Would you do this for free tuition?

[ArkansasRanger]

I have the opportunity to apply for a job that will provide me with free tuition and allow me to attend class while on the clock with no restrictions. There's a good chance I'd get it too. However, it would be a 40 hour per week job (4, 10 hr days). That said, I feel like the schedule that I have put together for this fall's classes, as well as my prospects for next spring, would be substantially hindered. Rather than completing the few premed classes I need in 12 months it'd likely take me somewhat longer. However, I can't help but feel like such a work opportunity would be exceptionally worthwhile as well as give me something to do during my gap year in the future.

Would you rather take longer to go through premed if it were free and you were paid while in class, or would you rather go in debt and do it all faster?

I quit a great full-time law enforcement job to go back to school to finish out my premed sequence, and I just started a part-time 911 dispatcher job to help make ends meet. My whole rationale was to focus on school, yet the opportunity has manifested to perhaps get a university police officer job that would provide me with the above noted perks. The consensus is that administration wants their officers in class. What do you think?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[combatwombat]

What proportion of those 10-hr work days you could spend studying? Sounds like a pretty good gig, but it'd be nervous about taking on a 40hr/wk job on top of full time pre-med classes

 

[dragonfly99]

If no family to support and not in major debt, I vote against it. I think if you want to be a doctor and quit being a police officer, then go for that. If you still want to be a cop, don't go to medical school. It's too painful, too expensive, too stressful, and too time consuming to do if you aren't 100% committed. Part of this depends on your age and level of impatience to get going with med school, as well.

One word of warning. Don't expect med schools to cut you slack because you chose to work full time and try to go to school, but your grades weren't great.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

What proportion of those 10-hr work days you could spend studying? Sounds like a pretty good gig, but it'd be nervous about taking on a 40hr/wk job on top of full time pre-med classes

That's what I'm saying. I wouldn't take the three classes this spring. I'd likely take two. However, I've taken classes while being a cop. You can study while you're parked on the side of the road running radar, and you can quite readily study on night shifts when it's dead out. Four ten hour days means three full days off too.

The classes I'm taking in the fall are physics I and organic I with labs, and I'm taking genetics with lab electively. However, I'd drop one if I got the job. For springs it was part II of the prereqs with cell bio as an elective (no lab). I could take physics next summer (2011) which would probably be a good idea anyway since math isn't my area of strength thus taking physics with organic has bothered me since formulating my schedule.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

If no family to support and not in major debt, I vote against it. I think if you want to be a doctor and quit being a police officer, then go for that. If you still want to be a cop, don't go to medical school. It's too painful, too expensive, too stressful, and too time consuming to do if you aren't 100% committed. Part of this depends on your age and level of impatience to get going with med school, as well.

One word of warning. Don't expect med schools to cut you slack because you chose to work full time and try to go to school, but your grades weren't great.

Yeah, it's not so much about being a cop as it is continuing my health insurance and state retirement, plus the less debt you've got the better off you're bound to be regardless of the time table. I'd definitely ween down my class schedule to just one class or two tops, since it's only five that I really need to take. I've worked and taken classes (both grad and undergrad) so I know it's doable even though I've never taken organic, lol. I'm obviously committed to med school, or I wouldn't have quit my job to take on this gamble. I wasn't anywhere near the bottom of the totem pole either so I actually gave up a lot more than an adcom could realize.

Edit: I'm 28 and fortunately single.

 

[mspeedwagon]

I'd amend your plan and take the free tuition. I would not take genetics or the lab (it's not particularly useful) and this should not effect your timeline. I think two courses and working full-time is manageable (I elected to take one course at a time since I often travel for work during the week).

Honestly, either decision is good decision as long as you don't think your GPA will be affected. I'd take the money personally, but not sure many would. Also, note, that I plan to quit my job or reduce my hours from January to June to study for the MCAT and finish my last two classes (but I don't have the luxury of studying at work except when I'm on a plane for work).

Good luck and I hope to see you at a D.O. program in 2012.

That's what I'm saying. I wouldn't take the three classes this spring. I'd likely take two. However, I've taken classes while being a cop. You can study while you're parked on the side of the road running radar, and you can quite readily study on night shifts when it's dead out. Four ten hour days means three full days off too.

The classes I'm taking in the fall are physics I and organic I with labs, and I'm taking genetics with lab electively. However, I'd drop one if I got the job. For springs it was part II of the prereqs with cell bio as an elective (no lab). I could take physics next summer (2011) which would probably be a good idea anyway since math isn't my area of strength thus taking physics with organic has bothered me since formulating my schedule.

 

[bleeker10]

Yeah, it's not so much about being a cop as it is continuing my health insurance and state retirement, plus the less debt you've got the better off you're bound to be regardless of the time table. I'd definitely ween down my class schedule to just one class or two tops, since it's only five that I really need to take. I've worked and taken classes (both grad and undergrad) so I know it's doable even though I've never taken organic, lol. I'm obviously committed to med school, or I wouldn't have quit my job to take on this gamble. I wasn't anywhere near the bottom of the totem pole either so I actually gave up a lot more than an adcom could realize.

Edit: I'm 28 and fortunately single.

Where in Arkansas are you doing your degree at? I went to the U of A (Fayetteville) and I can tell you that organic would be better taken during the summer if you are going there. It's a labor intensive class and you have to put in a lot of work for the labs. When I took it there, they wanted us to rewrite the whole lab into a blue book. We weren't allowed to have our lab text in lab. So I'd spend a couple hours writing it up. In the summer, you get both classes (I and II) done in 12 weeks and you will usually have grad students teaching it. Oh and genetics lab was a joke. We would be in there for 30 minutes and all we would do is some crosses with fruit flies and then count them. It will be an easy A.

 

[kleo0986]

I work full time and am taking organic chemistry 2 and physics 2 right now. Two classes are doable while working full time, and I almost never get to study at work. 3 would definitely be pushing it for me though. How flexible would your hours and schedule be? Could you reschedule a shift if you have a really rough test week (like say work 5 shifts 1 week and then only 3 the next week?) Personally I'd take the job if it was flexible enough to allow you to still stay on track-- how much longer do you think it would take you to finish your classes if you only took 2 at a time? I don't think it would set you back too much if you took classes year round. Good luck!

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I work full time and am taking organic chemistry 2 and physics 2 right now. Two classes are doable while working full time, and I almost never get to study at work. 3 would definitely be pushing it for me though. How flexible would your hours and schedule be? Could you reschedule a shift if you have a really rough test week (like say work 5 shifts 1 week and then only 3 the next week?) Personally I'd take the job if it was flexible enough to allow you to still stay on track-- how much longer do you think it would take you to finish your classes if you only took 2 at a time? I don't think it would set you back too much if you took classes year round. Good luck!

Thanks. I've got the app filled out and will mail in tomorrow. I'll go from there. If offered, I'll take the job. It'd be foolhearty not to. I doubt there's any flexibility other than being able to go class while on shift and in uniform, but to me that's good enough.

 

[stefspets]

I would definitely take the job if it was offered: free tuition, pay, benefits. And you already took classes while working so it sounds like you know what you can handle.

Personally I would rather stay out of debt prior to med school. Then I'll rack up the debt once I get in.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Personally I would rather stay out of debt prior to med school. Then I'll rack up the debt once I get in.

That's my sentiments exactly.


And I'll keep health insurance longer and retirement contributions longer if I keep working full-time.

I'm taking two classes this summer of which one of those is among the five that I need to take to finish out my prereqs so I'll be 20% done by the time I actually start the job.