MCAT prep+ full time research Job= ?

[numero0121407]

Hey guys,

 

I was wondering if anyone can give me adivce on this. I am very sorry if its a repeated question but I really feel I could personalize my case a little more...

 

I am currently a 3rd year student. My GPA isn't stellar and I've written MCAT once and I got 24R so I want to write again this summer...

 

I've been volunteering at a research lab since last summer (during mcat prep) and I would work for 4-6 hours there then go to MCAT course class and whatever time (and energy) I had left, I'd use to study lol

 

Now after having volunteered for so long, my supervisor wants me to work with her in the summer. She said even if other people have a higher GPA, I still have the advantage of knowing how things work and so on and she would really want me to apply...Not only that, she also kept telling me, you are interested in medicine, this is what you gotta do, people are very competitive and its hard for me to give you a really good reference letter if there's no real project to talk about....

 

Now im so unsure what to do? Should I go for this full time project that takes up the entire summer (May- August) while I study and do MCAT sometime August?

 

I want to apply to western and Queens so my MCAT score has to be solid but I also need some solid research experience...and now Im so not sure what to do? What do you guys think?

[skvangs]

I would also like to know the answer to this. Is it possible to both simultaneously (and well)?

[nino]

i have done it, the first time w/ a full time research position and the 2nd time as a part-time. I'd say it's doable, but u prolly have to study really hard to pull ur mcat up to western or queen's cutoffs...

 

ur mcat course last summer didn't seem to have benefited u a lot, maybe consider switching to another resource?

 

and I think having a research position helps a lot, not only u get experience that u can share during ur interviews but also ur prof can write u a good letter (if they care..), so I say u should do it, not everyone gets opportunities like that

 

good luck!

 

edit: as for how i did, my other sections were decent except for my WS, cuz I stupidly thought I could just wing it (both times...)....so learn from my mistake and study thoroughly, will u

[leap87]

I really don't understand why she would be pressuring you to work in her lab and even tell you that it would be hard to give you a reference letter. You're already volunteering and that's a step in the right direction.

 

Is there an option of doing a thesis in her lab while you're in your 4th year? Unless you're applying for NSERC, I don't see why you would put yourself through studying for the MCAT and doing research. If you commit to working in the lab over the summer, it'll be much more work than 4-6 hours (more like 8 hours a day) plus all of the additional things you have to do outside the lab. You're bound to fail in one or the other. I have known people who have done this, but after going through it, they said they wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

 

I would tell you to concentrate on acing that MCAT because, right now, that's what is going to get you an interview and NOT research. High MCAT score is important especially if your GPA is not stellar. Research experience is secondary to this. Could you do a thesis with her?

[future_doc]

Seems to me that your Supervisor is "playing" you to her advantage and not to yours. FRom what you say, I believe she does not have your own best interests at heart - just hers. Therefore, I urge you to tread slowly and carefully in considering her demands. I'm with leap, "I really don't understand why she would be pressuring you to work in her lab and even tell you that it would be hard to give you a reference letter." She has her own agenda clearly and I would leave her in the dust and do what is in my own best interests. In summary, I don't trust anything about her.

[biomed1010]

Hey guys,

 

I was wondering if anyone can give me adivce on this. I am very sorry if its a repeated question but I really feel I could personalize my case a little more...

 

I am currently a 3rd year student. My GPA isn't steller and I've written MCAT once and I got 24R so I want to write again this summer...

 

I've been volunteering at a research lab since last summer (during mcat prep) and I would work for 4-6 hours there then go to MCAT course class and whatever time (and energy) I had left, I'd use to study lol

 

Now after having volunteered for so long, my supervisor wants me to work with her in the summer. She said even if other people have a higher GPA, I still have the advantage of knowing how things work and so on and she would really want me to apply...Not only that, she also kept telling me, you are interested in medicine, this is what you gotta do, people are very competitive and its hard for me to give you a really good reference letter if there's no real project to talk about....

 

Now im so unsure what to do? Should I go for this full time project that takes up the entire summer (May- August) while I study and do MCAT sometime August?

 

I want to apply to western and Queens so my MCAT score has to be solid but I also need some solid research experience...and now Im so not sure what to do? What do you guys think?

 

The MCAT is hard, really hard, and you know that. Without the MCAT and GPA, you are nothing. No one will care about this research work. No one will even look at it. At UWO, you get rejected automatically if you don't meet the cut-offs.

 

You need to use this entire summer to study your brains out for the MCAT. The research will do nothing for you in the end if you can't get that balanced 30. And going from that 24-> 30 will require a LOT of work. Good luck!!

[numero0121407]

Thank you guys so much for the responses, that was so refreshing <3

 

To be honest, I'm not the greatest at time management despite my continued attempts so if I go for this, I am hoping I'd be able to improve under pressure....I don't know if that's the best way to approach this...

 

And about my supervisor, I think she said its hard for her to write me a reference letter because I didn't directly work with her so she "doesn't really know me" and if I want a "good" reference letter, she's the one who does it for students usually. The person I worked with didn't speak English very well and gets scared if you ask him to do that lol...If I do the summer position, I would be working with her directly and only and she's pretty tough and demanding when it comes to work and does have a condescending side to her...so I wouldn't be surprized if she's just telling me to do it cuz I'm already trained by their lab...

 

I just feel really bad because I was applying my head off last summer to actually get a position and didn't so I backed off and did volunteering to have it a little more flexible while doing MCAT...and now I feel like the chance came to me and I'm going to reject it....I know alot of people do both and alot of them do well still but I don't know if I am one of those people

 

Am I at a disadvantage though being a volunteer since the actual projects go to the summer students? My work involves little tasks that completes other people's projects but no project of my own...should I ask her to give me a project as a volunteer in the summer so I won't be bound by a 9-5 job, rather a more flexible schedule and write MCAT in september or end of august?? or should I just take two months off and just do MCAT in early July and get it over with and then volunteer there for the rest of the summer?

 

what do you guys think?

 

oh and I love the idea of having a 4th year thesis, I am going to ask about that, thanks! (Can you apply for NSERC for a course you're doing?)

 

Thank you guys once again, I loved your responses

[dr_horrible]

Last summer, I worked full time as a lab technician, and wrote the MCAT in late August.

 

I came out really happy with my score, but I'm not gunna lie...worst summer ever.

 

But there really are advantages/disadvantages to both sides. A lot of people recommend taking the summer off to leave a lot of time for studying. But I think the fact that I did have to balance the MCAT studying with a job helped me study better and more effectively. I found that when I was already in a routine of getting up at 7, and working during the day, it was easier to not get lazy or get distracted. When I came home and had to study, I was already in "work mode", so to speak.

 

My social life definitely suffered (although I did give myself quite a few weekends off, to prevent me from being completely depressed over working and studying all week). But in the end, putting in all the time to study felt like it was worth it.

 

But ultimately, it comes down to what you feel comfortable doing. You shouldn't feel pressured to work full time when your gut is telling you no, even for a reference letter.

 

If you do chose to talk the job, I think it is important for you to be very clear with your supervisor that you will also be writing the MCAT and studying during the summer, and are serious about that commitment.

 

The dangerous thing about research positions is that 9-5 can turn into 6-9, depending on your project, and the expectations in your lab. If your supervisor is uncomfortable with the notion that you are not willing to devote large amounts of time to your lab work beyond the hours you agree upon when you are hired, it might be time to really look at a part-time volunteer position or other job options (research related or non).

[astrogirl]

Here's what I think. I just took the MCAT last Saturday, and the whole time I was preparing for it I was working on my PhD research full-time (with a couple of TA jobs also). I don't recommend studying for the MCAT while doing research full-time if there's any way to avoid it (in my case I didn't have any other options). Full-time research can quickly go from "40 hours a week full-time" to "what you work on any time you're not sleeping full-time", especially when someone is paying you and especially when you're an undergrad, because everyone from the master's students up will try to dump their extra work on you. And you're going to need a lot of studying time to improve your score as much as you would like to (and FWIW, I think it's possibly to improve your score that much if you have the time to study. I got a 22 on the first practice test I took and a 34 on the last practice test. I studied for about 8 months, but sometimes only a couple of hours a week.)

 

If you can get "good" letters of recommendation from people other than this supervisor, then I would say forget about her entirely. She sounds a bit manipulative. If you absolutely need her for a letter of recommendation, then tell her that you have too much else going on this summer and that you can't apply for a full-time job in her lab, but that you would like to continue to volunteer in her lab and if possible to work on a project directly with her that's a little more involved than the projects you've done in the past. But if you do that make sure she knows up front that you only have x number of hours a week to volunteer.

[leap87]

Thank you guys so much for the responses, that was so refreshing <3

 

To be honest, I'm not the greatest at time management despite my continued attempts so if I go for this, I am hoping I'd be able to improve under pressure....I don't know if that's the best way to approach this...

 

And about my supervisor, I think she said its hard for her to write me a reference letter because I didn't directly work with her so she "doesn't really know me" and if I want a "good" reference letter, she's the one who does it for students usually. The person I worked with didn't speak English very well and gets scared if you ask him to do that lol...If I do the summer position, I would be working with her directly and only and she's pretty tough and demanding when it comes to work and does have a condescending side to her...so I wouldn't be surprized if she's just telling me to do it cuz I'm already trained by their lab...

 

I just feel really bad because I was applying my head off last summer to actually get a position and didn't so I backed off and did volunteering to have it a little more flexible while doing MCAT...and now I feel like the chance came to me and I'm going to reject it....I know alot of people do both and alot of them do well still but I don't know if I am one of those people

 

Am I at a disadvantage though being a volunteer since the actual projects go to the summer students? My work involves little tasks that completes other people's projects but no project of my own...should I ask her to give me a project as a volunteer in the summer so I won't be bound by a 9-5 job, rather a more flexible schedule and write MCAT in september or end of august?? or should I just take two months off and just do MCAT in early July and get it over with and then volunteer there for the rest of the summer?

 

what do you guys think?

 

oh and I love the idea of having a 4th year thesis, I am going to ask about that, thanks! (Can you apply for NSERC for a course you're doing?)

 

Thank you guys once again, I loved your responses

 

In my opinion, you should focus on your MCAT. As I have stated in my previous post and so did other people, MCAT scores and your GPA are your key to the interview. Research, volunteer work, etc. come secondary. NSERC is I believe only for the summer positions - my university is accepting students for NSERC right now while some universities have already finished their application process. So, it would be a bit too late to apply for NSERC now. However, you could write a thesis in your fourth year, which, in my opinion, would give you more than enough research experience since, well at least in my university, thesis is an independent project without much guidance - supervisor is there for feedback.

[numero0121407]

Thanks dr horrible, astrogirl, leap, and everyone

 

I have three other questions:

 

1) If I keep volunteering with the lab while prepping for MCAT, should I ask her to do couple hours in hte morning every day or just take two months off, study and write MCAT early?

 

2) Is it hard to get good grades in a 4th year thesis course? I really want to do it but I'm scared if its hard to get an A+, I need that really bad

 

3) If I actually decide to go for a 4th year thesis course, should I not worry about working in the lab this summer to begin with? Should I put that time to do some less demanding volunteering experience that I don't have on my resume?

[dr_horrible]

Whether you want to volunteer a few hours a day, or just take some time off to write the MCAT, and then volunteer later, is up to you! It really depends on how you study, I think. The good thing about volunteering for a few hours a day is that it shouldn't prevent you from getting a good amount of studying in each day, and could even be a nice break from studying, and a chance to actually have human contact, lol.

 

As for the thesis course, what uni do you go to? I went to UWO, and did a 4th year thesis project last year. I found that people generally did better in their thesis courses as opposed to other courses. If you work hard, it is fairly easy to get above 90, hard to get below 85, and almost impossible to get below 80. And since it's usually weighted more than a normal full year course, it can be a big GPA booster!

 

At UWO, a lot of your thesis mark comes from your supervisor, based on your performance over the year. It's kind of nice and different to not have your grade depend on one paper, or on a couple of exams. My thesis did involve a lot of time spent in the lab (they say 15 hours a week - they LIE, it is sometimes much more), but it was also a great experience, and I got some excellent references, a publication, and a job (I am the tech in my 4th year thesis lab now) out of it!

 

I don't think working in your 4th year thesis lab in the summer before is critical. It could be nice to get familiar with the lab, and even with the project you will be starting, but the time they give you to complete your project once school starts should be enough.

 

Thanks dr horrible, astrogirl, leap, and everyone

 

I have three other questions:

 

1) If I keep volunteering with the lab while prepping for MCAT, should I ask her to do couple hours in hte morning every day or just take two months off, study and write MCAT early?

 

2) Is it hard to get good grades in a 4th year thesis course? I really want to do it but I'm scared if its hard to get an A+, I need that really bad

 

3) If I actually decide to go for a 4th year thesis course, should I not worry about working in the lab this summer to begin with? Should I put that time to do some less demanding volunteering experience that I don't have on my resume?

[theboz]

Yeah, I would argue that a fourth year thesis project is more valuable than a summer of research as it is more self-directed, and you are able to choose your research question (not always possible in the summer b/c prof is paying you to do what ever needs to be done).

 

For financial reasons, I had to work 25 hr/wk during the summer I wrote my MCAT. I also made the mistake of taking four courses. It was an extremely miserable summer and my MCAT suffered.

 

I think it also depends how much MCAT stuff you already know. I was coming at it basically from scratch whereas I have a friend who studied bio/phys, had a full time summer research job and aced it.

[al89]

Thank you guys so much for the responses, that was so refreshing <3

 

To be honest, I'm not the greatest at time management despite my continued attempts so if I go for this, I am hoping I'd be able to improve under pressure....I don't know if that's the best way to approach this...

 

And about my supervisor, I think she said its hard for her to write me a reference letter because I didn't directly work with her so she "doesn't really know me" and if I want a "good" reference letter, she's the one who does it for students usually. The person I worked with didn't speak English very well and gets scared if you ask him to do that lol...If I do the summer position, I would be working with her directly and only and she's pretty tough and demanding when it comes to work and does have a condescending side to her...so I wouldn't be surprized if she's just telling me to do it cuz I'm already trained by their lab...

 

I just feel really bad because I was applying my head off last summer to actually get a position and didn't so I backed off and did volunteering to have it a little more flexible while doing MCAT...and now I feel like the chance came to me and I'm going to reject it....I know alot of people do both and alot of them do well still but I don't know if I am one of those people

 

Am I at a disadvantage though being a volunteer since the actual projects go to the summer students? My work involves little tasks that completes other people's projects but no project of my own...should I ask her to give me a project as a volunteer in the summer so I won't be bound by a 9-5 job, rather a more flexible schedule and write MCAT in september or end of august?? or should I just take two months off and just do MCAT in early July and get it over with and then volunteer there for the rest of the summer?

 

what do you guys think?

 

oh and I love the idea of having a 4th year thesis, I am going to ask about that, thanks! (Can you apply for NSERC for a course you're doing?)

 

Thank you guys once again, I loved your responses

 

 

 

I did it. Ended up with a 32Q - but yeah, if u decide to work and write ur mcat at the same time your social life is definitely gonna take a hit. it can be worth it in the end.

[runningdoc]

My suggestion is to do it. The benefits of a research project will be pretty significant whether you get into Medical school or not. In terms of whether it will prevent you from preparing, I guess it depends on what you are doing. If it is lab work, there should be significant "down time" between experiments due to wait times. Bring reading material with you to work. Listen to the EK Audio Osmosis while doing experiments, etc. It's very doable.

 

I worked full time when I wrote the MCAT this summer doing clinical research and while it was hard work juggling both tasks, I feel it has made me both a more well rounded applicant as well as much better prepared for a career in Medicine. That and I really enjoyed where I was working and so that really helped. Research can be fickle in that it is a lot of fun when things are going well, but if you get in a rut with a project and deadlines start to loom it can be very stressful. But with the added responsibility/opportunity you also will get a chance to do some pretty neat things. Getting a paper published, or presenting at a conference is some really exciting stuff.