The extracurriculars you choose and the experience they provide are one of the most important parts of your medical school application. These experiences should help you demonstrate the AAMC’s 17 pre-med competencies.
I’m Dr. Renee Marinelli — I’m a first-generation college student who has served on AdComs in Hawaii and California, and I’m now the Director of Advising at MedSchoolCoach. Below, I explain the benefits of the best extracurricular activities for pre-meds, which ones look better on your application, and so much more.
Keep reading to learn my top tips on choosing the right extracurriculars for your med school application.
The number of extracurricular hours you need for medical school applications (for the Work & Activities section) can vary. But I have found the following minimums are a good rule of thumb:
You might be wondering, “Does this mean I don’t need research experience?”
The answer is, it depends! Some medical schools don’t require any research experience whatsoever. For other schools, especially the prestigious ones, you’ll need hundreds of hours or research (or more) to have a chance.
It’s important to understand the numbers above are just the bare minimum requirements that you’ll need to be considered at even the least selective of US medical schools. That doesn’t mean they’re enough to get you into where you want to go. If you want a strong application, I suggest you shoot for numbers in this range:
In general, more is better than less, although there are diminishing returns in some categories. Also, the quality of your extracurricular activities is more important than the quantity. Admissions committees are looking for applicants who have actively pursued their passions while demonstrating leadership, teamwork, and commitment.
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In general, it’s a good idea to have a well-rounded AACOMAS, TMDSAS, or AMCAS application that demonstrates your commitment to both academics and non-academic pursuits. Prioritize long-term activities over week-long trips or one-time experiences.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to be honest and genuine in your application. Focus on highlighting the experiences that are truly meaningful to you and that demonstrate your potential as a future medical professional.
Feel free to go over the above minimums.
Physician shadowing is a valuable extracurricular activity that lets pre-med students gain first-hand exposure to the daily work of a physician. During a shadowing experience, students have the chance to observe and assist with patient care, as well as interact with working healthcare professionals.
Shadowing can help students to make connections and earn letters of recommendation from physicians, which helps in the medical school application process. While there is no specific number of hours of shadowing that you need for medical school, I recommend getting at least 30 hours with three physicians in three different specialties. To be competitive, however, I would aim for 50+ hours with five physicians in five different specialities.
Unlike the other extracurricular categories, you can overdo shadowing. In general, logging more than 100 hours of shadowing is unnecessary — in fact, it may raise some eyebrows as to why you weren’t using that time to pursue more hands-on activities.
If you are interested in shadowing, start reaching out to doctors in your network to ask if they’d let you observe them at work. You can also check with your school’s career center or medical school advisors to see if they have any resources or connections to help you find shadowing opportunities.
MedSchoolCoach offers free virtual shadowing opportunities to let you experience a day in the life of physicians in nearly every specialty.
International opportunities like Global Brigades are a great way to get a lot of shadowing — not to mention leadership experience — in a short amount of time.
Read More: 10 Questions to Ask When Shadowing a Doctor
Research opportunities show schools you are an academic thinker and are interested in advancing the field of medicine.
It’s possible to get into some medical schools without research experience. However, at some medical schools, especially the prestigious ones, having no research experience is an automatic dealbreaker.
The AAMC doesn’t publish numbers on average research hours for matriculants, but our advisors typically recommend you have a minimum of 400 hours of research experience if you’re planning to apply to research-focused schools like Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and WashU in St. Louis.
If you’re looking to complete an MD-PhD program, it’s a whole different story. These programs typically expect to see at least 1,500 hours of research, more if possible. The MD-PhD program at University of Michigan, for instance, recommends that applicants work in a lab for at least two summers full-time and one academic year part-time.
Also, remember that the quality of your research hours may matter more than the quantity. In general, you want something to show for your time spent researching — a poster, presentation, or even a publication will really help your application. Prospective MD-PhD students should aim for a publication as first, second, or third author to really maximize their chances.
Learn expert tips for making the most of research during pre-med with our FREE Research Roadmap video course!
Leadership activities can demonstrate to admissions boards that you have the leadership ability needed to succeed as a doctor. You should aim to get at least 100 hours of experience in this category.
Through leadership experiences, you can show that you are passionate and dedicated to causes important to the field of medicine, such as community service, organizing fundraisers, or leading an extracurricular group on campus.
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You can also build relationships with healthcare professionals and observe their experiences in health systems through these leadership opportunities. These leadership skills should boost your resume, communication skills, and hopefully your exposure to healthy work-life balance.
There are many ways for a pre-med student to gain leadership experience. Here are a few ideas:
Volunteer service is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to medicine and passion for serving others. Depending on how these volunteer experiences are presented, they can also provide insight into a candidate’s professional capabilities and personal goals.
Some medical schools may require a minimum number of volunteer hours. I recommend a minimum of 150 volunteer hours, but 300 hours or more will give you the best chances of acceptance.
International volunteering is fantastic, as long as you ensure it is sustainable (another shout-out to Global Medical Brigades). Also, avoid white saviorism. Use empowering language when discussing your volunteer work.
Also remember that there’s technically two categories for volunteering on the AMCAS application: Medical/Clinical and Not Medical/Clinical. Don’t log 300 hours in the Medical/Clinical Volunteering section and expect that to cover both your clinical and your volunteering requirement. If you have significant Medical/Clinical volunteering experience, AdComs will probably also want to see an additional volunteering experience to round your application out, preferably one involving underserved groups.
Clinical experience differs from shadowing because it is hands-on – it must involve you interacting with patients as a healthcare provider of some kind.
In general, this type of hands-on experience is more important for your application than shadowing and observerships because it exposes you directly to patient care and gives you a better idea of what goes into making clinical decisions.
That’s not to say physician shadowing isn’t important – it is, and AdComs will definitely want to see it on your application. However, they will also want to see clinical experience, and lots of it. In general, you should aim for at least 300 hours in this category.
If you’re unsure where to find patient exposure, here are 10 places you can turn to:
In general, I recommend that pre-meds find paid clinical opportunities. These typically involve earning a certification of some kind – either as an EMT, CNA, scribe, etc. The good news is that the process of earning the certification itself counts as clinical experience. What’s more, having a certification can help you earn money through your college and gap years. It also opens the door to some of the most valuable clinical experiences, such as working on an ambulance or as a part of a healthcare team in a hospital.
Just be sure to round your paid clinical experience out with valuable volunteering experiences.
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One of the most common questions we get at MedSchoolCoach is how to find the right extracurriculars. Luckily, I have some pretty reliable tips.
Here’s a quick list to help you get started:
Browse our Pre-Med Extracurricular Portal to find (and apply to) the right activities for your pre-med CV!
Read Next: The Best Medical Schools for Non-Traditional Applicants (2025)
My colleagues and I have helped thousands of pre-meds like you find solid extracurricular experiences, craft medical school applications, and double their chances of acceptance. From personal statement help to MCAT score guidance, we are your ultimate guide.
Let us help you identify clinical, volunteering, and research opportunities and craft compelling narratives about them in your application essay. We’re here every step of the way to help you become a physician.