Worked my way through college, will adcom forgive me?

[AestheticGod]

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Will adcom give me a break on my application if I say that I worked my way through college 😳.

I went to a CC to save money and am coming out dept free because I worked 25+ hours a week to pay for it. And I also worked in a field related to healthcare (Pharmacy technician). So working 25+ hours a week, my time was very limited, and i got near to no shadowing/research experience for the past 2 years.

EDIT: I WILL be shadowing 2 doctors for 2012-2013. And also plan on joining a research for 2013 spring semester.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Kudos to you for coming out debt free, but how is an adcom supposed to know that being a physician is really what you want to do? What do you mean about "no" shadowing experience? What about volunteering? I guess my question is do you have any clinical experience other than being a pharm tech?

 

[AestheticGod]

Kudos to you for coming out debt free, but how is an adcom supposed to know that being a physician is really what you want to do? What do you mean about "no" shadowing experience? What about volunteering? I guess my question is do you have any clinical experience other than being a pharm tech?

Unfortunately, no🙁. I will be shadowing a doctor this fall semester for about a month. And in summer I will be shadowing 2 doctors for 2 months (30+hours a week for summer).

 

[Doctor Strange]

Unfortunately, no🙁. I will be shadowing a doctor this fall semester for about a month. And in summer I will be shadowing 2 doctors for 2 months (30+hours a week for summer).

When are you applying?

 

[LizzyM]

The AMCAS application does give you the opportunity to list your paid employment, the time frame and the average hours per week so that will be on the record. Starting last year, AMCAS also gave every applicant the opportunity to describe how they paid for college (% merit scholarships,% need-based grants, % loans, % parents, % self, % other) so that will be on the record if you choose to list it.

Many applicants have research experience so you will be in the minority (and not in a good way) in not having that experience. Adcoms want to know "why medicine" and want to know how you have tested your interest in medicine and if you have expectations about the practice of medicine that are grounded in reality and not in reality TV.

Depending on your PS, gpa, MCAT, etc, you might be a strong applicant or you might not be.

 

[AestheticGod]

The AMCAS application does give you the opportunity to list your paid employment, the time frame and the average hours per week so that will be on the record. Starting last year, AMCAS also gave every applicant the opportunity to describe how they paid for college (% merit scholarships,% need-based grants, % loans, % parents, % self, % other) so that will be on the record if you choose to list it.

Many applicants have research experience so you will be in the minority (and not in a good way) in not having that experience. Adcoms want to know "why medicine" and want to know how you have tested your interest in medicine and if you have expectations about the practice of medicine that are grounded in reality and not in reality TV.

Depending on your PS, gpa, MCAT, etc, you might be a strong applicant or you might not be.

Gotcha, thank you for the reply! I still do plan on doing research+shadowing in the next two years. I also plan to go "balls out" this summer in Bangladesh by educating students that live in the village (I came from there) on hygiene, and also wil be shadowing two doctors for 2 months.

 

[AestheticGod]

When are you applying?

In about 1 1/2 years.

 

[tn4596]

In about 1 1/2 years.

plenty of time to volunteer at a hospital

 

[Purple2012]

I didn't realize working about ~25 hours a week for a full time student was unusual.

I schedule my classes for MWF with labs on T/Th
T/Th work 4 hours each day. Sat/Sun I work 8 hours each day. That's 24 hours a week.
I have more than enough time to do everything.

 

[MedPR]

Will adcom give me a break on my application if I say that I worked my way through college 😳.

I went to a CC to save money and am coming out dept free because I worked 25+ hours a week to pay for it. And I also worked in a field related to healthcare (Pharmacy technician). So working 25+ hours a week, my time was very limited, and i got near to no shadowing/research experience for the past 2 years.

EDIT: I WILL be shadowing 2 doctors for 2012-2013. And also plan on joining a research for 2013 spring semester.

Last semester I worked 40 hours per week and volunteered for 15 hours per week while taking classes full time at a community college. Don't use work as an excuse for having no ECs. It's a horrible one especially if you're taking community college classes that are basically a joke.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

I didn't realize working about ~25 hours a week for a full time student was unusual.

I schedule my classes for MWF with labs on T/Th
T/Th work 4 hours each day. Sat/Sun I work 8 hours each day. That's 24 hours a week.
I have more than enough time to do everything.

I worked ~40 hours a week and triple majored (~3 labs/semester)...

I really don't think it's that uncommon to work that much during the year and have significant time commitments outside of full-time school. Therefore, I expect no sympathy.

 

[Planes2Doc]

As a non-trad, I was definitely not exempt from jumping through the hoops. I think I got a pass on not having the high-caliber ECs that some people have here on SDN though. I met some post-bacc students with families to support, and apparently quitting their jobs and putting everything on the table to pursue medicine isn't enough to convince them. Tsk tsk...

 

[MedPR]

I worked ~40 hours a week and triple majored (~3 labs/semester)...

I really don't think it's that uncommon to work that much during the year and have significant time commitments outside of full-time school. Therefore, I expect no sympathy.

+infinity.

 

[Purple2012]

I worked ~40 hours a week and triple majored (~3 labs/semester)...

I really don't think it's that uncommon to work that much during the year and have significant time commitments outside of full-time school. Therefore, I expect no sympathy.

Yeah 25 hours is pretty much nothing. Im a double major, would be triple, but they don't let you so I have a minor. I still have time to socialize, and put days into COD.

 

[Stumpyman]

Last semester I worked 40 hours per week and volunteered for 15 hours per week while taking classes full time at a community college. Don't use work as an excuse for having no ECs. It's a horrible one especially if you're taking community college classes that are basically a joke.

Yeah, I worked 30 hours, along with another ~15-20 hours in volunteering, tutoring, etc. while at a CC, so extra-curriculars can very much still be done. 25 hours/wk is not too much at all, and I don't think Adcoms will "forgive" you because there isn't really anything to forgive. Just make sure you are still doing other ECs.

 

[mcatdestroyer]

maybe a little brah

 

[mimelim]

I was in the lab 25-40 hours a week and still had good extra curricular outside of my research as an undergrad. One is capable of working 100 hours a week. 25 hours a week is not enough to take up all of the time you could dedicate toward doing something for medical school.

 

[sinombre]

.

 

[MedPR]

Yeah, I worked 30 hours, along with another ~15-20 hours in volunteering, tutoring, etc. while at a CC, so extra-curriculars can very much still be done. 25 hours/wk is not too much at all, and I don't think Adcoms will "forgive" you because there isn't really anything to forgive. Just make sure you are still doing other ECs.

+1. I can see if you're working full time while taking classes full time at a university.. but CC classes are a joke.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Wow you guys are all such ballers have fun stroking each other's peens on all the work you've been doing.

OP you still have a year and a half...just start volunteering/researching and whatnot, keep it up and you'll be good. Keep up the pharmacy tech work too if you can, can't hurt to have a little money on the side.

 

[lolcat]

lmao at all the trolls in this thread.

 

[mimelim]

Wow you guys are all such ballers have fun stroking each other's peens on all the work you've doing.

OP you still have a year and a half...just start volunteering/researching and whatnot, keep it up and you'll be good. Keep up the pharmacy tech work too if you can, can't hurt to have a little money on the side.

You realize in residency that you have a lot of hours in a day to work. It is not unusual for residents to work 100+ hours a week, 80 hour work week be damned, especially on surgical services. No names, but in one of our local programs, it is pretty much expected that you will arrive at 4:30, swipe in at 6, swipe out at 6 and leave whenever you can (~7-9). 25 hours a week of working is taxing. It also has the potential to teach you a lot. But there are plenty of people out there working that much on something productive, research, job, volunteering etc. You still have a good 75 hours a week to take care of school things and do other ECs.