Does working under Americorps look impressive?

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kstorm

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I am applying next cycle (2016 for Fall 2017 matriculation). I would likely be submitting applications in June but working under Americorps throughout that year. I was hoping to write about it on secondaries and include it on planned activities.

Do you think schools look favorably upon this? Does it boost one's credentials?

Has anyone has had experience working with Americorps?
 
I can't speak to how it will look during admissions, but I've done 2 terms of service with AmeriCorps, and they were incredible, life changing years for me. I loved them. But the people who were there because they thought it would look good for grad school were miserable and miserable to be around. We made $11/day in NCCC. If you don't love it, it's going to be miserable.
 
I did Americorps, and I think it really depends on how you present it in your application. My Americorps service was in a field that I am extremely passionate about and have a lot of professional/personal experience in, and I think it has helped me a lot because I can speak about it in a meaningful way. If it comes across as just a way to fill a gap year or get extra community service hours, I don't think it would be as helpful. Either way, take advantage of the year and have fun! I think that living on a such a small stipend is a great way to free yourself from material desires and focus on your relationships with friends and family.
 
kstorm said:
I am applying next cycle (2016 for Fall 2017 matriculation). I would likely be submitting applications in June but working under Americorps throughout that year. I was hoping to write about it on secondaries and include it on planned activities.

Do you think schools look favorably upon this? Does it boost one's credentials?

Has anyone has had experience working with Americorps?
Click to expand...
I agree with the above posters-- it has been a great learning experience and is a great way to spend your gap year and transition into the work force after college. But I really suggest you try to get into a program you feel passionately about. I had background in the area I'm serving in before I joined AmeriCorps and it is a cause I feel strongly about. Without that, though, I could see how one could become burnt out. A lot of the time there isn't a lot of direction and your role is not formally defined like it is in other jobs. You help out where your organization needs it most and end up doing a little bit of everything.

With that said, if you plan to submit early, you probably won't spend more than a sentence or two writing about AmeriCorps (planning to participate in it), as most AmeriCorps positions start in late summer/early fall and you'll be submitting a good chunk of your secondaries by July. Get into it only if you really want to serve.
 
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How helpful it is to your app depends on how well you articulate what you've learned from that experience and how it translates into your desire to help people and be a doctor. You get out of it through what you give.
 
Considering some of the secondaries I filled out SPECIFICALLY asked if I was involved with AmeriCorps...I assume it is a pretty solid EC.
 
I'm doing AmeriCorps VISTA right now working at a free clinic. It's been a good experience and I've been able to talk about it a lot in interviews. I would recommend, if you do decide to do AmeriCorps, you should try and pick a job that is relatively healthcare related. It can also be a good chance to work with a population that you are potentially interested in working with as physician, eg urban, rural, different minority groups.
 
Also I just want to add that if you're planning on living on the AmeriCorps stipend (ie not living with parents/SO), paying for secondaries can be impossible (you're only paid about $900 a month depending on location). So unless you have a decent amount in savings (at least a several hundred), or relatives that are willing to help out with secondaries and interview costs, if I were you I would select a gap year position that paid more. Not that it's all about the money.... but secondary costs cannot be overlooked when you are picking a gap year option, especially if you are planning on applying broadly.

It worked out for me, since I live at home right now, but I've been working almost 4 months and this is the first month my paycheck hasn't been immediately funneled into application costs.

Feel free to message me if you want me info about AmeriCorps! 🙂
 
Agree with the other posters that I would advise going into it if your heart is in it, but not solely because you think it will look good on apps. It is certainly a very productive way to spend a gap year and provides more to update about on secondaries and throughout interviews. If you are in need of a good paying job to support yourself and application costs, however, keep in mind that it does not pay very well.
 
Just be really careful about selecting your AmeriCorps placement. My old job was a little similar to AmeriCorps so a lot of ppl at that job had also done AmeriCorps. There was a huge crossover. I know ppl who've had amazing experiences with the program and some that have had really awful experiences. In fact sometimes it's the same person who's had both (some ppl do it multiple times). So just be careful b/c you don't want to spend your gap year having an awful time. Make sure the position is well-established and organized and try to get as much info as possible.
 
It sure does to me!!


kstorm said:
I am applying next cycle (2016 for Fall 2017 matriculation). I would likely be submitting applications in June but working under Americorps throughout that year. I was hoping to write about it on secondaries and include it on planned activities.

Do you think schools look favorably upon this? Does it boost one's credentials?

Has anyone has had experience working with Americorps?
Click to expand...
 
I was Americorps and I agree with what has been said above. The financial strain is real. Riding the bus and using food stamps are common practices. At my site one out of four finished. Find a project you are very passionate about or don't do it.
 
Thank you guys! I will definitely be reaching out to some of you over the next few weeks.

I had another question. How flexible are they with interviews? I would feel most comfortable flying in at least a day before interviews to avoid any potential problems so I will clearly need to miss a few days. Does anyone have any idea how they handle this? If one is allowed only 6-7 missed days, what happens if the applicant needs to take 8-10 missed days?
 
I get 75 hours of personal time and 75 hours of sick leave, and I'm allowed to use sick leave as personal time if I use up all my personal days. Basically you just have to work 75-80 hours in a pay period (2 weeks). So if you miss a day or two of work for an interview, you can probably work an hour or two extra the rest of the days and make up the time. Totally depends on your service site how flexible their hours are, so this should probably be a factor to consider when you are choosing where to work.
 
Yes, it will look good, but like all other ECs which have been done millions of times over and over again, it will NOT SET YOU APART. It will NOT BE A GOLDEN TICKET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL. With that said, I would only do Americorps if you are actually willing to and are passionate about doing this kind of service. It's a tremendous commitment, and definitely not for those who are looking to pad their applications. Also, if you're going in with the wrong intentions, there can be collateral damage when the needy are dependent on you. The same can be said for Teach for America, which is far worse if you don't actually care about teaching and want to pad your application. There is huge collateral damage for REAL children that are depending on you. I'm not implying that you're simply looking to pad your application, but the title of your post makes it come off this way. If people genuinely enjoy doing something, then they won't actually need to ask for approval as to whether it looks good or not, or strategically plan it.

You can add important things to your application with far less of a commitment. Hospital volunteering + non-clinical volunteering will take you just as far. You'll get into a medical school with that, and will be much happier if this isn't something you actually wanted to do. Otherwise, if you are genuinely passionate about these things, then go for it.
 
kstorm said:
Thank you guys! I will definitely be reaching out to some of you over the next few weeks.

I had another question. How flexible are they with interviews? I would feel most comfortable flying in at least a day before interviews to avoid any potential problems so I will clearly need to miss a few days. Does anyone have any idea how they handle this? If one is allowed only 6-7 missed days, what happens if the applicant needs to take 8-10 missed days?
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This will be program dependent. In some programs, you would just make up the missed time in Independent Service Hours. In some programs, your missed time would have to be covered by another person, so missing more time becomes more problematic.
 
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