Enough Time??

[Prestone]

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This is to any of you out there that work/worked a 40 hour/wk job and took classes. I realize that doing well in your science courses is one of your main goals and I want to take Gen Chem 1 and Bio 1 next semester while working a 40 hour week. Is it possible?? My job is very flexible. I would work from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm Mon-Fri and then classes afterwards. Would this allow me enough time with weekends and 3:00-10:00 every night to study and take classes? Over time I have managed to develop very good study habits and I feel this is doable? What do you all think??

 

[EdLongshanks]

This is to any of you out there that work/worked a 40 hour/wk job and took classes. I realize that doing well in your science courses is one of your main goals and I want to take Gen Chem 1 and Bio 1 next semester while working a 40 hour week. Is it possible?? My job is very flexible. I would work from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm Mon-Fri and then classes afterwards. Would this allow me enough time with weekends and 3:00-10:00 every night to study and take classes? Over time I have managed to develop very good study habits and I feel this is doable? What do you all think??

Yes, that is very doable. I've been taking 2 classes every semester for a couple of years now. Make sure that you aren't tied down to anything else. Getting up to take care of a baby would be difficult. If you are not married, trying to go on dates will seriously disrupt your school work. If you are married, then your spouse has to take up the slack.

 

[AGLAIA]

This is to any of you out there that work/worked a 40 hour/wk job and took classes. I realize that doing well in your science courses is one of your main goals and I want to take Gen Chem 1 and Bio 1 next semester while working a 40 hour week. Is it possible?? My job is very flexible. I would work from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm Mon-Fri and then classes afterwards. Would this allow me enough time with weekends and 3:00-10:00 every night to study and take classes? Over time I have managed to develop very good study habits and I feel this is doable? What do you all think??

I did it. I worked evenings and weekends but I did gen chem, gen bio, and other classes while working full-time. The next year I did it while taking physics and ochem.

 

[Prestone]

I did it. I worked evenings and weekends but I did gen chem, gen bio, and other classes while working full-time. The next year I did it while taking physics and ochem.

This is exactly my plan.

Spring 2011' Chem 1, Bio 1, 1 MBA Course (My Employer Pays)
Summer 2011' Chem 2, Bio 2
Fall 2011' Orgo 1, Phys 1, 1 MBA Course
Spring 2012' Orgo 2, Phys 2
Summer 2012'- MCAT/ Apply (Prob DO Schools),
Fall 2012'- Microbiology, 2 MBA Courses
Spring 2012' - Anatomy/Physiology, 3 MBA Courses
Summer 2012'- Finish MBA
Fall 2012' Hopefully Matriculate

The MBA Degree is an addition if I have time. If not no big deal.

Is this maybe too much??

 

[EdLongshanks]

This is exactly my plan.

Spring 2011' Chem 1, Bio 1, 1 MBA Course (My Employer Pays)
Summer 2011' Chem 2, Bio 2
Fall 2011' Orgo 1, Phys 1, 1 MBA Course
Spring 2012' Orgo 2, Phys 2
Summer 2012'- MCAT/ Apply (Prob DO Schools),
Fall 2012'- Microbiology, 2 MBA Courses
Spring 2012' - Anatomy/Physiology, 3 MBA Courses
Summer 2012'- Finish MBA
Fall 2012' Hopefully Matriculate

The MBA Degree is an addition if I have time. If not no big deal.

Is this maybe too much??

Chem 2 + Bio2 in the summer might be a little hard. Does your employer give you time off from work to take the MBA? If not, then it might be worth it to go ahead and take it and slow down on the med pre-reqs. An extra year won't kill you, while the MBA will add a lot to your marketability post-med school

 

[hello3angel]

Would anyone recommend doing the above (taking Bio&Chem/Physics&Orgo while working full-time, not during the summer but across two semesters) for someone with no prior coursework in chemistry or physics (even high school)?

 

[eablackwell]

Would anyone recommend doing the above (taking Bio&Chem/Physics&Orgo while working full-time, not during the summer but across two semesters) for someone with no prior coursework in chemistry or physics (even high school)?

Last year I took orgo1/Physics1/calc2 in the fall, and orgo2/physics2/calc3 in the spring while working about 60 hours a week. It was a complete nightmare, but I managed to pull through with mostly As (1 B). My sanity however...

Don't plan on having a life outside of work and school. 😉

 

[njbmd]

This is to any of you out there that work/worked a 40 hour/wk job and took classes. I realize that doing well in your science courses is one of your main goals and I want to take Gen Chem 1 and Bio 1 next semester while working a 40 hour week. Is it possible?? My job is very flexible. I would work from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm Mon-Fri and then classes afterwards. Would this allow me enough time with weekends and 3:00-10:00 every night to study and take classes? Over time I have managed to develop very good study habits and I feel this is doable? What do you all think??

You are the only person that can answer this question in a meaningful manner. I can tell you that when work demands increases, academics will always suffer. You NEED excellent grades in your sciences and you need a strong knowledge base from your pre-med subject matter if medical school is your ultimate goal. There is no way to "skirt" around this issue. If your work becomes too demanding, are you going to cut back on hours?

What anyone else has done in meaningless because they are not you. If you start to struggle with your coursework, can you cut back on work hours to put in extra time on your studies? If you feel that you can get the high grades that you need in this demanding coursework consistently, then do what you must do but keep in mind, that no admissions committee will care that you were working full time when you earned that C or B- in those pre-med classes.

I know that most people need work in order to live indoors and support a family but take things slowly and work up. You might want to start with Gen Bio first since it is usually less rigorous at most universities (with GWU being an exception).

 

[brittat]

i've been taking 3 classes a qt for over a year now. i work 8am-4:30p and then head to class until 10ish. my gpa was great until last quarter when i took physicsI/chemIII/math (pre-req for physicsII). for some reason, that combo killed me and i ended up with a C in chem.

the difference? my 3 courses were spread over 5 days where in the past quarters, they were only 3 days. the additional 2 days of coursework just burnt me out.

as important as it is to plan a roadmap of your coursework, don't discount "free time" or think "i can work, go to class and then come home and do homework" because you will burn yourself out.

i'm taking 3 courses again this Fall Qt but only over 3 days so I have some "free" days with just work + studying, not actual classes.

 

[hello3angel]

Last year I took orgo1/Physics1/calc2 in the fall, and orgo2/physics2/calc3 in the spring while working about 60 hours a week. It was a complete nightmare, but I managed to pull through with mostly As (1 B). My sanity however...

Don't plan on having a life outside of work and school. 😉

But what about for someone with absolutely no background in chemistry/physics? What was your background in chemistry and physics like when you took on this courseload?

 

[eablackwell]

But what about for someone with absolutely no background in chemistry/physics? What was your background in chemistry and physics like when you took on this courseload?

I am an AP chemistry teacher. Honestly orgo was a nightmare but although I had almost no physics background I didn't find it hard because I'm a math person.

 

[hello3angel]

I am an AP chemistry teacher. Honestly orgo was a nightmare but although I had almost no physics background I didn't find it hard because I'm a math person.

lucky you.
i wish i was born with a math brain. i think life would be a lot cooler, am i right? once upon a time i was alright at math. then i quit studying, because i thought, "hey, i don't need calculus to become a musician!" bad move...