The Extent To Which I Will Go For A Little Cash

I go to school full-time and I support myself by loans, but I was not able to get enough loans to comfortably cover all my expenses. Thus, I got myself a part-time job but it pays $9/hour and I only work about 6-10 hours a week – not exactly enough to pay the rent. All of the money I have in my account at this time must last me until the end of August, and I have some expenses coming up (i.e. $150 for a dental visit due to my lack of dental insurance and $300+ for a plane ticket to Kansas for my best friend’s wedding) that are causing me concern. So when the following flier showed up in my mailbox at school, I jumped on it:

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SUBJECTS NEEDED
TO PARTICIPATE IN A BIRD FLU (INFLUENZA A/H5N1) VACCINE STUDY

Eligible subjects are invited to participate in a research study being conducted at Baylor College of Medicine to determine reactions and antibody responses to an experimental vaccine against influenza A/H5N1 (‘bird flu’).

Study requirements:
-Healthy adults 18-49 years of age
-No known allergies to flu vaccine
-Available for study procedures for 7 months

Study procedures:
-Eight study visits
-Two vaccination visits, one month apart
-Collection of blood samples on 4 occasions
-Complete a diary of symptoms and signs for 1 week after each vaccination

Compensation: $400 for completing all procedures
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Despite the fact that I HATE getting needles stuck in me, especially when they are taking my blood OUT of me, I am going to do this because that $400 looks pretty good. And anyway, it’s for a good cause. And I’m sure there’s only a slight chance of actually contracting the bird flu.