Running the help desk for gen chem?

[j_diggity]

I guess my teacher thought I did a phenom job last year in gen chem because she recommended me to lead our program's help desk for this year's incoming students. I did do well, I'm just surprised that she singled me out in particular.

It'll be only 2 hours per week, which I can do virtually. So, light commitment.

Anyway, I have a busy schedule this semester - I'll be newly working 3x12s as an EMT and taking organic chem I + cell bio.

I'm thinking pros are: it's good on the resume, a light commitment at only 2hrs/week, good review for the MCAT which is upcoming, and may get a strong LOR from the gen chem prof.

Cons are: I'm already going to be very busy, can't back out once I commit, and I'm a little commitment-shy given the unknown difficulty of the upcoming semester.

I think I could handle it, I just may not want to when I'm neck-deep in orgo homework with an upcoming exam this week after working a 12 hour EMT shift. But the reward of the LOR, resume, and MCAT review could make it worth it.

Do these things even matter at all for med school apps?

Any thoughts on whether I should do this?

Thanks a million.

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[GoSpursGo]

Do these things even matter at all for med school apps?

Haha, no not at all. There is probably a good chance this would not even make the cut to be in the 15 activities you list.

That said, if this will solidify your LOR and 90% of the time will just be you studying, then there is likely little downside.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Light commitment. Did you or your peers ever use the help desk? What did they like about it? I find most students would never use it until exam time. If you have TAs, then you are just supplementing this.

Do you get paid?

 

[j_diggity]

Light commitment. Did you or your peers ever use the help desk? What did they like about it? I find most students would never use it until exam time. If you have TAs, then you are just supplementing this.

Do you get paid?

Yep, I get paid $15/hr. Pennies in the bucket, but I won't be sad to have an extra $100/mo. Students may not even show up about half the time.

I used the help desk quite a bit last year, mainly to confirm that I had the correct thought process. As for what students liked about it, the smart ones realized that the help desk person would tell you if you had the right answer.

 

[LizzyM]

It would come under the category of teaching/tutoring and some adcoms put some weight on that because it signals that you can explain things well, to people with different learning styles and funds of knowledge, and are dependable enough to be paid to do the work. (That goes for any kind of paid employment.)
You are taking a heavy load and working 36 hr/wk but adding another 2 hours, some of which may be time when you can study and other time which may be a review for you, it seems like a win-win-$100/mo-win all arournd.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I will say, if you have any concern about overstretching yourself with your job and you think that you can salvage the LOR without doing this, then this really should be a low priority.

 

[j_diggity]

I will say, if you have any concern about overstretching yourself with your job and you think that you can salvage the LOR without doing this, then this really should be a low priority.

I appreciate it. My contingency plan if I feel overwhelmed is to go down to 24 hrs/week at the EMT job. I wouldn't cut the help desk pos. I'll probably also schedule it at the very end of the day so I'm not really wasting any prime study time doing it.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I appreciate it. My contingency plan if I feel overwhelmed is to go down to 24 hrs/week at the EMT job. I wouldn't cut the help desk pos. I'll probably also schedule it at the very end of the day so I'm not really wasting any prime study time doing it.

If you have the option to do 24h/wk at EMT, do that for sure. There is absolutely no benefit to running yourself so ragged.