Working as a makeup counter chick: include this ec on app?

[deleted445355]

Hi guys,

I'm in my gap year and going to reapply to med schools this summer. Within these past few years, I interned with a biomedical start-up company researching the clinical efficacy of pre-FDA approved drugs, I volunteered at a free clinic, I tutored disadvantaged children through this program called ProjectREAD, and I got a co-1st author pub published. However, after my research ended, I took a full-time job as a beautician at a luxury French cosmetics company called Lancome rather than continuing to get a stereotypical premed job like research or anything clinically-related. I went to beauty school and learned makeup technique, I helped customers find products to meet their needs, and there were some really fun days where I just did make-overs the entire time. I wanted to explore something outside of medicine and completely unrelated to the health field and see how much it stacked up to my interest in a medical career. I guess what got me interested initially in the world of beauty is my love of aesthetics and helping out with Aroma de Flora, a luxury skin care line my aunt started in China 15-20 years ago.

I am wondering if you guys think this activity is something worth detailing on my med school application. Would this even be a unique life experience? I ask because I'm not sure if doing so will raise eyebrows because it is completely unrelated to medicine and adcoms might wonder why I decided to take on a job in a completely unrelated field and thereby question my commitment to medicine. If anything, working there has reaffirmed my interest in medicine. Although I enjoyed my experience working in the cosmetics world, I soon realized that working in the world of beauty didn't give me the same type of deep intellectual and personal satisfaction as saving someone's life in medicine. I already have a lot of clinical and research experiences and working here has allowed me to see how much I'd much rather dedicate myself to a career in medicine.



Thanks,

PP

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[takeurmeds02]

LOL, nah. I wouldn't include it. I worked clothing retail for a year and half to do something different and didn't include it. It's more of a discussion to save for interviews and only then, it's a quick mention.

 

[NotASerialKiller]

It was a full-time job you had, why would you not include it? No one has ever said that everything you do in your entire life has to be geared towards medicine.

I'd probably think of another way to phrase the job title, though.

 

[raiderette]

I think adcoms like to see people working for a living. It may not make you unique but you would be surprised at how many applicants have never held a job.

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[ortnakas]

It was a full-time job you had, why would you not include it? No one has ever said that everything you do in your entire life has to be geared towards medicine.

I'd probably think of another way to phrase the job title, though.

I agree. Nobody's expecting your whole life up until now (or from now on for that matter) to be dedicated to medicine. And it's better to show that you were gainfully employed than leave people wondering what you were doing doing that gap.

 

[takeurmeds02]

It was a full-time job you had, why would you not include it? No one has ever said that everything you do in your entire life has to be geared towards medicine.

I'd probably think of another way to phrase the job title, though.

Haha

Title: Make-up Counter chick

Hours: >1000

 

[LizzyM]

You should account for your time, particularly if it was a full-time job. It was a job dealing with the public and it was hands-on in a very personal way and hearing women tell you very personal concerns about acne, scarring, and so forth. You can spin it in a good way saying that you wanted to try something new and that would require you do deal with people in a very personal way in a fast-paced environment. Any job that helps you learn about human nature is a good thing in my book.

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Haha

Title: Make-up Counter chick

Hours: >1000

Better than my 600 hours of "Dude who spits in your burger if you irritate him"

 

[deleted445355]

You should account for your time, particularly if it was a full-time job. It was a job dealing with the public and it was hands-on in a very personal way and hearing women tell you very personal concerns about acne, scarring, and so forth. You can spin it in a good way saying that you wanted to try something new and that would require you do deal with people in a very personal way in a fast-paced environment. Any job that helps you learn about human nature is a good thing in my book.

I totally agree with you LizzyM. This job has afforded me the unique opportunity to deal with people in a very personal way and work individuals with tons of health problems that impacted their appearance.I worked with teens dealing with the repercussions of acne scarring find powders and foundations to cover their insecurities, I helped women diagnosed with hereditary albinism find the perfect bronzer, I found the perfect concealer for people dealing with under-eye circles from seasonal allergies, and I helped those fighting rosacea, psoriasis, and other chronic skin issues. Some really memorable personal encounters include assisting a woman who had been a bad car accident that left her face permanently burned and scarred find makeup to hide the effects of the trauma. She couldn’t afford expensive reconstructive plastic surgery or dermatology laser treatments. I worked with gay men who gained the confidence to “come out” of their shell and wanted to buy makeup to fit into their new community.
The list goes on, but I did gain a lot of maturity holding down a job and I acquired an extensive set of interpersonal skills that helped me work with people from diverse backgrounds. I also worked with people when they were they were at their most vulnerable. A lot of them came to me bare-faced with all their insecurities and allow edme to help shape them into the person they wanted to present to the world. I did my fair share of personal counseling and helping people deal with their self-esteem issues. But at the end of exploring a completely unrelated field and comparing it to my past medical experiences, I realized that I still like medicine more. I wanted a more direct role helping people deal with their health problems and make an even bigger impact than I was making. I think if I can relate this job back to healthcare and emphasize how it clarified my desire to become a physician, I think it should probably be okay.

 

[deleted445355]

Better than my 600 hours of "Dude who spits in your burger if you irritate him"

What job was that lol? McDonald's?

 

[NotASerialKiller]

What job was that lol? McDonald's?

Chemistry TA. I have no idea why so many students brought burgers to the lab now that I think of it...

 

[bahdahboom]

Hi guys,

I'm in my gap year and going to reapply to med schools this summer. Within these past few years, I interned with a biomedical start-up company researching the clinical efficacy of pre-FDA approved drugs, I volunteered at a free clinic, I tutored disadvantaged children through this program called ProjectREAD, and I got a co-1st author pub published. However, after my research ended, I took a full-time job as a beautician at a luxury French cosmetics company called Lancome rather than continuing to get a stereotypical premed job like research or anything clinically-related. I went to beauty school and learned makeup technique, I helped customers find products to meet their needs, and there were some really fun days where I just did make-overs the entire time. I wanted to explore something outside of medicine and completely unrelated to the health field and see how much it stacked up to my interest in a medical career. I guess what got me interested initially in the world of beauty is my love of aesthetics and helping out with Aroma de Flora, a luxury skin care line my aunt started in China 15-20 years ago.

I am wondering if you guys think this activity is something worth detailing on my med school application. Would this even be a unique life experience? I ask because I'm not sure if doing so will raise eyebrows because it is completely unrelated to medicine and adcoms might wonder why I decided to take on a job in a completely unrelated field and thereby question my commitment to medicine. If anything, working there has reaffirmed my interest in medicine. Although I enjoyed my experience working in the cosmetics world, I soon realized that working in the world of beauty didn't give me the same type of deep intellectual and personal satisfaction as saving someone's life in medicine. I already have a lot of clinical and research experiences and working here has allowed me to see how much I'd much rather dedicate myself to a career in medicine.



Thanks,

PP

I worked for Estée Lauder and loved it. I included it in my app and was accepted. I listed my title as a Beauty Advisor and tried to include only the important parts in my app that would be relevant to med schools..how it was primarily customer service, working with diverse people, understanding their needs and wants and how I strived to not only meet but exceed expectations.
A large part of my job was sales but I mentioned little to none of that aspect.

 

[deleted445355]

Chemistry TA. I have no idea why so many students brought burgers to the lab now that I think of it...

I would have never guessed lol. I'm surprised there wasn't a policy at your school about not being allowed to bring food to chem lab. If there was, some people certainly didn't follow it

 

[NeuResurgens]

Yep, if you were paid for it include it. It shows that you can hold a job and aren't just sitting around/learned some responsibility.

 

[zedsdead]

I worked for two years in fast food and I made it a big part of my application. Was one of my "most meaningfuls" and featured in many secondary essays. One interviewer said it was a breath of fresh air while reading countless medical essays, so not everything needs to be geared toward medicine.

 

[deleted445355]

I worked for two years in fast food and I made it a big part of my application. Was one of my "most meaningfuls" and featured in many secondary essays. One interviewer said it was a breath of fresh air while reading countless medical essays, so not everything needs to be geared toward medicine.

Including your experience working in the fast-food industry certainly didn't seem you harm you at all, especially seeing your ridiculous success this cycle on MDapps. I was thinking of including my work experience as a beautician at Lancome cosmetics as one of my most meaningful activities, but I wasn't sure if it would be perceived in a negative light. It is so nice to see people like you with so much success this cycle write about experiences working in non-clinically related jobs and making it a big part of your application. You have convinced me to do the same. I'm going to include this job, a clinical volunteer experience, and my research as the 3 most meaningful

 

[AnnaSunH]

I freaking love Lancôme, so I'm probably biased


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[zedsdead]

Including your experience working in the fast-food industry certainly didn't seem you harm you at all, especially seeing your ridiculous success this cycle on MDapps. I was thinking of including my work experience as a beautician at Lancome cosmetics as one of my most meaningful activities, but I wasn't sure if it would be perceived in a negative light. It is so nice to see people like you with so much success this cycle write about experiences working in non-clinically related jobs and making it a big part of your application. You have convinced me to do the same. I'm going to include this job, a clinical volunteer experience, and my research as the 3 most meaningful

Glad to hear it. Though I may have had success, it is important to remember that it is still a risky gamble, so make sure whatever you write about your experience gives some kind of unique life insight.

 

[deleted445355]

I freaking love Lancôme, so I'm probably biased


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Lancome's gift season at Macy's starts on May 3rd in case you're interested. They have this really pretty eyeshadow quad with a mixture of matte and shimmery browns, and skin-tone taupe colors. Very wearable colors perfect for every day, but also buildable for a night-time smokey look. You should check it out!

 

[deleted445355]

Glad to hear it. Though I may have had success, it is important to remember that it is still a risky gamble, so make sure whatever you write about your experience gives some kind of unique life insight.

Yes I agree it is a bit risky. I did think it helped me cultivate some interpersonal skills working with a diverse population and helped me reaffirm that it is not something I'd like to do for the rest of my life, but medicine is. Please read my response to LizzyM above and let me know if you think the insight I gained from this experience is a risk worth taking on my application. Thanks!

 

[Skydive Fox]

I have a friend who listed having worked at a strip club on her resume and she got into a Top 20 program... Pretty sure listing "cosmetics counter specialist" wouldn't hurt anyone's chances.

 

[deleted445355]

I have a friend who listed having worked at a strip club on her resume and she got into a Top 20 program... Pretty sure listing "cosmetics counter specialist" wouldn't hurt anyone's chances.

You must be kidding. Tell me this isn't real. I'm very gullible so if you're just joking around, then I wouldn't know the difference lol.

 

[Skydive Fox]

You must be kidding. Tell me this isn't real. I'm very gullible so if you're just joking around, then I wouldn't know the difference lol.

Being serious. She had a very strong application (>520 MCAT, >3.9 GPA, etc.) and had a thoughtful response whenever it came up. She did it to pay the deductibles for her father's chemotherapy and support their family. She said it didn't go over well in some interviews, but others appreciated the honesty and didn't make a big deal of it. I couldn't think of someone more deserving and am glad it wasn't held against her.

Edit: she was only doing it part-time but was making $500+ some weekends. Quite the lucrative business if you've got the right talents and features. It put our TA salary to shame, but it took quite the emotional/mental strain on her :/

 

[deleted445355]

Being serious. She had a very strong application (>520 MCAT, >3.9 GPA, etc.) and had a thoughtful response whenever it came up. She did it to pay the deductibles for her father's chemotherapy and support their family. She said it didn't go over well in some interviews, but others appreciated the honesty and didn't make a big deal of it. I couldn't think of someone more deserving and am glad it wasn't held against her.

To be honest, I feel pretty bad for her to have to do something like that to support her family. It's quite sad. But good to hear she got into a great medical school. Which top 20 is she attending now? I vaguely recall hearing about some Duke med student working at a strip club to pay off med school debt.

 

[Skydive Fox]

To be honest, I feel pretty bad for her to have to do something like that to support her family. It's quite sad. But good to hear she got into a great medical school. Which top 20 is she attending now? I vaguely recall hearing about some Duke med student working at a strip club to pay off med school debt.

Yo I ain't tryna reveal identities or start a gossip fest at the institution about which classmate used to be the stripper. It's not entirely uncommon though for people to have similar history. You gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Goro]

I believe that work history is a fine thing to have. So I say that if you have the room in your app, include it.

Too many students are professional students, and residency is their first job, with poor job ethics to go with it, like expecting their shifts to be over if they're not busy, or expecting vacation time after only a week on the job.

Hi guys,

I'm in my gap year and going to reapply to med schools this summer. Within these past few years, I interned with a biomedical start-up company researching the clinical efficacy of pre-FDA approved drugs, I volunteered at a free clinic, I tutored disadvantaged children through this program called ProjectREAD, and I got a co-1st author pub published. However, after my research ended, I took a full-time job as a beautician at a luxury French cosmetics company called Lancome rather than continuing to get a stereotypical premed job like research or anything clinically-related. I went to beauty school and learned makeup technique, I helped customers find products to meet their needs, and there were some really fun days where I just did make-overs the entire time. I wanted to explore something outside of medicine and completely unrelated to the health field and see how much it stacked up to my interest in a medical career. I guess what got me interested initially in the world of beauty is my love of aesthetics and helping out with Aroma de Flora, a luxury skin care line my aunt started in China 15-20 years ago.

I am wondering if you guys think this activity is something worth detailing on my med school application. Would this even be a unique life experience? I ask because I'm not sure if doing so will raise eyebrows because it is completely unrelated to medicine and adcoms might wonder why I decided to take on a job in a completely unrelated field and thereby question my commitment to medicine. If anything, working there has reaffirmed my interest in medicine. Although I enjoyed my experience working in the cosmetics world, I soon realized that working in the world of beauty didn't give me the same type of deep intellectual and personal satisfaction as saving someone's life in medicine. I already have a lot of clinical and research experiences and working here has allowed me to see how much I'd much rather dedicate myself to a career in medicine.



Thanks,

PP

 

[deleted445355]

Haha

Title: Make-up Counter chick

Hours: >1000

This reminds me of how my old boyfriend used to break out laughing when I told him I had a "beauty insider" card from Sephora that lets me accumulate awards and discounts. Hence the reason I'm probably not going to put down "beauty advisor" let alone makeup up counter chick as the title of this ec on my app. I anticipate adcoms laughing their heads off if I do that. I think beautician is a more respectable title .