Working Part-Time During School Term

[Jordan87657]

I would like to know some opinions and possible feedback from those who have worked part time during school terms. My situation is that I don't have well off parents that can pay for my school expenses and my bills etc. 

Usually Jobs that hire for part time what you working friday's late afternoon, Saturday and Sunday. 

[Bambi]

I come from poverty and have lived off student loans during college, university and med school with a LOC.

 

I did not work part time as a student as I felt I needed to devote my time to academics and volunteering, which resulted in my acceptance to med school. I am now a resident and eventually will pay off my loans. Had I worked as you intend, I would not have had the grades/activities to get into med school.

[Nyxia]

I would also echo the above advice and recommend not working solely for money. There's OSAP/government provided financial assistance, scholarships and needs based bursaries that you can receive for schooling. The only situation where it would make sense to work is if you really enjoy the activity (hence it can be considered an EC that builds soft skills). Otherwise the opportunity cost (in terms of time spent, other activities forgone etc.) might not be worth it. Good luck! 

[Birdy]

I worked part time in second and third year out of necessity - student loans usually max out at thousands less than I need. While it was a fantastic experience, it was also stressful at times but that was more to do with the nature of my job (government - employed as a student but did well beyond typical student duties) than it was the fact that I was working. I worked 15h/wk in second year and 20 in third, though I frequently exceeded that. This was in addition to volunteering and having a family to care for.

 

It had an effect on my grades, but I was still able to get into medicine so it wasn't that bad.

 

You need to have good time management skills, but it is certainly doable.

[Jordan87657]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

[_ _]

Try and get a job on campus, if you are in financial need there is often a work-study program. If you aren't from ON, some provincial loans don't cover the actual cost of school/living in ontario or BC, etc. Or if the loan assume a large contribution you're parents can't contribute you come up thousands short each year-because the loans 'assume' you parents contribute __ amount. So if this is you, I would recommenced working. But if your loans cover it, I'd say don't bother. 

 

Personally, I got a great research assistance job because I was low-income (reserved work-study job) so it was kind of perfect-relevant experience-and I got paid unlike my wealthier friends racking pipette tips for free. Try looking for something like libraries too, often leaves you time to study on the job

[PeanutButter1]

I worked anywhere from 8-16 hours throughout my undergrad... First year was 8 hours and the years after that it was 16. With work and volunteering, I think it hurt my GPA, but mainly it disadvantaged me because I never took a full course load. I didn't realize how much I wanted to do medicine until a bit later, so I didn't really know about these requirements unfortunately.

[Bambi]

My time in undergrad was consumed with not less than 20 hours weekly in ECs/volunteering and studying, causing me to be exhausted at the end of every semester. Part time work would have been impossible regardless of my efficiency with time and stress management. I prioritized that which was most important to achieve my goals. I brown bagged it to university, walked to avoid paying for public transport and found this to be excellent for fitness, and could not afford to buy snacks or coffee. Every second was worthwhile as I achieved my goal.

[Mithrandir]

I have never not worked while going to school. You just have to really manage your time. If you can get on a casual list somewhere, thats a great way to go because then when you have slower weeks at school you can pick up more shifts but when it's coming up to exams you can just take the week off if you need without having to call in or worry about getting shifts covered etc. 

[Egg_McMuffin]

I've mostly always worked during the school term. You really have to know your limits and capabilities...it's different for everyone. Not knowing my limits contributed to my uncompetitive marks during my first degree. Like others have said, try to get a student job on campus because these are usually quite flexible, be strategic about not wasting your most productive/alert hours being at work instead of studying. Don't schedule yourself for work hours that will eat up your whole day (e.g. If you have an option to work between 8am to 12pm or 12pm to 4pm, pick the 8-12 shift because then you can study between 1-9pm instead of probably sleeping in until work and only studying after 4pm) Try to get jobs that have down times when you can read (but don't fool yourself into thinking that you'll be just as productive as studying in your room or in a library).

 

Don't work anymore than you have to. You make money by working, but your time is also money.

[cookiemonster99]

I actually worked throughout my undergrad part time. 

My work was a bit different as I was army reservist

My summers were usually filled with army courses that paid as well

 

I do agree with what the other people say. There's always loans and financial assistance that you can apply for 

don't work if you don't have to