MD Getting involved in non-research ECs in med school

[Lifeblood_20]

Current M1 at a T20 school, unsure about specialty, interest ranging from IM to surgery. There's a lot of med student organizations at my school, some do interesting things like consulting that I kinda want to do, but I have just been so busy with classwork, getting started with research, and taking care of myself (sleeping, cooking healthy food, exercising, socializing) that I can't find time to engage with anything else without compromising those things I am already doing. I feel like I have to start in some sort of student org right now because only M1 and M2 have time to do those things and I have FOMO. How important are those non-research ECs for future career prospects and is it ok if I don't do anything like it?

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[Elite Medical Prep]

What you get involved with should be based on what you enjoy doing and your future career interests. There are opportunities abound from consulting to advocacy and volunteer work; regardless of what it is I would discourage you from joining groups simply because of FOMO. How you balance additional interests with what you're already doing currently will depend on how much those extra activities really mean to you. If you're thinking about the eventual residency application cycle, your ECs should reflect your overall narrative about who you are as a person and what you are passionate about.

 

[flasheroonie]

Those non-research extracurricular activities are primarily there to give you some exposure and give you more information about particular specialities or subspecialties. Residency programs won't care at all what clubs you were in while in med school; this information will mostly only give some meat to your story as a person, but won't hold any weight in determining your match prospects.

 

[Styrene]

On the other side of things, I did zero ECs in medical school other than research and matched to my top choice. I don't think they hold much weight unless very significant, like volunteering abroad or starting your own impactful organization.