Going Extra: The Importance of Extracurricular Activities in Medical School
Medical school can be intense, but true growth goes beyond textbooks and lectures. Engaging in extracurricular activities enriches your experience, helping you develop skills essential for a well-rounded medical career.
18 February 2025
Medical school can get intense. There is so much information to digest and endless new skills to master that sometimes you feel like there is no time for much else. However, to become a proficient medical professional, you might want to consider extending your experience beyond the confines of textbooks, lectures, and clinical rotations. This is where extracurricular activities become more valuable than you might expect. Here are our top 5 reasons why going ‘extra’ counts:
Fostering Mental Well-being
Extracurricular activities can be an essential outlet for keeping one’s head above water amidst the demands of medical school, providing opportunities for relaxation and personal growth. They give you a break from the grind and offer a chance to recharge, cultivate hobbies, and create a balance between academics and social life. This is important for taking care of your mental well-being so you are better equipped for success in the medical field.
Enhancing Soft Skills
Being able to communicate effectively is a cornerstone of medical practice. As a doctor, you will have to explain complex conditions to your patients, collaborate with other healthcare professionals, and more. Participating in extracurricular activities allows you to hone communication, teamwork, leadership, and decision-making skills. You will also have the chance to develop your time management skills, resolve conflicts, and motivate others — all of which will serve you well in both your personal and professional life.
Broadening Perspectives
In addition to diagnosing, treating, and managing diseases, aspiring doctors also need to be able to understand their patients. Extracurricular activities, especially those related to working with underserved communities, will expose you to diverse social and economic factors that influence healthcare disparities while instilling a sense of empathy and cultural sensitivity. These experiences help shape you into a more compassionate doctor, giving you a real-world perspective that cannot be found in your textbooks.
Boosting Resumes
Extracurricular activities are an excellent opportunity to enhance your resume and give you an edge in a competitive field. They demonstrate to residency programmes and potential employers that you are a well-rounded, motivated person with leadership and community experience, and give you something to talk about in interviews or personal statements.
Widening Networks
To succeed on your career path, academic excellence alone is often not enough. In addition to what you know, who you know also counts. This is where extracurricular activities can help you to widen your network, build relationships with people who share your interests and values, and meet mentors, future colleagues, and people who might open doors for you. You never know who you will meet or how they might influence your career in the future, so it is worth putting yourself out there.
What’s great is that here at NUMed, you get to enjoy a vibrant student community with a wide range of clubs, societies, and activities to explore. Whether you're interested in sports, cultural and religious groups, medical-related organisations, or creative pursuits like dance and music, there's something for everyone. If you don't see something that sparks your interest, no problem! You have the opportunity to create your own club and bring together like-minded individuals to make a meaningful impact.
The bottom line? Don’t skip out on the ‘extra’. Extracurricular activities go a long way in helping you become a well-rounded, compassionate, and resilient person alongside providing opportunities for developing vital skills, expanding your perspective, relieving stress, and making your journey as a medical student a little more enjoyable.