Hey all!
I'm on the fence.
I have an opportunity to work one-on-one with my professor on research for the upcoming 2013-14 year.... This will involve 4-8 hours in the lab per week plus updating research blogs, attending multiple seminars, authoring research reports, and presenting at the annual showcase, etc. etc.
So my question is: Is it wise to take on this time commitment if I will also be taking Orgo and Physics simultaneously? I'm only taking two classes because I'm a non-trad doing an informal post-bacc, so I only have these two pre-reqs left to complete. Also, these classes are also notoriously difficult and time consuming so I want to give them my 200% to guarantee impressive grades.
I won't be working but I will be planning on volunteering 1-2 days a week. So would taking on research distract me from study time / jeopardize my grade? Or is it totally manageable? I would like to take this on and think maybe I could do it, but I've had several friends warn me that research can get time-consuming. The problem is that there's a deadline for a commitment in advance, and if my research application is accepted, I am bound by it so it doesn't seem like I can back out if things get too tough mid-stream.
I was hesitant to pose this question to SDN, because I know I'm gonna get a ton of negative feedback making me feel stupid for taking such a light load and worrying about it. There seems to be a lot of premed gunners who takes 26 credits a semester, can maintain a 4.0, while volunteering at 3 burn centers, headlining 5 research projects including finding a cure for cancer, teaching blind orphans how to read, and holding down 2 full-time jobs. 😛 That's just not me right now. Please understand where I'm coming from: getting good grades is paramount to me because I'm trying to pull up my GPA, rock my pre-reqs, and prepare well for the MCAT - and I don't want some extracurricular getting in the way of that... I know, I know: things will be even more hectic in medical school, but I feel the stakes now as a premed are higher if I mess up. Right now my job is to pull up my precarious GPA (low 3's) so I want to tread conservatively.
Is research worth the risk of over-extending myself??
P.S> I realize there's another non trad who posted recently about finding time for research, but I believe my question is different...
I'm on the fence.
I have an opportunity to work one-on-one with my professor on research for the upcoming 2013-14 year.... This will involve 4-8 hours in the lab per week plus updating research blogs, attending multiple seminars, authoring research reports, and presenting at the annual showcase, etc. etc.
So my question is: Is it wise to take on this time commitment if I will also be taking Orgo and Physics simultaneously? I'm only taking two classes because I'm a non-trad doing an informal post-bacc, so I only have these two pre-reqs left to complete. Also, these classes are also notoriously difficult and time consuming so I want to give them my 200% to guarantee impressive grades.
I won't be working but I will be planning on volunteering 1-2 days a week. So would taking on research distract me from study time / jeopardize my grade? Or is it totally manageable? I would like to take this on and think maybe I could do it, but I've had several friends warn me that research can get time-consuming. The problem is that there's a deadline for a commitment in advance, and if my research application is accepted, I am bound by it so it doesn't seem like I can back out if things get too tough mid-stream.
I was hesitant to pose this question to SDN, because I know I'm gonna get a ton of negative feedback making me feel stupid for taking such a light load and worrying about it. There seems to be a lot of premed gunners who takes 26 credits a semester, can maintain a 4.0, while volunteering at 3 burn centers, headlining 5 research projects including finding a cure for cancer, teaching blind orphans how to read, and holding down 2 full-time jobs. 😛 That's just not me right now. Please understand where I'm coming from: getting good grades is paramount to me because I'm trying to pull up my GPA, rock my pre-reqs, and prepare well for the MCAT - and I don't want some extracurricular getting in the way of that... I know, I know: things will be even more hectic in medical school, but I feel the stakes now as a premed are higher if I mess up. Right now my job is to pull up my precarious GPA (low 3's) so I want to tread conservatively.
Is research worth the risk of over-extending myself??
P.S> I realize there's another non trad who posted recently about finding time for research, but I believe my question is different...