Impending graduation...

[sitthakim]

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I will be graduating shortly and finishing some of my reqs post-bacc (it isn't realistic for me to spend another $40k at my current institution; come on, that's a lot of $$, and med school is 'spensive enough). I am planning on applying in 2010. Anyway, impending graduation date means that I must think about actually getting a, you know, real job... and currently the most lucrative option for me isn't in the medical field (most of my background at this point is in international relations). I know money isn't everything, but I have some loans from undergrad that I would like to pay off as much as possible before I get to med school. So my question is this: does it look OK on an app if I take a job in a field not related to medicine, as long as I keep up my volunteering and shadowing?

 

[gman33]

Med related job is nice, but not needed.
The main factors are still going to be GPA and MCAT.
If those are strong, the job won't matter much.

 

[Mobius1985]

So my question is this: does it look OK on an app if I take a job in a field not related to medicine, as long as I keep up my volunteering and shadowing?

Yes.

 

[Ishiguro]

You can do work in IR that has some relation to health. I have four years of experience in education and health settings in Africa and a policy/research organization in Washington. I actually feel that all of those positions have contributed to my understanding of health in a global context, though sometimes the connection has been rather indirect. maybe see if you can get in on policy or research experience that pays a decent salary (most entry-level IR work that is not private sector doesn't pay more than 30-40k, though...) and gives you a chance to look at related issues, like human rights or empowerment or educational attainment. I personally think IR is a pretty cool background for medicine. And, like everyone says, the focus of admissions committees is MCAT and GPA, anyway.

 

[sitthakim]

Thanks everyone! 🙂