AmeriCorps or Research

[5sosfan]

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Hi everyone,

I'm trying to find a job in my gap year and I had a quick question.

I've been in a research lab for the past three years, and I realized that I do not want to dedicate my life to research. Experiences and certain interactions with people in the lab helped me come to that decision.

I began volunteering at a hospital and quickly came to the conclusion that I love interacting with people. I want to work for the community and connect with people on a personal level, and AmeriCorps (or other community service related job) might be the best fit for me.

I'm just worried that schools might think that such a sudden jump from research to community service may be "artificial." Am I right for holding such a suspicion?

 

[ifnotnowwren]

Changing a job after three years is not abrupt and I doubt schools would view serving underserved communities negatively. You've been in the lab long enough to have learned/gained what med schools would want an applicant to learn/gain from lab work. In the long run, since research is not your ultimate goal, I think that it sounds like Americorps is a better fit for your goals, interests, and development as a person as well as an applicant.

 

[darkjedi]

Which would you have more fun in/prefer to do? Just do that. Don't worry about what med schools might think.