OK, guys, I'm freaking out and I need some advice. I'll try to give you the needed background while keeping it relatively brief. I applied to my state school alone last year and didn't get in (35R, 3.78 cGPA, 3.6 sGPA). Afterward, I met with someone from the admissions office who basically told me I was a great candidate but didn't have enough clinical experience at the time of applying. I'd only spent five months volunteering in the ER of my local children's hospital, and I guess they didn't look at my year as a mental health worker as clinical experience. (I want to be a psychiatrist.) Anyway, since then I think I've corrected that deficit pretty well. I had an intensive shadowing experience over winter break-- shadowing an IM ward team every day for two weeks-- and I plan to do some more shadowing in May. Meanwhile, I've continued at the children's hospital and have been volunteering at a hospice 4 hrs per week since February. No clinical employment, though.
Anyway, here's my dilemma. My grades have suffered this year as I've been working a lot. I got a B in Organic II last fall and will likely get a B (B+ if I'm lucky) in biochemistry this semester. I'm scared to death of how it looks that I wasn't able to ace these classes, given that my relatively short history of science coursework (graduated in English and Political Science) is all they have to go on to judge my abilities in the sciences.
Finally, the issue at hand. There's a three week intensive biochem lab experience offered at my university this May that I think would be really cool and look really good on my application. I currently have absolutely no research experience. However, taking it would require cancelling a vacation and postponing finding a day job, at a time when I could really use both the vacation and the money from a full-time job. I guess I'm trying to get a sense of 1. how beneficial it would be to prove my science abilities (and marginally improve my science GPA) by acing this class 2. how beneficial it would be to have some sort of research experience, even if only three weeks' worth and 3. how beneficial a LOR could be from a professor who's only known you three weeks. The last issue is of some concern, because I don't have any science professors I'm particularly well-acquainted with, and I think this could be an opportunity to get to know someone really well.
Sorry that was so long. Thanks for reading and I appreciate any thoughts you have to offer.
Anyway, here's my dilemma. My grades have suffered this year as I've been working a lot. I got a B in Organic II last fall and will likely get a B (B+ if I'm lucky) in biochemistry this semester. I'm scared to death of how it looks that I wasn't able to ace these classes, given that my relatively short history of science coursework (graduated in English and Political Science) is all they have to go on to judge my abilities in the sciences.
Finally, the issue at hand. There's a three week intensive biochem lab experience offered at my university this May that I think would be really cool and look really good on my application. I currently have absolutely no research experience. However, taking it would require cancelling a vacation and postponing finding a day job, at a time when I could really use both the vacation and the money from a full-time job. I guess I'm trying to get a sense of 1. how beneficial it would be to prove my science abilities (and marginally improve my science GPA) by acing this class 2. how beneficial it would be to have some sort of research experience, even if only three weeks' worth and 3. how beneficial a LOR could be from a professor who's only known you three weeks. The last issue is of some concern, because I don't have any science professors I'm particularly well-acquainted with, and I think this could be an opportunity to get to know someone really well.
Sorry that was so long. Thanks for reading and I appreciate any thoughts you have to offer.
