Great Opportunity?

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EReze

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I am in med-school limbo right now, being waitlisted at my 2 top choice DO schools. I am also slowly regaining the strength to take on the MCAT again. I just quit my job ( that I began to hate) so I could have more time to study, but I had planned to get something part time (at a bank or mall or something).

I recently graduated in May 2003, and just on a whim, I submitted my resume' online to a large national cosmetics company. I really want to be a doctor with all my heart and soul, but I have always been interested in working that type of job even if for a little while. I would be a chemist there and I think it would be a very cool experience, but with my med-school status unknown and the MCATs pending, I am not sure I will have the time I need to study for the MCATs and hard as neccessary-- BUT not knowing if I will be getting into med-school in the fall makes me think that if I do not get in, I will need a good job just to support myself and make ends meet, and I would like to do something as interesting as this. What to do???

:rolleyes:

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EReze:

Not knowing much about your background, I would suggest that you right out a list of positives and negatives for each option. Once done, take a look at each list and see which one makes sense.

By doing this, you force yourself to verbalize what the benefit is of each option as well as its detractors. This exercise has helped me in the past when weighing difficulty decisions.

Just a thought.

Wook

PS Stay positive and things WILL happen!
 
As a former engineer and program manager, I've always been one to keep as many options open as possible. If I were in your position, I would pursue both avenues if you can handle the time and effort. If you do get the job (which sounds really interesting!) and get accepted to medical school, there's a possibility that you could defer a year. Then while you're working, you'll make money and have a break from school to recharge your brain for medical school.

Best of luck with both processes--it can be tiresome but maybe you can have your cake and eat it, too!
 
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Did you get the job just yet?

If you haven't, then worry about the job and school if and when you get the job. I would try out the job just because you never know if it's something that you really might enjoy in the meantime. When you become a doctor, that is going to be your profession, and you probably won't have time to work in random jobs because you won't have the time or freedom to spend at another job. I would take advantage of the time off and try something new.

I know you might have to take the MCAT again. Do your scores expire? If they don't, and the scores are reasonable, you might want to reapply using the same scores, that is, unless the schools that you were waitlisted at specifically isolated your MCAT scores for the reason that you were waitlisted.

Good luck on you decision.
 
No they didn't expire yet-- I just took the MCATs in August 2003. But both schools waitlisted me until I re-take the test in April 2004, if I do well (or at least 4 points better) then they will let me in, if not then I'm out another year, so I won't start school until next year.
 
dang they flat out told you if you raise your mcat 4 points your in? Thats incentive enough to start hitting the books now just in case.
 
if you don't mind saying, what is your current MCAT score? Is it even across all 3 sections or is it low only in one section?
 
I think you should consider the job. I have put in my application (who knows if I'll get in!) to COMP but took a really good job as a lab coordinator/chemist. Since I've been working, I've learned a lot about chemistry. It was all mostly stuff I knew (and had forgotton, especially during the MCAT)but now I see all this chem stuff so frequently that I have a lot more confidence in my ability. If you take the job, maybe it will not hurt you MCAT studies, but, rather, enhance your knowledge. Best of luck...don't give up!!!!!!:D
 
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