Maintaining good grades with a part-time job?

[MiniHorse]

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I am in the spring of my freshman year, and I am wondering if it is possible to maintain the grades needed to get into vet school while also having a part time job (20 hours a week or less most likely). I do not necessarily need a job, but I like having income other than what I have saved up from working summers, winter break, etc during school... Just curious as to any experiences others have with this.

 

[hopefulinva]

It really varies depending on the person.

I couldn't work a part-time job in undergrad, but that's mostly because I was very dedicated to my extra-cirriculars; any time I would have spent working I spent with my organizations instead. Some extra pocket money would have been nice, but I opted for those, and I don't regret it. =)

Some of my friends did work part-time jobs - mostly on-campus, because they tend to be more forgiving in their scheduling for student employees - and did just fine; others lacked the time management skills to be able to pull that off and struggled. It really, really depends on the individual.

 

[bunnity]

I worked 20 hours a week at a great job that worked my schedule around my classes and sometimes had down time for me to do homework. It's definitely possible, but make sure you are not sacrificing school for the sake of work.

 

[Kpowell14]

This is very dependent on you, your study skills, priorities, and the job.

Can it be done? Yes.

In my experience there are three categories to consider... 1. School 2. Job 3. Social life.. And that while in undergrad it only worked to prioritize 2 of those categories.. For me school and work were my two. Because I worked and went to school I never had a day off, like ever. Leaving little time for much of a social life, which was fine with me because my fiancé is in the army and my two best friends work in the human med field and are very busy. But for some people a social life is very important so this wouldn't work.

The biggest thing is not biting off more than you can chew because ultimately your grades are a huuuuuge factor in the vet school admission process.

 

[bbeventer]

I did my whole time in undergrad. I tailored my jobs to also fufill my vet experience requirements, so I would not have to put in additional work volunteering else where (kill to birds). I never had a problem balancing the course work with the job, but like others have said, everyone is unique.

 

[eschmidt32]

It can be difficult, but it is definitely possible. There were times when I had a job, played a sport, and went to school, and there other times when I was working three jobs and going to school. That being said, you must be very good at prioritizing, and keeping calendars and planners up to date. Also, try to find a job that will be flexible with your class/ test schedules, after all, school should always be your number one priority.

 

[Jessperk]

I worked about 20 hours a week at a vet clinic and 25 hours at a restaurant my sophomore and junior years. Now I just work at the restaurant and get about 30 hours a week. While it doesn't help with animal experience, you can make really good money working at a restaurant. I was able to work less hours and focus more on school this year.

My grades suffered quite a bit, but working was a necessity and I'm still getting veterinary school interviews. If you go for a part time job, go easy on the hours (like 10-15) and add more hours if you can handle it. The beginning of the semester is always deceivingly slow--school will get much harder and if you're working too much, it can be a disaster.

 

[Bracco Pointer]

This is very dependent on you, your study skills, priorities, and the job.

Can it be done? Yes.

In my experience there are three categories to consider... 1. School 2. Job 3. Social life.. And that while in undergrad it only worked to prioritize 2 of those categories.. For me school and work were my two. Because I worked and went to school I never had a day off, like ever. Leaving little time for much of a social life, which was fine with me because my fiancé is in the army and my two best friends work in the human med field and are very busy. But for some people a social life is very important so this wouldn't work.

The biggest thing is not biting off more than you can chew because ultimately your grades are a huuuuuge factor in the vet school admission process.

👍 This was basically my situation was well. I worked 2-3 part time jobs every year of undergrad except freshman year. 2/3 of those jobs were vet related, so I've been able to get vet experience. I was able to balance ~30 hours a week of work with full time classes, but I spread myself very thin some semesters and barely managed to keep good grades. It's very easy to get overwhelmed. I really didn't have much of a social life in undergrad outside of work, classes, and a couple select extracurriculars. I'd definitely recommend trying to start with low work hours and build up when you think you're ready.

 

[equineconstant]

When I went into undergrad I assumed I couldn't have a job because I was focusing on my schoolwork, but last semester I was working 2 jobs (both on campus). In junior year, got invited to the class that is training to be a tutor in the writing center at my school, which would fill one of my English requirements and which I'd always thought was something I might like to do, so I took it. For the semester while I was in class, my work hours were just part of my class requirements, which meant I didn't get paid but also meant it wasn't in addition to classes, really. The next semester when I started getting paid, I was used to putting in those timeslots and took on a few more hours. Then last semester I was offered another job as a notetaker, which I took because it's basically getting paid for something I already do: typing up my notes. This coming semester, I'm not a notetaker anymore, but I might be taking another job as an office assistant. For me, it worked because I eased into it really nicely.

Let me also add, though, that my school has a cap on working hours/week, so even with two jobs I was working an average of 10-12 hours a week, not 20.

 

[cvanthof]

Might I suggest becoming an RA? At my school, it's a very sweet deal of free housing and a $175 stipend every other week. Many colleges have similar set-ups. It is obviously a live-in position, and you are technically "on call" 24 hrs a day/ 7 days a week, but I have been one for almost 3 years, now, and although it isn't always my idea of "fun," it is by far the BEST job on campus, and it looks really great on a resume. It becomes so much a part of your daily routine that it barely feels like your going out of your way to so work, and due to that, I was able to get a second job at a vet clinic, as well. So technically, two jobs, and the grades did not suffer.

Like everyone is saying, it's about your time management skills. Giving yourself enough time before the day of a test to study properly, etc. However, after sophomore year, I got so busy that I started to feel that making lists and outwardly organizing was a waste of time, and now, I just try to do things as they spill out of my head lol. Maybe not ideal but it hasn't proved detrimental, so far.

So yeah, Resident Assistant, check it out 🙂

 

[dovelover]

It really depends on a lot of factors--what kind of job you get, how many credits you're taking, your own time management skills (and simply how much time you tend to need to devote to studying), how many extra curriculars you have, how much of a social life you want, whether you plan on moving off campus next year while keeping this same job... I worked about 12 hours a week during my junior/senior years and would have liked to work a bit more, but we had a lot of students trying to work around class schedules, so that was usually all I could get each semester. It was quite manageable-the lowest gpa i ever got while working was a 3.63 (vs graduating with a 3.75) but that was while trying to manage 19 credits and still stay active in the one main extra curricular I participated in. When I dropped down to 15 credits senior year, i was able to get 3.93s while still working. If you want to get a second major (what I was trying to do at the time) or finish school in less than 4 years or just like taking lots of classes because they all sound so interesting (guilty of that too), it might be a bit harder, but again manageable depending on the job and how much of a social life you have. While having an on campus job may not allow you to kill two birds with one stone by getting a job that can help with animal/vet experience, it can be much more practical if trying to balance with getting good grades-so it really depends on what's more important to you-having a job while keeping grades up or getting experience hours. In my on campus job it was always pretty easy for me to take off the night before big exams, we changed our work schedules ever semester to accomodate new class schedules, and we got special schedules for finals week where we could sign up to work as much or as little as we wanted. We also had the option of working extra hours over school breaks, but didn't have to if we wanted to go home. And best of all, when things were slow, they didn't mind if we worked on homework (though things were never slow when you needed them to be!) But I also didn't have much of a social life, and by the time i got to senior year, I got most of my social interaction by being at work, and really only hung out with work people. I also didn't participate much in the extra curricular that had once been a big part of my life. However both of these things were also affected by the fact that I lived off campus (not walking distance) which sort of cut my social life off in ways I did not anticipate.

 

[OwlandPussycat]

Like many others have said, it totally depends on your personal habits, needs, etc, and on your job.

I was a full-time student while working 25-30 hours a week for the last 2 years of my undergrad.
The downsides were that I was always tired (and grumpy!), couldn't do very much fun stuff on the weekends, and sometimes didn't have as much time to study as I wanted. And while I still took a full-time courseload, I probably took a semester or two longer because I didn't take as many classes as I could have if I wasn't working.
Since I was working as a vet tech, the upsides were that I got to accrue lots of experience hours, made money, and got letters of rec from the vets I worked with.
Work became my hobby and a big source of my social life, which sounds kind of sad, but it meant that I stayed pretty happy/satisfied with my life.
I'd say that the biggest pro was that the job really helped with my vet school app. The biggest con was seeing all my friends going out and having fun on the weekends, while I had to get up at 6 am and work for 8 hours.

So yeah, those are some things to think about. I would say go for it, but only if the job is right and ONLY if you can maintain good grades. I don't think the vet schools mind too much if you lighten your course load a bit to accommodate a job, but they definitely want to see good grades!

 

[orca2011]

It's dependent on you really.

I had a part time job on campus in the biology department which was part of my financial aid. I usually worked about 20 hours a week and I loved it. I would work inbetween classes so I didnt get to use thst time for homework like many of my friends but my grades were still fine. I struggled a little but the first year but they werent horrible. And I was also gaining some awesome experience that would be beneficial in the future and got to know my professors in a different way.

Just make sure you have a handle on your time management skills now, otherwise it won't work out. I never got to start homeowrk until like 9pm because in addition to work/class from9-5 everyday, I also did two club sports.

 

[yejjers]

I think it can be done. At one point, I was full time student with 2 part-time jobs and involved with couple organizations. I'd be lying if I said it was difficult but I think the course load for me at that time made all that do-able. The semester after that, I picked up two 400 level courses which made me drop one of the part-time jobs and continued everything else. It really is up to you and whether or not you can manage your times responsibly. When I was a mentor, my freshmen mentees would ask me that question and I actually advised them not to until their 2nd year or 3rd year in college. I feel like you should focus on your first full year in college with school work and/or organization(s). Second year will consist of heavier course level as it did for me and if you think you can handle it then, pick a job then. If not, 2nd semester of sophomore year won't hurt either. It's better to start with an outstanding GPA in the beginning and then pick up job later rather than bad GPA and then worry about raising the GPA/working. It's clearly up to you though :]

 

[MiniHorse]

Thanks everyone for your replies. A active social life is not a huge deal to me (school has always taken priority for me; just the way I am), so I guess I will continue to consider it. I am thinking I will not take on a job until after I finish out this year though, just to make sure I continue to give my GPA a strong start, as well as make sure I can prioritize my time well enough to be able to fit a job in in the future..

 

[KitCat]

Thanks everyone for your replies. A active social life is not a huge deal to me (school has always taken priority for me; just the way I am), so I guess I will continue to consider it. I am thinking I will not take on a job until after I finish out this year though, just to make sure I continue to give my GPA a strong start, as well as make sure I can prioritize my time well enough to be able to fit a job in in the future..

Sounds like a good plan 👍

Sent from my MB612 using SDN Mobile

 

[Emiloo4]

I personally found that having a job made me study more. I had no choice not to. When you have a schedule, it makes you get stuff done. At least for me.

 

[kakurubird]

I personally found that having a job made me study more. I had no choice not to. When you have a schedule, it makes you get stuff done. At least for me.

👍 If I have a lots of free time, I sit around procrastinating and doing nothing all day. If I have less time, it's easier to tell myself, "do this now!" because I know I don't have twice as much time than it will take.

 

[Emiloo4]

👍 If I have a lots of free time, I sit around procrastinating and doing nothing all day. If I have less time, it's easier to tell myself, "do this now!" because I know I don't have twice as much time than it will take.

Exactly.

 

[CanHardlyWait]

. I don't think the vet schools mind too much if you lighten your course load a bit to accommodate a job, but they definitely want to see good grades!

In my experience, the vet schools I applied to didn't mention my lower semester course load (13-15 hours) because I was working while in undergrad. Some people have to work while in school. Or raise families. Or both. Just saying...

OP: I think being able to hold down a job and keep your grades up, while maintaining a social life, extra curricular activities and your sanity shows maturity and time management skills to adcoms and frankly is good practice for vet school. I'm not working now, but having worked all throughout undergrad, I'm used to being busy, having a lot on my plate at once and still finding time to live my actual life (not my school life). I seemed to fare better mentally than quite a few of my classmates during first semester. The inevitable vet school-what the f* am I doing here-breakdown never happened to me and I finished the semester strong, albeit very tired 😉 All the credit is not mine though, I have an amazingly supportive husband and a strong marriage, so that really helped!

 

[parula]

Thanks everyone for your replies. A active social life is not a huge deal to me (school has always taken priority for me; just the way I am), so I guess I will continue to consider it. I am thinking I will not take on a job until after I finish out this year though, just to make sure I continue to give my GPA a strong start, as well as make sure I can prioritize my time well enough to be able to fit a job in in the future..

I think you've got it right, you need to listen to yourself and do what you think you will be most comfortable with! Your GPA is important and making sure you've got that down is paramount. Once you know you can handle it (or in my case was bored and needed to do something with my time) you should add on.

Also, I think what other people have mentioned, that you can get animal/vet related jobs to get money and add to your CV, is a really great point. All of my jobs throughout undergrad and high school have added to my VMCAS, it's about taking baby steps to set your self up to get into vet school!

Good luck!

 

[hygebeorht]

Not every hour you spend is equivalent to another hour spent. For example, it's finals week, and you have three classes where your final exam grade will determine your letter grade. What is more important, earning $100 at work (and/or adding 10 hours to your vet/animal hours) or getting those As?

An adcom isn't going to care if you have 1300 hours or 1310 hours. That hundred bucks is going to be gone fast. But some Bs, Cs, or god forbid Ds are going to really hit you where it hurts.

I suggest taking your extra time right now and volunteering 20 weeks in a veterinary or animal setting. Volunteer work often opens the door to employment, either at that organization or at another that requires experience. Then you'll have a part-time job that is paying bills AND racking up hours for you. You need to be as competitive as you possibly can be.

Student hourly jobs are great because they are flexible when you have a big test or whatever. Don't just take something because you want cash. You should be doing absolutely nothing with your expendable time that isn't building your resume for that application in a few years. I suggest looking for a job caring for research animals on campus. Or if you want flexibility, volunteer at a critical care animal clinic. They are open 24/7 and you'll see and learn a LOT.

Kill as many birds with one stone as you can. The process is very competitive. But if it turns out you can only work 5 hours a week before your grades start to slip, just do those 5. You can always go back and get more hours or earn money later if you're rejected and need another year to beef your app. You can never go back and fix those grades.

 

[kakurubird]

Student hourly jobs are great because they are flexible when you have a big test or whatever. Don't just take something because you want cash. You should be doing absolutely nothing with your expendable time that isn't building your resume for that application in a few years. I suggest looking for a job caring for research animals on campus. Or if you want flexibility, volunteer at a critical care animal clinic. They are open 24/7 and you'll see and learn a LOT.

This seems a little extreme to me.

I completely never regret spending time just hanging out with friends and doing whatever. If you want to play an intramural sport because it's fun, do that. If you play in a band with friends, have fun and do that. Please have fun in undergrad and do at least something that you enjoy outside of school/vet med stuff--you will want something to carry in to vet school to keep you sane.

 

[EngrSC]

This seems a little extreme to me.

I completely never regret spending time just hanging out with friends and doing whatever. If you want to play an intramural sport because it's fun, do that. If you play in a band with friends, have fun and do that. Please have fun in undergrad and do at least something that you enjoy outside of school/vet med stuff--you will want something to carry in to vet school to keep you sane.

I agree. Your performance will suffer if you're unhappy because you're in work-work-work mode all the time.

It's important to do something purely for your own enjoyment 👍

 

[orca2011]

This seems a little extreme to me.

I completely never regret spending time just hanging out with friends and doing whatever. If you want to play an intramural sport because it's fun, do that. If you play in a band with friends, have fun and do that. Please have fun in undergrad and do at least something that you enjoy outside of school/vet med stuff--you will want something to carry in to vet school to keep you sane.

Agreed. You need a good balance of work and play. They keep saying that in vet school too and it definitely holds true. I still managed to go out at least 2 nights a week while maintaining grades, a job and club sports. If you don't make time for yourself, you're going to burn out quickly and be miserable.

 

[bunnity]

Don't just take something because you want cash.

Silly cash, it just pays the rent and gas bill and groceries...

 

[cvanthof]

Silly cash, it just pays the rent and gas bill and groceries...

What? You never planted your money tree in the backyard?

 

[hygebeorht]

This seems a little extreme to me.

I completely never regret spending time just hanging out with friends and doing whatever. If you want to play an intramural sport because it's fun, do that. If you play in a band with friends, have fun and do that. Please have fun in undergrad and do at least something that you enjoy outside of school/vet med stuff--you will want something to carry in to vet school to keep you sane.

Sigh, I was afraid someone would take me perfectly literally. I did not mean that every waking moment should be devoted to building a killer application. I meant that she should try to be choosy about her precious volunteering and working time. It should be double- and triple-dipping, getting paid and getting vet/animal hours at the same time. There are only so many hours in the day, and if she wants to have fun and also get into vet school and also make money, she's gonna have to kill a few birds with one stone.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Sigh, I was afraid someone would take me perfectly literally. I did not mean that every waking moment should be devoted to building a killer application. I meant that she should try to be choosy about her precious volunteering and working time. It should be double- and triple-dipping, getting paid and getting vet/animal hours at the same time. There are only so many hours in the day, and if she wants to have fun and also get into vet school and also make money, she's gonna have to kill a few birds with one stone.

I agree that if you can make make it work out that way, then by all means go for it, so long as the purpose of making money is met... but in many cases any animal/vet job is like soooo not worth the time in terms of efficiently making money esp while you're in school fulltime. If you already have plenty of animal/vet experience, 10 hrs here and there during the semester might not amount to much. I def don't regret taking on babysitting/tutoring gigs for $20/hr and earning $100 on occasional afternoons. No long term commitment with super flexible schedule. I personally would rather make money where I could, and have the free time/cash to be a bit more choosy about my animal/vet experiences.

 

[JoAnna423]

I worked the entire time I was in undergrad...full time, part time, animal related, and non. Most of the time two at once. I also took a lighter course load than some (usually around 14-15 hours) and took summer classes and a heavy final semester to graduate in 4.5 years. Not working was not an option for me...I had a kid to support and no help from my parents so I made it work.

My grades did not suffer, I think it actually made me more focused and determined because I worked so hard for it. However, I did have virtually NO involvment in extracirrucular activities, especially my first couple years when I worked about 30 hours per week. It improved towards the end of undergrad but not by much. I also said all of this in my application, and talked about how even my nonanimal related work experience helped prepare me for veterinary school. I was even asked about it in my interview at KState too and my reason for taking a light course load was valid and I think understood, if not admired.

Of course your top priority should be school, but I think working during undergrad (at least part time) teaches you responsibility and prepares you for the rigors of veterinary school. NC State even says on their website that they look at employment during undergrad.

Just my opinion though...

 

[Trilt]

👍 If I have a lots of free time, I sit around procrastinating and doing nothing all day. If I have less time, it's easier to tell myself, "do this now!" because I know I don't have twice as much time than it will take.

Me too! I do way better when busy than when I have lots of time to study. Makes me actually schedule everything and such. Worked 2-3 part time jobs during undergrad, in addition to a bunch of volunteering and doing fun things. It's definitely doable, just get jobs that are flexible with you so you don't end up in a bad situation come finals.

 

[Awendela]

Sigh, I was afraid someone would take me perfectly literally. I did not mean that every waking moment should be devoted to building a killer application. I meant that she should try to be choosy about her precious volunteering and working time. It should be double- and triple-dipping, getting paid and getting vet/animal hours at the same time. There are only so many hours in the day, and if she wants to have fun and also get into vet school and also make money, she's gonna have to kill a few birds with one stone.

So, I actually disagree with this because I think it tends to decrease your diversity as an applicant. I worked two part-time jobs during undergrad and a full-time job after I graduated (I am a non-trad student), and none of these were animal-related. I also had to get my animal experience and veterinary experience, so you're right that it took a bit more time (I have fewer experience hours than many applicants, but my experience is very diverse).

When I interviewed (at UF and Ohio), both schools asked me questions about what made me a diverse applicant/differentiated me from the typical DVM candidate, and I was able to talk about my work experience. They also asked me how that work experience prepared me to succeed in veterinary school and as a veterinarian. My interviewers for both schools made it very clear that they agreed that my experience strengthened my application.

I'm not saying any non-vet experience will help, but if you can't find your dream clinic job, it's totally okay to look for something else. I am sure that you will acquire skills that will be applicable in the field - just know how to spin it. And if you do this, try to go for something else that you love - you'll be happier, and further down the line, it will demonstrate that you are an applicant with diverse interests who knows that you have other options, but still is choosing to become a veterinarian.

Someone else recommended getting a student job through your undergrad institution, and I highly recommend this. My two undergrad part-time jobs (one working in theater and one as a teaching assistant for an unrelated field) were through federal work/study programs, and I think it's a lot more flexible - they are understanding if you need to take some time off for finals or if you begin struggling in school. Also, they usually follow the college's schedule, which allows you to leave work for awesome animal/veterinary internships during breaks and still have your job waiting for you when you return.

Sorry for the megapost...

tl;dr - If you can find a job for animal/veterinary experience, great. If not, do what you need to do - you'll still gain skills and diversity. Work/study jobs may be more flexible if you're worried about academic performance.