job vs volunteering...

[Doc.Holliday]

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I have the option of doing work study in a hospital, or i could just volunteer there. I dont exactly need the money, though i wouldnt complain about it either. My school raised my scholarship this year so I'll be making a few thousand just by attending. therefore it really doesnt make a difference to me if i get paid or not. do med schools look higher upon volunteering than paid work? or is it irrelevant?

 

[Apparition]

Depends on the nature of work, go with the one that you think you'd like better and with a more meaningful clinical experience. I think that matters more than whether you were paid or not.

 

[Peterock]

Volunteering >>>>> jobs. The only exception to this is research jobs and this is only valid at big research schools (ie Duke or Stanford Med). Many adcoms think that volunteering and community service shows your selflessness and commitment to serving others.

Of course, say for poorer students, this is also a fantastic way of discriminating against them considering that their jobs are not for extra income but for necessities and many must choose b/t them.

 

[aparecida]

I think if you do work study, you might actually get more responsibility -- most of the people I know who've volunteered in hospitals have ended up doing virtually nothing, stocking cabinets or carrying files down the hall or the like (this may be different at your hospital, but it's worth considering as a possibility). Plus, if you do work study, you can save up some money which will come in handy in medical school.

I can't speak to whether med schools really look down on people doing paid employment -- I'd certainly hope not, since some of us have to work our way through school! -- but I think the primary reason for volunteering is to get hospital/clinical experience. I'd recommend also volunteering at some point for a while if you haven't already, just to demonstrate "altruism" (one of my secondaries asks about my most significant community service experience). But if I were you, I'd take the work study.

 

[Doc.Holliday]

hmmm... this is tough. if i do work study, i'll be stuck with it (no real cutting back on hours etc.) my schedule this fall is pretty jam packed with hard sciences etc, so im afraid that towards the end of the semester I will really need to cut back on any extracurriculars. i guess im more curious about any benefits that may come with the work study...

will i be looked down upon for not really having a job during undergrad even if i volunteer a lot?