Does graduate admissions take undergrad work experience into consideration?

diene18
Wed, 08 Jun 2016 03:12:48 +0000

This is my first post. Yay! I’m on this site frequently, so I figured why not make an account!

Anyway, as I progress more and more into my major program (chemistry), I’m meeting more people who don’t have a job outside of school. They usually have a fairly high GPA and have plans on going into some type of healthcare doctorate program after graduation.

And there are students like me, who have worked constantly throughout their undergrad program. Not only to pay bills (I live off campus in an apartment), but also to have some extra spending money and not being totally reliant on student loans to get me by. As a result, my GPA isn’t as high as I’d like it to be (3.41). I have definitely found myself working on nights before exams or when I have a report/assignment due.

Because of this, I feel like I’m at a disadvantage when applying to graduate programs because of my GPA. I’m kind of undecided… I’m not sure whether I want to pursue a PhD in chemistry, or go into a dental program and earn my DDS.

So, my question is, does graduate admissions take jobs into consideration when reviewing applicants? I’m sure they don’t have “preferences” over people who have worked… But do they like to see people who have had the opportunity to balance work/school together? Or are they more interested in people with a higher GPA and test score?