Guest premeditated Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 An interesting employment opportunity came my way the other day. I could spend the next year conducting psychometric evaluations in a new clinic at one of the provinces foremost geriatric health facilities. It's a great learning opportunity, and the money would really help. I'm still working on my undergrad and there's a good chance I would be able to complete the lions share of my thesis work during this time. However, I have some concerns and am hesitant to take the position. I was hoping some of the fine minds here might be able to offer their input The first concern I have is that if I work this next year, I might make myself ineligible for OSAP for the next year. The money I make this year would go towards paying off LOCs that I have already incurred. I would hate to pay them off only to rack them up again. I'm going to call my local financial aid office, but thought I might solicit some personal experiences. How much income is too much? The second, and more pressing, concern I have regards how med schools will view my undergrad years. I entered undergrad as a mature student. I took a 60% course load for my first year, to ease the adjustment. My second year was 1/2 course shy of a full course load. I go to a small campus and there wasn't really anything I could fit into my schedule. If I take the work position for next year, I would try to keep a 60% course load (light courses .... no 3rd or 4th year courses). My final year would likely entail a full course load, but could also be split over two years, depending on how the thesis work progresses. I really, really, (really) have my sights set on Western. Their literature states that they are looking for an appropriate GPA across 2 full years. How hard-and-fast is this rule? How might the med schools view this sort of a-typical history? That this opportunity is available to me at all is an honour. It's very enticing. While I wouldn't expect something like this to hinder my chances of entering into med school, I would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gill0927 Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Hi, congrats on the job offer! That really sounds like an excellent opportunity. I can pretty much only speak in generalities, but I thought I'd help you with some input where I can... If you would be working full-time next year, you can pretty much expect not to get OSAP for that year or the year after, depending on how much you make, of course. But it sounds to me like you wouldn't get it at all...that said, I have a friend who's making okay money (probably not as much as you'd make, working full time) and still getting a fair amount of OSAP, so there are exceptions to every rule, I guess... As for the Western issue...I'm pretty positive that Western's rule is hard-and-fast: you must have 2 full-course load years. Therefore, if you're really set on Western, you'd have a problem. I believe (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that this holds true no matter the undergrad degree, whether it was done as a mature student or what...I know they need two absolutely full years, and that they only look at the most recent undergrad degree. I'm sorry if this is bad news...my suggestion, to be absolutely sure, is to call or email UWO admissions, explaining your unique situation, and ask what the deal is. Good luck with the decision, Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 The short answer from the UWO perspective is that the rules are RIGID.... it would likely be easier to get the Pope to publicly endorse OCPs than to get UWO to budge on their admissions rules. When they say two full years, they mean two full years (and there is zero room for negotiation....) When they say the cut-off is 3.70...that means that 3.693333 isn't going to be acceptable.... If you really want UWO, you will need to have two years that are both above the cut...mature student or not. Sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Koppertone Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 I would say that this opportunity is worth taking, if you are willing to consider another medical school. However if your sights are really set on Western, then you'll probably have to sacrifice and give up this job pending anythign Western tells you. I think we've all made sacrifices to get into med and passed some opportunities by, so you wouldn't be alone. However if this job is really important to you, you might want to consider other schools with different selection criteria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest premeditated Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Some interesting thoughts so far ... many thanks and keep them coming. Ok, so Western could well be out of the running if I take this position. I can live with that, probably. If I really wanted to, I could take this job and ensure that I have at least two full years by taking a 'special year'. While I do have my sights set on Western, I certainly haven't discounted others schools both in and out of Ontario. Any input on how this experience, in relation to my ungraduate history, will reflect upon my profile? If nothing else, it could provide conversation fodder for a future interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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