<p>Is working even possible with all the studying/volunteering/clinical experience/research for an aspiring premed? </p>
<p>I am asking because I got enough aid for tuition and fees but not enough for housing so I would be forced to work. UCI I would be able to commute and UCSD I wouldn't so I need to know whether working will seriously hamper these goals....</p>
<p>Yes, it's possible.</p>
<p>But it isn't probable.</p>
<p>Nah, plenty of students do it. My concern is that housing in SD is probably like $12K. Working enough to make $12K strikes me as difficult. Working to alleviate that shouldn't be too bad, though.</p>
<p>Are you guys joking? I held a job waiting tables through most of the last three years of college. I wasn't working forty hours a week, but depending on my shifts, 25 wasn't an impossibility. I tried to avoid working that much during weeks when I had a number of tests, but that didn't always happen. </p>
<p>The key is to get a job where you can work hours that don't affect your time in class and have sort of hidden hours worked in. As anyone who's waited tables can tell you, if your shift starts at four, there's really no difference to your night if you get off at 8pm or 11pm (except for the money you earn). As far as your night goes, it's pretty much shot either way. Sure it's possible you get a short assignment done if you're off at 8, but more than likely you're going to be tired, you're going to dawdle on getting dinner, on catching up with your e-mail and end up in bed earlier anyways. At 11, you're not going to do much of anything, but you know that going in. Once I figured this out, I loved closing the restaurant, because it meant a lot more money for me (where I worked, the closer was in charge of sending other servers home after the first cut was done by the managers, so I'd cut early, bust my hump and rake in a lot more money).</p>
<p>I know waiting tables doesn't sound that glamorous and there certainly some jobs out there that scream "medicine" a lot more, but it's good money, it forces you to talk to people in a variety of situations, and to keep a lot of things for several different tables straight at one time even as they're changing (this last skill being directly transferable to life as a resident). </p>
<p>What I'd stay away from (even though they initially seem much more attractive) are the jobs which end at 5pm. Your class time is going to get in the way of how many hours you can get. Plus, you usually need to do things like volunteer or do research during that same time frame, further limiting how many hours you can work.</p>
<p>At my school, that would be impossible. Because of scheduling problems. One time when I took a full science courseload, I had to stay on campus all day. I had chem at 8-9am, physics 130-230pm, math 6-8pm with labs scattered in between. I had the time to tutor( sessions would last 1-2hrs). But theres no way I would be able to wait tables. </p>
<p>I know that this could be a problem at the UCs as well because the deficit of science courses mean that some students would have to settle for bizzare and inconvenient schedules.</p>
<p>I honestly could not imagine working during school, but that's completely relative to the type of person you are. If you really want to attend UCSD over UCI, then I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work.</p>
<p>I wouldn't suggest working too much as a freshman but most students probably work at some point in their college careers. In my senior year, I was working 3 part-time jobs (roughly 30 hours/wk) in addition to attending school. These jobs were more academic (so research as opposed to fast food clerk) so I was able to kill two birds with one stone. It's always nice to have some spending money.</p>
<p>It's definitely plausible to get an on-campus job such as tutoring, working at IT or a help desk, or lifeguarding. All those allow you to get paid while being able to get some homework done during downtime.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I know waiting tables doesn't sound that glamorous and there certainly some jobs out there that scream "medicine" a lot more, but it's good money, it forces you to talk to people in a variety of situations, and to keep a lot of things for several different tables straight at one time even as they're changing (this last skill being directly transferable to life as a resident).
[/quote]
Funny you should mention that. I strongly suggested my D work at my sister's small town (but not our town) cafe the summer between high school and college. Not full time but a good bit. The money was the side benefit. The amount of "growing" she did in that short time- we should have been paying them. What a confidence builder. What a learning platform for people skills. What a chance to mingle with folks that might not be in your same social bubble. I can't quantify the improvement but this kid could talk to anybody BEFORE the cafe job. Now she is a total pro and it was really commented on by all the docs she shadowed the next summer and even more by their office staff. I guess my suggestion was inspired because my plans don't usually work out too well.</p>
<p>thnx for all the insight guys. i guess its just a matter of finding the right job and not overdoing it...</p>