Financing Options??

[FtrDoc]

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Hi everybody,

So I received some demoralizing news the other day and am looking for some advice/support on here. I'm currently entering my second year of post bacc and have Orgo, one semester of Physics left, and obviously the MCAT. I work full-time, like a lot of people on here, in admin at a large corporate law firm. I was happy with the track I was on up until last week when my manager called me into her office to scold me for not giving 100% to my job over the past year. She said I needed to start making my job my priority.

The problem is that I was going to take a course on my lunch hour (I know it sounds crazy, but after this semester I have one class left and wanted to prep for the MCAT then). In light of the current situation, though, that'd obviously be plain stupid. I want to stay on track, and have been fevershily brainstorming for days to no avail. I don't think being able to apply a year earlier is worth taking out loans and accumulating debt before med school.

Any ideas around this? If not, anyone have similar stories of having to push applying back? How'd you handle it? Thank you thank you!!

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

1) did you receive (or can you request) specific feedback from your manager about what she's thinking, responding to, or requesting? I'd guess more face time, but maybe there were some reports not done to her satisfaction or on time, or possibly some other aspect was not done to her satisfaction? It would show "commitment" to find out what's bugging her and improve in those areas, then ideally request feedback on those areas in another few months to see if she's satisfied.

2) "100% commitment" sounds great, and probably pursuing med school would indicate less than 100% commitment. But this seems likely to largely be about appearances. Presumably a person who regularly went to a restaurant during lunch would not be showing low commitment to the firm, but somehow if you're gone those same hours in order to study, you're less committed to the firm. That said, if possible, I'd go with taking the class after hours, planning to study for the MCAT during lunch hour (and skipping studying for the day if work demands are high that day). Definitely I'd keep it quiet as possible; there's no guaranty that you will be accepted the first year that you apply, why get the seed (that you're leaving the firm) planted in anyone's head now?

3) I'd think about the highest priority regarding putting effort into work or studying. Timing will be difficult for studying for the MCAT; after completing all of the classes, I had to study fulltime for around 6 weeks to get in the low 30's. This was after earning As in all but 1 of my 15 premed courses. This is just to give a feel for the amount of study time required to do well on the MCAT. Most people you're competing with will study fulltime for at least a month or two. Not sure if it's possible to also work during that time.

4) if you're putting in a reasonable effort during work and your manager is still unhappy with it, I wouldn't sweat it. I'd keep med school stuff as quiet as possible, but if you're fired for "not putting in 100%", you'll actually be in pretty good shape for a while (not sure on NY law for this) on unemployment insurance. In my state, that pays up to 10K provided the person is looking for work. Shoot out 5 e-mails a week, and you're "looking for work". The only downpoint would be possibly having to disclose details about this if you need to seek out another job during the gap year (which most of us do).

you're in a tough spot, at some point many of us had to quit our jobs to focus on med school, which is difficult financially but pretty much necessary to be truly competitve applicants.

 

[cozycleo]

Hello! I'm an admin in corporate law myself.

I've been having the same issue where basically it's come down to the attorneys or school. I've opted for school and I'm in the process of finding an evening job so I can attend day classes. I'm going to end up taking a pay cut, but I feel it's worth it. For once I'll actually be able to take more than one class a semester.

I love the people I work with, but not enough to sacrifice what I really want. Have you considered finding different employment?

 

[njbmd]

Hi everybody,

So I received some demoralizing news the other day and am looking for some advice/support on here. I'm currently entering my second year of post bacc and have Orgo, one semester of Physics left, and obviously the MCAT. I work full-time, like a lot of people on here, in admin at a large corporate law firm. I was happy with the track I was on up until last week when my manager called me into her office to scold me for not giving 100% to my job over the past year. She said I needed to start making my job my priority.

The problem is that I was going to take a course on my lunch hour (I know it sounds crazy, but after this semester I have one class left and wanted to prep for the MCAT then). In light of the current situation, though, that'd obviously be plain stupid. I want to stay on track, and have been fevershily brainstorming for days to no avail. I don't think being able to apply a year earlier is worth taking out loans and accumulating debt before med school.

Any ideas around this? If not, anyone have similar stories of having to push applying back? How'd you handle it? Thank you thank you!!

Your employer is correct in that you need to give your job 100% when you are there. If it's your means of making a living, then it DOES need to be your priority. They are paying you to do your administrative work and as much as it's not your dream, it's your job.

With that in mind, you have committed yourself to studies also that require 100% engagement when you are in class and studying outside of class. You are paying for these classes and you need to be sure that you are fully participating and getting your monies worth.

It's very difficult to work full time and go to school. If you are anticipating medical school, you essentially have two full time jobs that are demanding. You either have to decide if you can ramp down your school work and keep your paycheck or get something else that is less demanding in terms of a job; if you are lucky with the same salary.

As another poster said, they opted out of the day job and found something in the evening. Still, school and work are difficult at best. When something starts to suffer, it's often the schoolwork to the detriment of your GPA.

Another course of action is to take some time off from the studies. While you are in a hurry to move into medicine, adding another year is likely worth it if it means success on the other end and not having to sacrifice your means of making a living while you attend school.

If you have placed yourself in the position of letting your office know that you are in the process of "moving ahead to medical school" then your supervisor may be envious of your upward mobility and setting you up for a firing. This often happens when management senses that you are upwardly mobile and they are stagnant. The first sign is that they see that you are not as interested in the job as other folks seem to be.

If you have not discussed your future plans, then this doesn't apply but if you have, find some way of not discussing them any more and getting your work done with enthusiasm as if your were going to be there for the rest of your life. I worked as a respiratory therapist before I entered graduate school. Up until I walked into the door of my lab, I pretended to be the best RRT that I could be and didn't discuss my school plans with anyone at work. When I gave my notice, everyone found out about my acceptances then and wished me well.

In short, if you need your job, ramp back on the school and put your heart into your work. Just remind yourself in the privacy of your home that it won't be forever. In the meantime, look for something else that doesn't interfere with your studies and switch jobs if you can. Don't discuss your future plans with your coworkers but find some sympathetic school chums and encourage each other.

 

[FtrDoc]

Thank you all so so so much! I haven't been on here to check my replies in some time and basically everything you've said has been spot on. I was foolish in that I let my plans be known openly to my employer, which I should not have done. In the last month, I've just been acting as if my work were the only thing I wanted in life. It's paid off. I've been getting positive feedback now from my manager and have decided not to discuss my plans openly any more. It just leaves me WAY too vulnerable for criticism and in the end, whoever said it was all about appearances is 100% on the mark.

I don't feel like I've been doing any better of a job per se, but I'm giving people more face time which I guess is what they wanted. Only problem is now I'm UBER behind on Organic Chem and have a test in two weeks and am freaking out. Deep breath, sigh, it'll be fine 🙂 Thanks everyone!

 

[dragonfly99]

futuredoc
It IS all about appearances sometimes.
Med school in 3rd and 4th year, and residency, are kind of that way also, so having a corporate background is helping you get ready for that. LOL!
Good luck.