Does parttime student status hurt you?

[Nasem]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I tried to do a few searches here and there, but didn't find anything that related to this situation....

I work and support my self, I am 26 and I am currently attending MSU for my pre-med requirements.....

Here is my question, I been doing my post-bacc classes at a part-time basis
--First post-bacc semester: 5 credits (General chem I along with lab)
--Second semester: 3 credits (Orgo I)
--Third semester (now): 13 credits (this one isn't exactly part-time, but I can't do this again, my job will get rid of me if I flex my working schedule as bad as I did this term)

so, for upcoming semesters, I am going to go back to 3-6 credits per term, how bad does this look? I mean, I have no choice, I live alone and support my self, I work as a software engineer so the money is good (its paying for everything)....and also quitting + moving back to my parents (to attend fulltime post-bacc) is not an option

Am I shooting myself in the foot here?

 

[kronickm]

As far as getting into med school? I don't think they care really about going part time. I was in a formal post-bac that was 8cr/hr per semester. I know there is some issues with financial aid and taxes if you don't go at least half-time. Just focus on your grades, med schools will understand why you went part time if you give them an explanation other than "I needed more time in the mornings to recover from excessive drinking and drug use."

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Lots of us have gotten into medical school while doing our postbacc work parttime. You've got to support yourself, and schools understand that. Do well in your classes and on the MCAT to prove to the schools that you can handle medical school, and you'll be fine.

 

[Nasem]

I am asking because I have heard from other posters before that medical schools like to see students who had challenging semesters....

its really frustrating if this is really true.... it means I have almost a no shoot at MD/DO schools 🙁

 

[sunny1]

Hi, the two other people here already refuted what you've heard. Perhaps that information was directed towards traditional undergrad students.

If you've already completed undergrad, I assume you had a few heavy semesters in there in which you were busy and did well. Now you are working full-time and doing well in classes on the side.

You should be fine so long as you present it positively and have good grades and a nice MCAT score to back it up.

 

[Nasem]

sunny1 ~

Problem with that is, I didn't do too hot in Undergrad 🙁
However, I was a full time student (136 credits in exactly 4 years), but the GPA suffered (3.01 overall)

 

[plauto]

I am asking because I have heard from other posters before that medical schools like to see students who had challenging semesters....

its really frustrating if this is really true.... it means I have almost a no shoot at MD/DO schools 🙁

Having a full time job and going part time to college is challenging. Schools will actually appreciate that!

 

[sunny1]

Having a full time job and going part time to college is challenging. Schools will actually appreciate that!

Amen to that. Though I'm obviously procrastinating right now, this is shaping up to be challenging semester for me time management-wise.

Nasem, you're right, that was a lot of credits per semester. Just focus on doing the best you can right now. 🙂

 

[Sapphir3blu3]

Nasem, this may be minimally useful, but I thought I'd chime in just in case. I've always heard that PT definitely does hurt for vet school (I don't know a thing about med). Here's a quote from Oregon State vet med's website, on the Student Selection Criteria page:

Academic credit load: Students who have taken heavy course loads (i.e., 15 or more credits per term) and performed well are likely to be better prepared for the veterinary curriculum, which averages 17-21 credits per term.

Med may very well be different. For your sake I hope so. I know the boat you're in---I'm a self-employed software geek myself, the money IS nice, and the cushion I've built up from that is the only reason I'm not living in terror of starving to death trying to go to school. (I am lucky enough to have a husband who's also a gainfully employed techie, but I couldn't live with myself if I lived off him.) But being self-employed you never know when you'll be swamped or slow, so my freshman and sophomore "years" (which lasted from when I was 26 to when I was 30) were very part-time.

Still, if I want to get in, I have to play by the rules, so I'm planning to go FT this coming fall for my last two UG years. Don't know how on earth I'm going to balance hanging onto a couple of programming clients, building on my animal experience, and a full load of science classes, but no one ever said this'd be easy...

 

[PB2464]

I'm only going part-time (10 hrs to be exact).
I don't work and only volunteer on the side. But, I am currently in search of a flexible, part-time job.
My undergrad GPA was around 3.3. I've posted this same question. It seems as if it's most important to just do well, instead of trying to overextend yourself.
Advisers will always tell you to go full-time.

 

[wowitsmike]

i work 40+ hours a week, take 9hrs (orgo II and phys II) and im studying for the april 5th MCAT...oh, and planning a wedding...if thats not good enough for the adcoms, well then i think we all know what they can go do😉 i guarantee you i work harder than most undergrad students and my MSII fiance says i work harder than her which is nice to hear because i can't wait to not be so busy😀

 

[Nasem]

i work 40+ hours a week, take 9hrs (orgo II and phys II) and im studying for the april 5th MCAT...oh, and planning a wedding...if thats not good enough for the adcoms, well then i think we all know what they can go do😉 i guarantee you i work harder than most undergrad students and my MSII fiance says i work harder than her which is nice to hear because i can't wait to not be so busy😀

9 credit hrs from orgo and physics? are you taking labs as well ?

 

[BrokenGlass]

Having a full time job and going part time to college is challenging. Schools will actually appreciate that!

Au contraire. Schools do not appreciate that.

 

[plauto]

Au contraire. Schools do not appreciate that.

Well, how about the multiple interviews and acceptances I've gotten?

 

[Twitch]

Au contraire. Schools do not appreciate that.

Well, how about the multiple interviews and acceptances I've gotten?

Agree w/ plauto. I worked full time, and had to be on call @ night so some nights work all night then still have to goto work the next day. On top of that, I was finishing up my masters and also taking post bacc classes for med school in the evenings / weekends (i.e. both part time). Keep in mind, that you still need to do well in your classes - despite everything else that's going on. It's fairly typical for non-trads to work and attend classes part time to back fill any pre-med requirements.

 

[Medeirosaurus]

I'm glad to have found this particular post. I work full time, and I'm attending school part time. However, I'm at the very beginning of my coursework and am starting slow. I'm at a community college where I'm picking up enough credits to transfer to the state school. Once I get there, I'll be going on a part-time basis. I probably won't be able to swing more than 2 classes per semester, especially with labs. I hope that this doesn't work against me in the application process...