Quick question. I graduated last june and am applying right now, and therefore will be taking a year off. At the moment I am working partime at Trader Joes and volunteering at a hospital. I tried for a while to find a job in the health related area near my home but no luck and needed a job badly to pay for all these fees and application costs. Do you guys think that its gonna play against me that I'm working in a non health related area or do you guys think it really doesn't matter? I'm thinking my interviewers are gonna want to know what I have been upto since I have graduated and all. Sorry if this sounds a bit silly. Also thanks to everybody who helped me out with my first post question thingie. You guys all rock.
you'll be just fine. =) i sat on my ass for about 8 months (worked just 1 day/week) and it has yet to come up at any of my interviews.
dr. nick, I graduated in june too and apply this year, I interviewed at ucsd and they only mentioned it briefly, I am working in a research lab fulltime, so no hospital experience like you...it should be just fine ... waiting to hear from sd next week since their first adcom meeting is next monday, wish me luck qdef
aren't you quick to judge with you snide comments...mind you, i worked all through ugrad and felt like i needed a "breather" after i graduated. so what if i had the money to relax for a while? have you ever heard of a well-deserved vacation? FYI, i've been working 6 days/week for the past year. try that on for "rough" you silly *****.
After being waitlisted w/o acceptance in Canada I did some work at a couple of bookstores and (large gulp) telemarketing...yes, I was desperate! So no major worries as long as you've had *some* health care exposure, which you're getting through the volunteer work.
It actually might come up in your residency interviews. They go back through college on your CV and are always curious about gaps. Doing something is always better then doing nothing.
whoa - simma down now taking a break sounds like an awesome idea - even if it is a breather for a little while. working to get money for this process seems perfectly legit and i'm sure they will understand. if you feel 'tired' after undergrad its prolly good to rest up - its going to be break-neck from here on out. but if you're rarin to go...
