Help!! Need to earn some money?

Skint_student_4

Wow!

Right:
1) I am not trying to scam other people to pay for this. I want to earn the money myself which is why i have two jobs at the moment.

2) The organisation which I am going for is very very reputable, they have long standing projects with communities worldwide in South Africa, Peru, Cuba, and Indonesia. And things have changed in all these places. Also students and professors from Harvard, Yale, and Oxbridge etc. go to do research there at these areas within this organisation.


3) It is not a holiday. Indeed I will benefit highly from many of the activities that will take place but I will be helping in more ways than just educating villagers. I will be helping collect data to see if species are in decline etc.

4) I did not ask for your opinion on if you feel that what I am doing is correct or not. I am not that stupid that I will embark on such an event without doing research into it.

5) Thank you for the people who have been useful and have sent me messages. I will indeed try some of the methods suggested.

sandersjake16

Im applying for medical school. 2000 applicants for 100 and something places. I went to an open day and they said that going abroad and doing something even remotley related can increase your chances tenfold.

Skint_student_4

sandersjake16 wrote: »

Im applying for medical school. 2000 applicants for 100 and something places. I went to an open day and they said that going abroad and doing something even remotley related can increase your chances tenfold.

Indeed, after talking to many universities admissions dudes, i have found that this will help me. Although it is not really linked to my future plans, it will show a range of different skills i have, and it will make me stand out from the thousands of applicants for the course i wish to pursue. I mean everyone has the grades for the course i am applying for but how many people have done charity work abroad. Well, there maybe quite a few but it is not that common that even other person would have done it.

Not only that, it is a cause that i feel passionate about.

Princess_x

go4it wrote: »

I think you all missed the point. The OP was saying they had 3 holidays booked and was short of money. The response was to cancel them but the OP said one was a charity expedition and they wanted to CONTINUE WITH THE CAUSE.

It's a holiday, not a cause. It's a Busmans Holiday. Some of you maybe too young to remember the TV show but that's all it is - working in a different environment with like minded people.

It's up to the OP what they do with their time and good on them if they want to go abroad. But don't think it's going to stand out on an UCAS application. 'I went to Japan to teach English' tells me you went to Japan on holiday and decided to help children whilst you were there. Going to an inner city area and working with some of the most deprived children in the UK living in poverty, many of whom are reluctant to learn, tells me a lot more about your character.

For the holiday abroad though people will ask 'how did you pay for it' - that's when they are looking at enterprising ideas such as cake sales, odd jobs, small businesses, working overtime at work. Those are the things that will stand out on an UCAS form - not what you actually did abroad.

No I don't think I missed the point. I was not referring to what the OP said, but to what the reply to her original post was. Someone said that it was 'not a cause' but that it was a holiday and went on to talk about how they were sick and tired of hearing people say that when they only spend about 10 or so mins doing the actual volunteering or so to which I replied saying whatever I said. You're basically assuming that we're getting people to sponsor us when we're not.

And with regards to UCAS applications, are you an interviewer for any uni? To one person, a phrase might be really poor, to another person it'll tell a different story. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen anyone just write 'I went to place A to teach this and that' on their personal statement. People tend to talk about the organisation that ran the campaign, and whatever they did there.

What has UCAS got to do with small businesses? UCAS is to do with university and they will care what you did abroad for certain courses like Medicine, Dentistry etc. They look for certain things like what skills you've learnt and how you feel that'll help you with your chosen career and other factors like working with the public and all that so it does matter. These will be included in the person's personal statement. Doctors deal with many cultures and backgrounds, so going abroad does help. Helps people to better understand individual's needs.

Princess_x

Clearly there is a difference of opinion in this thread. And I doubt whatever anyone says, you'll still have that opinion, so each to their own.

Wings_of_Ambition

go4it wrote: »

For the holiday abroad though people will ask 'how did you pay for it'

Sure, cos' whenever I tell people I've been on holiday, that's always the first and most important thing they ask :rolleyes:

go4it

Princess_x wrote: »

No I don't think I missed the point. I was not referring to what the OP said, but to what the reply to her original post was. Someone said that it was 'not a cause' but that it was a holiday and went on to talk about how they were sick and tired of hearing people say that when they only spend about 10 or so mins doing the actual volunteering or so to which I replied saying whatever I said. You're basically assuming that we're getting people to sponsor us when we're not.

And with regards to UCAS applications, are you an interviewer for any uni? To one person, a phrase might be really poor, to another person it'll tell a different story. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen anyone just write 'I went to place A to teach this and that' on their personal statement. People tend to talk about the organisation that ran the campaign, and whatever they did there.

What has UCAS got to do with small businesses? UCAS is to do with university and they will care what you did abroad for certain courses like Medicine, Dentistry etc. They look for certain things like what skills you've learnt and how you feel that'll help you with your chosen career and other factors like working with the public and all that so it does matter. These will be included in the person's personal statement. Doctors deal with many cultures and backgrounds, so going abroad does help. Helps people to better understand individual's needs.

A personal statement is a short amount of space to get a lot of info in. If you mention you've been to a country for a project, the interviewer might asks some follow up questions - where was it, what did you do, how did you pay for it? In terms of small business it is how someone pays for a trip - did they have a stall in a church hall, did they run an exercise class. How enterprising was that person is aiming for a goal and did they achieve that goal.

There is nothing wrong with going away. Some people on here are giving good advice and it is being slammed in their face. What would happen if the interviewer turned round and said 'it's not a cause it's a holiday' - how would you respond?

It is a holiday. A PGL holiday would take you canoeing, a World Challenge Expedition might take you up a mountain; this sort of holiday takes you to volunteer in local community projects. Instead of lounging by the pool you are helping people, very commendable and something to be proud of.

Talking of medicine / dentistry etc - the best experience you can get is here in the UK. At the end of the course it is the NHS you will go in - and some of the things you'll see are not pretty. The people on the admissions panel will want people who realise that they are not going magically make everyone better, but can in fact make people's quality of life better. Some people never recover from an illness or accident, but their quality of life can be improved. When you have been qualified 10+ years and want to see the world that's when you can go abroad and help.

I'm not an interviewer for Uni, but have read many personal statements for students. 10 years ago these trips stood out, now everyone does them. You need something special to talk about - and in my opinion helping a local community project in your area would really stand out (particulalry after the success of The Secret Millionaire programme).

go4it

Wings_of_Ambition wrote: »

Sure, cos' whenever I tell people I've been on holiday, that's always the first and most important thing they ask :rolleyes:

It's a leading question. The student is 18 years old and has just been to say Peru for 3 weeks - it is likely they have had to do something extra to earn that much money. An interviewer will ask them the question to find out whether they have done anything special to raise the money - run a small business, worked overtime etc. It shows the applicants character.

moonsugar

Haha, ignore the bitter biologist.

My advice would be to read the "boost your income" article here and just to browse this forum - there are some great ideas, and there's some things that suit some and not others, so it's best to decide for yourself. GL.

Skint_student_4

The universities i am applying for do not require interviews i have asked...

And I am not asking you about my ucas application i am asking you HOW TO mAKE MORE MONEY????