Harvard Pre-Meds Say Summer Job Search Not as Stressful as Believed

On its page on the World Wide Web, the Harvard Medical School (HMS) characterizes its students as those who "bring to the HMS learning community a high level of excellence expressed in a rich diversity of accomplishments, talents, interests and backgrounds."

Every year thousands of pre-med students strive to fit this description, so that they may be accepted at Harvard or at other top medical schools across the country.

Consequently, trying to figure out which summer jobs best boost one's knowledge of the medical sciences or add most impressively to one's resume can be a stressful experience, but according to some of the top medical schools around the country, such anxiety is unnecessary.

Many Paths to Medical School

Contrary to popular belief, the pre-med students interviewed for this article regard their future with calm and reason.

Rather than seek jobs that look impressive on a resume or on a medical school application, Harvard pre-meds say they put their energy into work that interests them personally.

Most students say they regard lab jobs--often in biology or biochemistry laboratories or at HMS--as the most rewarding.

Paul Hahn '98, a biochemistry concentrator, has spent the past two summers working in the Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Department of HMS to gain lab experience. He continues his job there during the academic year in an unpaid capacity and says it helps him gain concentration credits as well as valuable experience that he drew on for his senior thesis.

Hahn says laboratory work is important preparation for medical school as well.

However, others say that non-medical laboratory work or community service suit them better.

Lola M. Fayanju '00-'01, says, "Interaction with people at different levels is great preparation for being a doctor."

To achieve this, she has done summer volunteer work at the Occupation Physical Therapy Division of the Kessler Institute in New Jersey and works with the sickle cell team of Project H.E.A.L.T.H. (Helping Empower, Advocate and Lead Through Health), a volunteer service sponsored by Harvard's Institute of Politics.

Finding the Job

Hahn and other bio-chemistry concentrators say both paying and non-paying job opportunities can easily be found on bulletin boards in the department office.

Other students say the Web page for the Office of Career Services (OCS) is a helpful source.

Still others, like Annie Davis, a post-baccalaureate student at the Extension School who graduated from Yale in 1994, says connections are helpful in the search for summer jobs.

Davis initially took a job as a clerical worker at a prominent Boston hospital, but was hired as a medical assistant in the Radiation Oncology Department after she demonstrated initiative and interest. Now, Davis works at the hospital full-time during the summer and part-time during the academic year.

"Anything which gets you in a medical environment will help you eventually," Davis says. "I found that once I got a foot in the door, it's really easy to get more responsibility within the field."

Davis says she also finds out about job opportunities through the Yale alumni association.

The Myth of Competition

Medical school aspirants say the pre-med summer job search is not as competitive as people might think.

Michael Cohen '98 says students don't realize how competitive the jobs they are vying for are during the resume-sending stage because students don't come into direct contact with one other during this time.

Cohen says the work environment of a laboratory is pleasant and non-stressful as well.

"I've found it very friendly and laid-back [in the labs]," he says.

Hahn agrees, explaining that the real competition lies in getting hired by professors or researchers rather than in colleague relations at the laboratory.

Hahn says it is possible that out of 20 applications to 20 different labs, a student will only receive four responses.

Paths to Medical Schools

James E. Davis, senior lecturer and head tutor of the Chemistry Department, says laboratory work can be an excellent and valuable way for some to gain work experience.

But for others, Davis recommends working as a science teaching assistant for a year or two after graduation while doing volunteer work on the side.

Davis emphasizes that there are many paths to medical school. However, he is adamant about the importance of some sort of hospital experience prior to medical school, although it need not necessarily be strictly summer or volunteer work.

"If you say I want to go to medical school and you've never set foot in a hospital, they just won't believe you," he says.

William D. Fixsen, senior lecturer on Biology and director of the Health Careers Program, agrees that there is not a single right answer. Fixsen advises students to look for jobs that fill up the weaknesses in their transcripts but also says that summer jobs should be of genuine interest to students.

"There is not a single right path to medical school. It should be something that excites you," Fixsen says. "I'd rather see a student light up when talking about their summer experiences, i.e. something relevant [to the medical profession]. That intensity is far more important."

To obtain such jobs, Fixsen advises students to utilize OCS and its Pre-Med Health Careers Counselor Lee Ann Michelson.

He also suggests browsing through the Web page of the Student Committee on Pre-med Education (SCOPE) to find out about pre-med related activities on campus (www.hcs.harvard.edu/~scope/).

Medical School Hints

Stanford and Yale medical school officials agreed with professors Davis and Fixsen about the importance of well-rounded students.

Dr. Norman Blank, director of admissions at the Stanford University School of Medicine, says medical schools aren't looking only at whether students have devoted time to research or volunteer hospital work.

Rather, a combination of self-exploration and sincere devotion to helping, and learning about, people in need is what will best help students know why and what field they want to go into in the medical sciences, Blank says.

Blank explains that a student should "do whatever they feel passionate about and want to be immersed in" in the medical field.

"The goal is to say to yourself: I want to go into a demanding profession. What do I know about myself and the world that makes it clear that this is the right thing for them to do?" Blank says.

Blanks suggests that the pre-med student "be an explorer and explore as much of the energy level, the interest level and the enjoyment of hard work [as possible]."

Ms. M. Lynne Wootton, director of admissions at the Yale University School of Medicine, agrees that "there is no really easy answer" to the summer job search for pre-med students.

Instead, Wootton says that Yale seeks well-rounded individuals who "show a demonstrated commitment to service" that is more than just a few token hours of volunteering.

Yet Wootton adds that other pursuits, such as laboratory research work, are equally good for a candidate's resume, and that there is not one set rule as to which summer endeavors are best.

The director says that any exposure to patient care, clinical work or community service are good avenues for students to pursue.

"There isn't one aspect that we put more emphasis on than another, but there is a strong feeling by the admissions committee at Yale that students exhibit some commitment to community service," she says.

Dr. Gerald S. Foster, associate dean for admissions at HMS, agrees that students' extracurricular activities should first and foremost be geared towards their personal interests, whether it be in research, community service or clinical work.

"All medical schools look for students with some extra dimensions," Foster says. "There's no such thing as a preferred activity outside of classes, [but] we do look for substantive experiences."