Advice?

[MisterSed]

Ive recently been offered a great opportunity to work at an orthodontic office as an assistant and am getting pretty good pay for it. So in my eyes im pretty much knocking out two bird with one stone, but here comes the problem.

Typical office hours are 9-5 and that is the time frame where nearly all of my required coursework stands. It has become difficult for me to pick up enough credits to even be considered full time and at this rate it'll take me several years to graduate. I, like many of you, am really eager to earn this degree so I can start dental school already. Im in a position where I absolutely need to work while going to school and this seemed like the best thing that could have happened to me.

Well, I was wondering if anyone had any sound advice
any response is greatly appreciated!

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[cacajuate]

Did you talk to the orthodontist about it yet? I'm sure he/she would understand dropping you to part time.

 

[Sonya0810]

Yeh, or try to sign up for evening classes. I worked full time during all undergad taking classes after 6.30 pm. Now in my last undergrad year, no classes are offered after 6.30, i had to leave the job, but fortunately found part time at the same pay i had. Try your best to do both. If orthodontist will not allow u to be part time, find another job part-time or there are even night shifts at the hospitals. Consider all possibilities

 

[MisterSed]

The problem is that there are not many evening classes at my university. I am not being picky im picking up any class that I can. Thanks for the replies, I will probably settle with what I have this semester and do what I need to the next.

Additionally, is this opportunity as great as I am chalking it up to be? I only have ~50 hours of actually shadowing a GP and not much volunteer work. Will this job count anywhere in the shadowing/dental experience category?

Yeh, or try to sign up for evening classes. I worked full time during all undergad taking classes after 6.30 pm. Now in my last undergrad year, no classes are offered after 6.30, i had to leave the job, but fortunately found part time at the same pay i had. Try your best to do both. If orthodontist will not allow u to be part time, find another job part-time or there are even night shifts at the hospitals. Consider all possibilities

Did you talk to the orthodontist about it yet? I'm sure he/she would understand dropping you to part time.

 

[doc toothache]

You seem to be confusing your priorities.

 

[MisterSed]

You seem to be confusing your priorities.

Sorry if I am being confusing. My main priority is to get into dental school but I am juggling multiple priorities at the moment. I must work while going to school, I need to keep up with my ECs (which are not so stellar, but fixable), I also assist my parents financially, and I need to keep my grades up. Maintaining a strong application is very important to me, but things can get in the way of that.

 

[MisterSed]

I understand my priorities and what I need to do. I just wanted to know if being an ortho assistant would help on my application

 

[kimothy_777]

I don't know if this is an option but here is an idea: Drop to part time with the orthodontist, ie) MWF, take all of your classes on Tues/Thurs, and get a different part-time job to top up the hours to full time by working evenings / weekends. I had a friend who did this and it worked very well for her. She was an arts major however so time needed for homework and studying would not have been as demanding.