Recently, I was told by an admission committee staff member that I didn’t have enough community service listed on my application. I was in complete shock hearing this since I’ve been involved in some sort of volunteer role since I was in middle school. Volunteering and serving my community has been a significant part of my life and I felt I had shown that. One of the examples this person mentioned to me was that I had an experience volunteering for a non-profit organization in which I was a board member so I listed it as “Leadership” which evidently was a mistake. Aside from some paid employment and my leadership experience, the remainder of the hours I dedicated under the banner of community service were small potatoes in terms of hours. I had assumed that an admissions committee member would see leadership and count those hours as community service. When I asked about this, the response was that they have tens of thousands of applications and secondary applications and so our responsibility as applicants is to be exceptionally clear and make our theme obvious to someone glancing through our application.

Lessons Learned

When receiving feedback, you have to reflect and make a plan on how to utilize this feedback in a way that benefits you. This upcoming application cycle, I have some fumbling and rearranging to do when it comes to my experiences and activities to be clearer and re-evaluate how I present myself to someone on paper, who has never met me. I thought I was doing a good job with this, but after reflecting and looking at my prior application, I can see that from a stranger’s perspective, I didn’t come off as I assumed I had. Honestly, this is a difficult and daunting task. Coming at it from a fresh perspective with this new advice, I can present myself in a way I’d like.

In the future, I plan to clearly highlight not just the roles I’ve held, but the impact and service they’ve entailed. This will involve showcasing the hours spent, the people served, and the difference made in each of my roles, whether they are leadership or volunteer-based.

For my upcoming application, I will be more conscious about how I frame my experiences. I’ve learned that it’s not just about the categorization, title of the role, or the organization, but about the service and impact made. I will ensure that the community service aspect is forefront of my descriptions, emphasizing the quantity and quality of my involvement.

Moreover, it’s crucial to remember that the person reviewing my application may not know me personally. Thus, every detail counts in painting an accurate picture of who I am and what I’ve done. I will strive to leave no room for confusion or misinterpretation and will be explicit about the significance of each role I’ve held.

In addition, I will also seek advice and feedback from others before submitting my application. Sometimes, an outside perspective can spot ambiguities or areas of improvement that I may overlook.

This experience has taught me the importance of clarity in communication, especially in instances like medical school applications where there’s a lot at stake and my future career depends on it. I know now that I need to be more explicit and deliberate in how I present my experiences and contributions, which I know is not my strong suit. It’s a learning curve, but one that will undoubtedly serve me well in the future.

I hope that being upfront and honest about bumps in the road along this journey helps someone else!

Happy community serving!

XO Melmo