How does Federal Work Study look to MedSchool?

[nwu]

I'm currently a freshman in undergrad and I'm thinking about the future. I have federal work study status so it would be best if I can work while in college to help pay for my parents. If I do end up taking a part-time job while at school I really won't have time for EC. There are some people who can balance school, a job, and EC, but I know I'm not one of them.

The part-time jobs on campus aren't really that interesting and are pretty much non-medical related, ie librarian assistant, office assistant, ect. I'm just afraid that my part-time job will make me look a little boring to med school b/c I neglect not having EC. The major med programs I do are during the summer as well as shadowing. I hope I can TA for some science labs and do a little bit of research here and there. So basically throughout the year I will be basically working or studying and maybe just a little EC on the side.

I wondering how will taking up a part-time job through undergrad look to the Medical School admissions comm? I know it shows commitment, but there isn't really much else to talk about since it is non-medical.

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[typhoonegator]

I was in work-study during college. Great way to amass book money. It definitely does take up a fair amount of time, though, which wealthier students could theoretically use to their advantage. Try to find a job that teaches some form of a real-world skill, or one that you can work for several years and gain additional responsibility.

I got a job in tech support for the university, and worked my way up over 4 years to a UNIX admin and go-to guy. That looks a lot better on a CV than "secretarial work".

 

[LizzyM]

With any job, there is a great deal you can learn that relates to a career in medicine, particularly if it requires interacting with the public or with co-workers.

That said, you should be able to carve out 2.5 hours per week (out of 168) to do something that serves others and/or is fun or uplifting and worthy of listing on your application. This can include artistic endeavors, hobbies, non-clinical volunteering (English literacy tutoring, Big Brother, soup kitchen, etc), athletics, and the list goes on.

 

[Ismet]

I think balancing a part-time job, a couple ECs during the semester (maybe a club you're interested in?), and maintaining good grades shows med schools that you are good at managing time and might be better equipped to manage your time in med school. Remember that not everything you do has to be medically related. 2 of my ECs are non-medical and they're the things I'm asked to talk most about during interviews! I second what is said above--try to find a job that will give you a skill--but if all the jobs available are of the "assistant" type, maybe find one that has a lot of downtime so you can get schoolwork done (usually library assistant).

 

[SBR249]

My school had community service related jobs like America Reads or America Counts (tutoring english or math in elementary schools) that were exclusively work-study (meaning you must have it to apply). I imagine that may be something worth exploring if your school has it, it's like killing two birds with one stone.

 

[pkwraith]

Work-study doesn't mean boring. I used my work-study allotment on working as a research assistant. PIs like work-study because they don't need to pay you.

 

[SBR249]

Work-study doesn't mean boring. I used my work-study allotment on working as a research assistant. PIs like work-study because they don't need to pay you.

I don't know if this is institution-specific, but at my school, work-study means that your employer pays 25-50% of your wages while the rest is from financial aid funding. Compared to people who are willing to work in the lab free, work-study people are actually at a disadvantage when trying to get into a lab.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I was planning to do this, but ended up taking 18 credits instead plus research. On the plus side, I'm doing a fair amount of volunteering, even though I'm not getting paid.

 

[MartletMD]

I'm currently a freshman in undergrad and I'm thinking about the future. I have federal work study status so it would be best if I can work while in college to help pay for my parents. If I do end up taking a part-time job while at school I really won't have time for EC. There are some people who can balance school, a job, and EC, but I know I'm not one of them.

The part-time jobs on campus aren't really that interesting and are pretty much non-medical related, ie librarian assistant, office assistant, ect. I'm just afraid that my part-time job will make me look a little boring to med school b/c I neglect not having EC. The major med programs I do are during the summer as well as shadowing. I hope I can TA for some science labs and do a little bit of research here and there. So basically throughout the year I will be basically working or studying and maybe just a little EC on the side.

I wondering how will taking up a part-time job through undergrad look to the Medical School admissions comm? I know it shows commitment, but there isn't really much else to talk about since it is non-medical.

I feel like you may not be giving your time-management abilities a fair assessment. Have you tried balancing ECs, a job, and school - in high school maybe? I thought I couldn't do it either - I was sure I'd start bombing all of my classes - but I've been flourishing since I added volunteering, working, and fundraising stuff to my (very full) class schedule, more than I did when I was only studying.

If you know for a fact that you can't - you've tried and it just wouldn't work - then I would go with the job over something else, or maybe take the job with a little tiny commitment on the side for ECs. Especially for those of us considering medical school or grad school, not working a little bit during school makes little sense, in my opinion. The less debt you can graduate with (while maintaining your academic awesomeness), the better.