do? What kind of stuff are med schools looking for?
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for stopping by! For alta bates, there is no other type of volunteer program for freshmen and sophomores unfortunately (but if you're a sophomore, it won't hurt to apply- I don't recall them asking me about my age or school year.. It might be riskier if you're a freshman though). For other volunteer programs near Berkeley, you could look into the Berkeley Free clinic, Tang Center, Suitcase clinic, Children's Hospital in Oakland and a ton more hospitals/clinics in Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Richmond, and SF. When choosing what extra currics to do, keep in mind the time commitment. Devoting 15 hours a week to a program might sound good on paper, but in practice, it ends up draining a lot more time and energy than you'd expect (I had to learn that the hard way). Also, be cautious of extra currics that you might not stick with in the long run. You don't want to spend unnecessary time and energy on an activity and then quit a few months later. When searching for clinical experience, keep an open mind and test all the waters- don't limit yourself to one area of medicine- you may be surprised at what catches your interest :) Lastly, if you have a unique quirk/hobby, then devote time to it- it'll help you stand out in the long run :)
Hope this helps!
All the best,
-K
When are you going to do your semester update? :D
ReplyDeleteWhat are you duties as an Alta Bates volunteer? Like, do you get to actually do clinical work (taking blood pressures, etc), or is it standard information desk helper?
ReplyDelete