Need Work

[Guest summervirus]

Hi,

 

I'm having some financial problems right now. I need some advice please.

 

I need some information about any work that may be available for medical students during the year and summer. As it is right now, I can't afford to pay for the expenses of first year medical school.

 

I've never had to pay for school in the past. I've always relied on scholarship money. But, to my understanding, there aren't any entrance awards available for UA med. (My only other source of income is my mother, but I prefer not to ask her. She is a single mother and she can only work part-time because of a disability. It would be very difficult for her to support me).

 

The source of funding that I was depending on originally fell-through today... so I need some quick cash...

 

Thanks for your advice. I'm willing to do almost any type of work... !

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there summervirus,

 

What about applying for some undergrad TA-ships? The pay is generally decent and if you love teaching, well, it could be a natural and enjoyable fit.

 

Also, do you have any office skills, e.g., can you type at a decent speed, etc.? Another option may be to sign up with a temp agency. They may be able to offer you some flexible contracts that can fit within your academic schedule.

 

Lastly, how about pursuing some bursaries? I don't know about UofA but some other schools can offer some nice ones.

 

Cheers and good luck,

Kirsteen

[Guest summervirus]

Hi Kirsteen,

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I'm not sure if I qualify as a TA because I don't have a degree.

 

I will look into office work and the bursaries though. Thanks.

[Guest EB]

s-v,

 

there's a couple academic based med entrance awards... you don't apply for them, they just notify you in the fall if you've been chosen. i think i saw your stats on here, and they're pretty good so keep your fingers crossed.

 

as for undergrad ta-ships. this can be done at smaller schools i think, but due to the size of the u of a there's almost always a grad student available to TA... one exception that i know of is physics. i've seen work available for undergrads to be markers of the weekly homework... i dunno if you need to be a physics major, but if you did well in physics maybe they'd consider hiring you... after all, it's not that hard to mark is it?

 

there will be tons of jobs available to you once you're here at the various coffee shops, stalls, etc on campus. i dunno what kinda pay you're looking for though.

 

s-v, why don't you email me at: eab2@ualberta.ca... Because I'm part of a campus group, I get the odd e-mail from the Student Group director about jobs available through the student union... When I get home, I'll take a look and see if I still have them and pass them on to you, okay?

 

Erin

[Guest V]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I wish you the best of luck in meds and beyond....

 

Why don't you just get a line of credit from the bank. CIBC, RBC and Scotiabank all have great deals for med students. About 100 grand at prime rate interest. You don't have to pay the principal back until after you start residency. Majority of med students do this.... this is a guarentee income source whereas the scholarships and all are not.

 

Also, bursaries are available for people in your situation once you qualify for gov't assistance (ex. ontario students OSAP). Again, the monies you get here can pay the interest from your loan (about $100/month).

 

If you need more info on the lines of credit, I will gladly post some more detailed notes. Call the individual bank's 1-800 numbers and ask for Prof. Line of Credit for medical students. They should direct you.... Also, contact your financial aid office at U of A for help.

 

Like most schools, I believe U of A will not allow any med student to discontinue their studies because of their financial situation. I know they will do what it take to give a helping hand.

 

Hope this helps,

V

[Guest summervirus]

Thanks for all of your help.

[Guest Ian Wong]

I would echo the sentiment of either going after student loans, or alternately a bank line of credit. I think you'll find that the vast majority of your classmates (at least 80% of them), will be primarily funding their education through borrowed money. Your classmates wouldn't be able to pay for med school any other way, so your situation puts you in equal company with many of your peers.

 

If you were looking for employment, and you were anything like me (ie. you otherwise lack the training to get any job that would pay you much more than 10-12 bucks an hour), if you tutor for Kaplan or freelance yourself, you could be into the $20+ per hour category.

 

However, my personal belief is that if you hold down a job, you should be doing it more for its intrinsic reward, rather than for the cash, because at the end of the day, you WILL be able to pay back borrowed money. Time very rapidly becomes your most precious resource in med school.

 

Best of luck!

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3