My parents are arguing about how many hours is a part-time job for a student

[BenFoller]

This is a weird situation, and I need some outside opinions! So, I'm a junior majoring in Biology (pre-med track), so my course load is insane. Labs, lectures, studying—it never ends. I told my parents I wanted to get a part-time job to save up for med school apps and just have my own spending money.

Now here's the drama: My dad thinks I should work 20 hours a week because "that's what he did in college and he turned out fine." My mom is freaking out, saying that if I work more than 10 hours, my GPA will drop and I'll never get into med school.

I'm literally stuck in the middle trying to figure out how many hours is a part-time job for a student in a tough major. I found a cool research assistant position in a psych lab that's only 8 hours a week. It's related to my field, looks great on resumes, and pays okay.

I'm leaning towards taking the 8-hour lab job to keep Mom happy and my grades up, but Dad keeps pushing me to "make more money" somewhere else. Has anyone here balanced a relevant part-time job (like research or tutoring) with a tough major? How many hours do you work? I need some ammo for the next family dinner!

 

[Iden]

That's not just a job, that's resume fuel. Your dad means well but 20 hours in a bio/pre-med schedule is a recipe for burnout and tears. Take the lab position, keep your GPA up, and remind Dad that med schools care WAY more about research experience than saving money.