Ec/work Vs. Full Courseload

[lexiiiluther]

I'm going into my 3rd year of University, and I just got one of the positions of my dreams (basically running a division of a student society) and it just dawned on me that this is probably 40h a week, or the equivalent of a full-time job, where I get paid SUBSTANTIALLY less than a full time job. Would it be frowned upon to take a slightly reduced course load (ie. 4 courses a semester instead of 5) because I would essentially be taking on a full time job in addition to school and other ECs. This has generally been unheard of in the past for this position as the job is typically VERY demanding, and has been held by arts students with ~3 courses a semester.

 

 

 

Edit: I took a full course load in my first 2 years, so I *believe* I should be okay to apply to some schools in the upcoming year - but I'm just not sure how much this will really impact me in terms of limiting any choices... Would this also be something taken into consideration when I'm applying? 

[Hopefullll]

I don't think it will be frowned on necessarily. It will probably look great for schools that are EC heavy.

However you are essentially throwing away your ability for a weighted GPA from several schools (UofT), and perhaps even the year for UOttawa.. I would recommend looking into how the specific med schools you are interested in handle GPA and course load... 

if you already have a great GPA and don't need weighting go for it! (I personally don't qualify for weighting almost everywhere and it is terribly annoying )



Personally if this is really a position "of your dreams" and you are passionate about it I would hate for you to give up such an amazing opportunity.

Weigh your pros and cons

[bearded frog]

The position of your dreams is actually in medical school... If the math works for you in terms of losing full time status, then go for it. However, it is the philosophy of schools that school should be your primary focus and be able to balance your extracurricular activities, so if your grades drop this year, and you interview in the states or somewhere with a open file interview than the excuse that you sacrificed your studies for these other opportunities might not go over well.

[lexiiiluther]

That's the thing! It just so happens that the 3 med schools that I'm particularly interested in appear to be slightly more lax in terms of credits and status (U of A / U of C/ Queen's - correct me if I'm wrong!!!). I'm kind of confused by the notion of "full time status" - am I no longer a full-time student if I don't take 30 credits a semester? I've heard some schools (ie. UBC) are more lax and will still look at your application if you have a justification for reducing your course load... Would having a fairly rigorous job not be justifiable?

 

Would I be taking myself out of the running for that many schools, especially if I would be doing a full course load and summer courses in my fourth year? 

 

Would this impact my chances for applying this upcoming cycle - or could this potentially affect other cycles as well?

[Birdy]

What counts as full time varies by school. The only school I can think of that has a stated policy on whether work excludes you from full time requirements is Dalhousie. You can do a part time year so long as you are working at least 30h/wk. I don't know of any other schools that have such a statement.

 

I do encourage you to really consider whether you actually need to drop a class, though. While I realize I'm atypical, I have well over 40h/wk commitments outside of school and studying (work, family obligations, volunteering) and I've managed just fine. You might be surprised what fits into your schedule with a bit of shuffling.