Having a job?

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hkdude97

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Does having a job (non-clinical) mean anything to med schools? Is that something you would write or talk about? Or should I dedicate more hours to volunteering, shadowing, etc.
 
if you need a job, get a job.
It's certainly not gonna hurt your application and interesting jobs or positions of leadership can only help.

You are still gonna need volunteering and clinical exposure but jobs are good too.
 
Jobs may hurt your GPA (even if it's a part time job) and so unless you don't have another source of income, I do not recommend getting a job.
Can you study for 4-5 hours daily, flip burgers, and volunteer/shadow doctors as well along with your daily life? Spending time with family is also very important, because in med school you'll have little time.
 
I have no idea why some SDNers think getting a job = doing something in food service or retail, and there's nothing wrong with working in those industries, either.

My parents paid for my tuition but it was expected that I pay for my room and board, so I took out small loans and worked various part-time jobs during high school summers and as an undergrad: camp counselor, office assistant, after-school counselor, and EMR preloader, to name a few. I worked full-time during summer and winter breaks and about 10 hours a week while in undergrad. I definitely got asked about my responsibilities working with kids and working with electronic records at a medical office was beneficial for obvious reasons. But I strongly believe the skills and perceptive I gained while employed even in non-medical positions contributed to my personal growth and consequently my application.

I still volunteered plenty and maintained a competitive GPA. No regrets.
 
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