9-5ers: How do you do it?

[SamiSmiles]

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Hi all you full-timers!

I have applied to CCNY for the upcoming summer (Chose not to apply to Hunter because their summer classes are lacking). I work full-time pretty basic, not difficult/stressful office job. My hours are 9-5, but more like 7-6 because of commuting which will be doubled when I start trecking to Harlem.

I worked part-time in college. I was a teacher and took my grad. courses at night. I'm used to work + school. The only thing I have ever been good at was going to school and studying, but I have never taken science courses before so I am a little worried.

How do you manage your pre-med courses while working? Do you find you have enough time to really study?

 

[FrkyBgStok]

i can't speak for others, but my situation is somewhat similar. I go to class during the day (because most the med school prereqs aren't offered at night in my area) and work overnights from 5pm until 5am 5 days a week. I have 3 kids and my wife stays home with them. But in all honesty I am a complete workaholic. I am looking to get a part time job for the weekends and would add a class if i could mid semester. But it is because I make it happen.

Granted i have a couple things that work in my favor. One is a driver a truck for a living. I record all my lectures, notes, study packets, etc. on my ipod or a voice recorder, and with the help of an FM transmitter, I now have 6-8 hours of dedicated study time every night. But I love it, and it works for me.

In short it all boils down to time management.

 

[J ROD]

Hi all you full-timers!

I have applied to CCNY for the upcoming summer (Chose not to apply to Hunter because their summer classes are lacking). I work full-time pretty basic, not difficult/stressful office job. My hours are 9-5, but more like 7-6 because of commuting which will be doubled when I start trecking to Harlem.

I worked part-time in college. I was a teacher and took my grad. courses at night. I'm used to work + school. The only thing I have ever been good at was going to school and studying, but I have never taken science courses before so I am a little worried.

How do you manage your pre-med courses while working? Do you find you have enough time to really study?

A few yrs back when I went back to get my science prereqs, I was doing 6AM-11PM with commuting an hr each way.....

I remember doing labs until 1AM and getting up at 5AM.....
bascically, if you want, you will do it!!

I studied between classes and work and class breaks.....and weekends!!

Got all A's so it can be done....Oh, and Fridays, there was no school....just work.

 

[EdLongshanks]

How do you manage your pre-med courses while working? Do you find you have enough time to really study?

To tell you the truth, I don't study that much. I find that I have plenty of time to watch House, NCIS, White Collar, and Football (Thankfully there's only 1 game left to watch).

This semester I am taking Physics II, Chem II, and Humanities II as an online course. I'm also studying OChem and preparing for the MCAT in May. I'm busy, but not overwhelmed. Monday through Thursday I have class from 5:30 to 7 or 9, then I study 1 hour after that. On Friday night I catch up on any homework and on Saturday I do OChem and MCAT. In the evenings after 10 I help the kids (1 high school and 2 college) with their homework. Some Saturday evenings I am at the Salvation Army and Sunday is for church.

I'm still needing to put in some time shadowing this semester also.

It seems to be working alright.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

👍

Hi all you full-timers!

I have applied to CCNY for the upcoming summer (Chose not to apply to Hunter because their summer classes are lacking). I work full-time pretty basic, not difficult/stressful office job. My hours are 9-5, but more like 7-6 because of commuting which will be doubled when I start trecking to Harlem.

I worked part-time in college. I was a teacher and took my grad. courses at night. I'm used to work + school. The only thing I have ever been good at was going to school and studying, but I have never taken science courses before so I am a little worried.

How do you manage your pre-med courses while working? Do you find you have enough time to really study?

I've had nearly enough biology courses to get a degree out of it. I took a lot of them as electives in college which I graduated from in 2003. In fact, I'm taking one right now for a variety of reasons none of which include "prereq" as a reason. I'm also reading some supplemental books to learn more about general chemistry since it's been nine years this fall since I've had it. Also, I'll soon start studying for the PTCB exam in an effort to produce a part-time job in the future. I have a rather laid back job (well when my boss isn't freaking out because he doesn't know how to do something or waited to long to do something), and I've got ample time in the evening to study. I get off at 5:00 and can literally be unlocking my backdoor to walk in my house at that time. Unfortunately, the remaining prereqs I need, o-chem, physics, and another math class aren't available to me in an appropriate time of day. That said, I'll have to quit my job this summer. 🙁 I tried to get around this, but I can't. Believe me I've looked high and low for an alternative including searching EVERY surrounding school within driving distance and adjusting my work schedule which I can't do. I don't know how to do it, but I alwasy come out on top so I'll make it happen this time too. 👍

 

[DallasMedic]

I work 6p-6a; in a busy 911 center 4 nights a week and use my down time to study & do homework. Learning which classes I could take online was a huge help.

Like most people here have replied I am a workaholic, I enjoy my work and its part of my drive to go to med school. Don't be afraid to ask for help, I use to think to ask for help would make me look weak, instead it almost made me burn out. Now if I need to switch a shift because I have a clinical, I just ask if anyone wants me to work a weekend shift for them since we're on a rotating schedule in exchange for covering my weekday shift.... people have always jumped at it. A little 99 cent thank you card goes a long ways too.

Preplan your week; I have my Honda CR-V "mission ready", extra work uniforms, extra gym bags stocked with a couple different outfits, lunch bag full of staples like oatmeal, almonds, protein bars so that I am not wasting time/money on junk food. Even a pillow, blanket & eye patch for those days I have two hrs between work and class, I crawl in my backseat and catch a good hr sleep.

Btw, great idea was mentioned on listening to your lectures while driving to work!

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I work 6p-6a; in a busy 911 center 4 nights a week and use my down time to study & do homework. Learning which classes I could take online was a huge help.

Like most people here have replied I am a workaholic, I enjoy my work and its part of my drive to go to med school. Don't be afraid to ask for help, I use to think to ask for help would make me look weak, instead it almost made me burn out. Now if I need to switch a shift because I have a clinical, I just ask if anyone wants me to work a weekend shift for them since we're on a rotating schedule in exchange for covering my weekday shift.... people have always jumped at it. A little 99 cent thank you card goes a long ways too.

Preplan your week; I have my Honda CR-V "mission ready", extra work uniforms, extra gym bags stocked with a couple different outfits, lunch bag full of staples like oatmeal, almonds, protein bars so that I am not wasting time/money on junk food. Even a pillow, blanket & eye patch for those days I have two hrs between work and class, I crawl in my backseat and catch a good hr sleep.

Btw, great idea was mentioned on listening to your lectures while driving to work!

When I quit my job as a teacher I got a job dispatching for a sheriff's office and all the other county agencies (EMS, SAR, FD, etc). I worked your hours, did 911, warrants, and all of it. I thought I could go back to school in the process so I picked the fastest major available to me (business-accounting), but I just couldn't do it, lol. Too many numbers on too little sleep. I fell into the disptach gig because I was at the time, and had been, a part-time paramedic. Anyway, I got a job with a city P.D. and moved on with law enforcement from there. It's fun, but I was premed in college but chose to graduate early instead so now I'm back trying to redo all that.