How can I turn working full time at a bank into a relevant EC?

[TheBatman]

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I've had no choice but to work throughout my undergrad career. Is working at a bank a unique EC? I don't think it is but i'd like your guys opinion. Thanks

 

[kyamh]

Definitely!

1. customer service - dealing with hard to deal with people, etc
2. working with confidential information
3. working in general - keeping a schedule, being responsible, managing your schedule
4. problem solving independently to help others
5. did you ever become a manager/leader of any sort
6. have you had to work with others as a team for a common goal
7. did you ever have to deal with a difficult coworker or customer?

There are lots of secondary essays where work experience is really relevant (I worked a job all four years in customer service). I've actually had it come up in several interviews even though I didn't think it was anything special.

 

[Boolean]

I've had no choice but to workout throughout my undergrad career. Is is working at a bank a unique EC? I don't think it is but i'd like your guys opinion. Thanks

Working isn't an EC. Adcoms will understand you had to work in order to support yourself and accordingly will understand that you may not be able to partake in as many EC's

Edit: I mean it isn't an EC in the sense of some other EC's. I don't really know how to clarify this one. But they will understand the necessity of employment.

 

[Pacna]

Not really "unique," but it's not a negative one.

 

[goft20]

Wow, pessimistic responses up there..you should be proud that you have some work experience under your belt as it can only help you later on..it shows that you have dealt with the real world and is most definitely an extracurricular in my eyes...


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[Boolean]

Wow, pessimistic responses up there..you should be proud that you have some work experience under your belt as it can only help you later on..it shows that you have dealt with the real world and is most definitely an extracurricular in my eyes...


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Not sure how any are pessimistic at all? We've all basically said the same thing: Adcoms will note the fact you had to work throughout undergrad in order to support yourself, and they'll react accordingly when weighting other EC's. I don't see how that is pessimistic at all.

 

[Mr Roboto]

It's not an EC but it goes on your application. Adcoms understand that not all students have rich mommies and daddies who bankrolled their education. Some of us had to work to pay for food/rent/school instead of volunteering at the hospital folding blankets...

 

[PhysioMD]

I plan to use my work experience in the EC section as well. People try to stretch any little thing they did outside of studying as an EC "volunteered once a month at A organization", "organized biannual bake sale", "was president of student group devoted to botany at my school"...and on and on. Don't get me wrong there are some great organizations out there that provide meaningful work and service to the community. However, the actual skills you gained working in a bank can far outweigh many "skills" another student might claim by being the "student rep" of their ABC club and hanging posters around the school. Make sure you outline clearly all the people skills, responsibilities, handling money, any projects you did on the job? any workplace improvement things (i.e. did you contribute in some way to change something to make the process better etc)??

 

[Pacna]

Wow, pessimistic responses up there..you should be proud that you have some work experience under your belt as it can only help you later on..it shows that you have dealt with the real world and is most definitely an extracurricular in my eyes...


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We're just being realistic. It's nothing to puff your chest out about. It's neither exceptionally good or bad in any way. It's just a stock EC.

 

[kyamh]

My work experience was one of my "most meaningful" essays...when I worked more hours than do anything else put together, it would be weird to NOT wrote about it.

 

[TheBatman]

.

Yes

 

[SN12357]

Substantial work experience is absolutely something that should go on your application. It doesn't substitute for clinical exposure, volunteering, etc but it is meaningful. It shows maturity, a work ethic, and responsibility, particularly if you held a customer service role. It also provides important context if you were working to support yourself and therefore don't have quite as many volunteer hours as someone who didn't need to work.

Working isn't an EC. Adcoms will understand you had to work in order to support yourself and accordingly will understand that you may not be able to partake in as many EC's

Edit: I mean it isn't an EC in the sense of some other EC's. I don't really know how to clarify this one. But they will understand the necessity of employment.

It's an EC in the sense that it can and should be entered as an activity on his or her medical school application, and that's the only definition that's relevant here.

 

[Chillywilly]

Your job doesn't need to be clinically related at all. I had so many BS retail and corporate jobs that no one bothered to ask about during interviews.

 

[Goro]

It's a job, and that's a good thing. But ECs are supposed to be displays of your altruism and deepening of your understanding of Medicine.

I've had no choice but to workout throughout my undergrad career. Is is working at a bank a unique EC? I don't think it is but i'd like your guys opinion. Thanks

 

[LizzyM]

It's a job, and that's a good thing. But ECs are supposed to be displays of your altruism and deepening of your understanding of Medicine.

I disagre with my esteemed colleague. The AMCAS application calls this category: Experience and there's space for 15 entries. "Paid employment, non-military" is one category and it is usually one with the greatest number of hours of involvement.


Any job does require responsibility and a strong work ethic. Having a job similar to the jobs some people do for a lifetime also gives you some insight into the lives of patients you'll care for someday. A job in a bank involves customer service, careful observation and accuracy. Those are all skills that are in demand in medicine. You may also have had times when you had to pitch in to help another employee or to work as part of a team. Those are good experiences to have had, too. If you've had the misfortune of being in the midst of a crisis at work and stayed cool, that is very valuable experience, too.

 

[TheBatman]

I disagre with my esteemed colleague. The AMCAS application calls this category: Experience and there's space for 15 entries. "Paid employment, non-military" is one category and it is usually one with the greatest number of hours of involvement.


Any job does require responsibility and a strong work ethic. Having a job similar to the jobs some people do for a lifetime also gives you some insight into the lives of patients you'll care for someday. A job in a bank involves customer service, careful observation and accuracy. Those are all skills that are in demand in medicine. You may also have had times when you had to pitch in to help another employee or to work as part of a team. Those are good experiences to have had, too. If you've had the misfortune of being in the midst of a crisis at work and stayed cool, that is very valuable experience, too.

Those are some interesting points. We only had a team of twelve (sometimes even less). Therefore everyone had a substantial role in our banks year end reviews. For this reason teamwork, reliability, and accountability was expected from everyone. When I began I was making a little over 10/hr, now i'm making almost 15/hr. I've also been promoted twice not sure if I should mention this though. I know exactly what you meant by your last sentence. Fortunately we were never robbed haha.

 

[LizzyM]

Those are some interesting points. We only had a team of twelve (sometimes even less). Therefore everyone had a substantial role in our banks year end reviews. For this reason teamwork, reliability, and accountability was expected from everyone. When I began I was making a little over 10/hr, now i'm making almost 15/hr. I've also been promoted twice not sure if I should mention this though. I know exactly what you meant by your last sentence. Fortunately we were never robbed haha.

Getting promoted is worth mentioning. I have interviewed at least one applicant who worked as a bank teller, two who were baseball hotdog vendors and two Jeopardy contestants, so as odd "experiences" go, bank teller is one of the more unusual, right up there with nuclear submarine officer. It does serve to make you 'different" and memorable and that's good in cookie cutter med school land.

 

[bakedbeans18]

Getting promoted is worth mentioning. I have interviewed at least one applicant who worked as a bank teller, two who were baseball hotdog vendors and two Jeopardy contestants, so as odd "experiences" go, bank teller is one of the more unusual, right up there with nuclear submarine officer. It does serve to make you 'different" and memorable and that's good in cookie cutter med school land.

"Everyone I know and their mother" works as a bank teller. I'm in a major metro area, so...lots of banks, but still - bank teller seems pretty benign if you ask me compared with sub commander and baseball park employees. (For the record, I would have loved to work in a baseball park during my gap year!)

 

[Boolean]

"Everyone I know and their mother" works as a bank teller. I'm in a major metro area, so...lots of banks, but still - bank teller seems pretty benign if you ask me compared with sub commander and baseball park employees. (For the record, I would have loved to work in a baseball park during my gap year!)

It's still quite a bit different from say food service or retail, as many candidates have probably worked these jobs.

 

[bakedbeans18]

It's still quite a bit different from say food service or retail, as many candidates have probably worked these jobs.

Yes but like food service or retail, you usually only need a HS diploma to be eligible for the position. So it still comes as a surprise to me that being a bank teller is something that comes off as unique. I'm just saying it surprises me, I'm not trying to start a debate over it or anything like that.

 

[SN12357]

Yes but like food service or retail, you usually only need a HS diploma to be eligible for the position. So it still comes as a surprise to me that being a bank teller is something that comes off as unique. I'm just saying it surprises me, I'm not trying to start a debate over it or anything like that.

It's not that being a bank teller is unique, it's that being a bank teller and then going to medical school is unique among medical school applicants. Considering most medical school applicants are college seniors or people taking 1-2 gap years in a clinical or research job, having extensive work experience in a different area is somewhat unusual.

Residency is the first 'real job' for an awful lot of medical students, which is a fact I try not to think about too much.