for those who are working full time while taking a couple of years off...

[luckyducky87]

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I'm finding it really difficult to have time for anything besides work 🙁 I work in a fast-paced research lab, where we are expected to do at least 50-60 hours a week (many do more, voluntarily... which makes me stressed!). I come home with a 45-min commute, mentally and physically exhausted, have dinner, catch up with the world, and it's time for bed. Once the weekend rolls around, I do housework I got behind on, grocery shopping, taking care of stuff, etc. But apart from the few spare hours, not so much "free time" either. (Perhaps it doesnt add up mathematically, but time somehow leaks away...)

I plan on applying to med schools this upcoming summer, but I haven't had time for volunteering, shadowing, or anything since I started this job after graduating in 2009.

Then, ever since I started studying for the MCAT again, where my current study schedule involves studying 2-3 hours a day plus maybe a full-length exam on a weekend --> makes me wanna shoot myself. I have a couple of serious hobbies outside the sciences, and I haven't had the time or the energy for much of them... I shouldn't be complaining because I know the 4 years of med school will probably be also difficult, if not even harder, but at the moment I have the added stress that "I'm not doing enough as an applicant" and the concern of "I'm not sure if my application has really improved since graduation..." apart from the one fact that I have more research experience now.

Argh.... anyone else feel the same way? For those working full time, and also prepping for an upcoming application cycle/MCAT, how do you have the time for anything else?!

 

[TooMuchResearch]

I'm finding it really difficult to have time for anything besides work 🙁 I work in a fast-paced research lab, where we are expected to do at least 50-60 hours a week (many do more, voluntarily... which makes me stressed!). I come home with a 45-min commute, mentally and physically exhausted, have dinner, catch up with the world, and it's time for bed. Once the weekend rolls around, I do housework I got behind on, grocery shopping, taking care of stuff, etc. But apart from the few spare hours, not so much "free time" either. (Perhaps it doesnt add up mathematically, but time somehow leaks away...)

I plan on applying to med schools this upcoming summer, but I haven't had time for volunteering, shadowing, or anything since I started this job after graduating in 2009.

Then, ever since I started studying for the MCAT again, where my current study schedule involves studying 2-3 hours a day plus maybe a full-length exam on a weekend --> makes me wanna shoot myself. I have a couple of serious hobbies outside the sciences, and I haven't had the time or the energy for much of them... I shouldn't be complaining because I know the 4 years of med school will probably be also difficult, if not even harder, but at the moment I have the added stress that "I'm not doing enough as an applicant" and the concern of "I'm not sure if my application has really improved since graduation..." apart from the one fact that I have more research experience now.

Argh.... anyone else feel the same way? For those working full time, and also prepping for an upcoming application cycle/MCAT, how do you have the time for anything else?!

My full-time employment is 40 hours per week and not a second longer (without overtime pay, of course), so I have plenty of free time. I was definitely much busier while in school, and I took the MCAT while trying to graduate.

 

[michiganpsych08]

In all honesty, I dont/didn't have time for anything else. When I was studying for the MCAT, I was working a full time job, taking night classes and a MCAT prep course. It was brutal but I got through it. I just kept telling myself that it will all be worth it once I am accepted to medical school. Here is hoping it pays off for me!

 

[brooklynblunder]

yea i work in a lab and it takes up a crap load of time. i wake up at 5 ish to go to the gym and im pretty bad at that sleeping thing so its a tiring week.

my free time during the week is like one night out. i think that's true for most people - if you look at suburban bars its packed on friday nights but empty on saturdays (at least in my area).

i almost had 100% free time in school (cuz i decided to) now im trying to pay my bills bills bills, automobills

 

[LizzyM]

OP, time management is very important and you need to be able to show that you have that skill. Keep track of where/how you spend your time....it is more precious than money and you need to be able to budget and account for it.

If you did no volunteering or shadowing during college then you are not ready to apply this summer. Stop, spend a year getting that nailed down (after the MCAT) and then apply in 2011.

If you did shadowing and volunteering while in college, you can get away with doing what you are doing and picking up a 2 hr/wk volunteer thing after the MCAT is out of the way. Learn to use time wisely and you should be able to squeeze in something that "gives back to the community". Choose something near your lab that you can do one evening per week or something near home for a couple of hours each weekend.

 

[luckyducky87]

Good to know I'm not alone in this! And I'm not sure about anyone else, but being in a lab for hours makes me tired at the end of the day 🙁 Not because I don't enjoy it, but something about it is really exhausting.

I thought I was a good time juggler in college... I had a reputation as the over-committer, though I did manage to fit everything in and do okay. But somehow I'm finding time management even harder these days, though I'm not sure what it is! But you're right, I need to learn to work around that.

LizzyM - I did have 2 academic years of volunteering at the hospital (ie. Sept - April ish), and about 40 hours of shadowing from my undergrad years. But all of these stopped before my senior year in college (when I was applying to med schools for the first time; I was particularly busier my senior year with various things...). But I've also had many hours of non-clinical volunteering as well, which did continue through my last year in college. Do you think I should be more worried about upping my clinical/volunteering hours in this case? :-/

After being on SDN for a while, it feels like I don't have enough. Not just because I'm concerned about a number I have to list on my application, and it was enough to say that I'd like to pursue this field of course, but not enough to make me feel like I've done as much as I'd like. But since I'm seriously considering the MD/PhD programs, I am also concerned about taking too many years off before beginning the 8+ year program, if I were to take another year off just for clinical experiences...

I'm signed up for the 3/28/10 MCAT, and if the AMCAS opens up in May and available for submission in early June, I'm not sure that I have enough time to really do quality volunteering before submitting my apps, given that I'll also have to attend orientations/training-sessions and whatnot. And eep, I have to present at group meeting in late-April, so I'll probably be really occupied with lab work most of April 🙁

 

[therethere]

Good to know I'm not alone in this! And I'm not sure about anyone else, but being in a lab for hours makes me tired at the end of the day 🙁 Not because I don't enjoy it, but something about it is really exhausting.

I thought I was a good time juggler in college... I had a reputation as the over-committer, though I did manage to fit everything in and do okay. But somehow I'm finding time management even harder these days, though I'm not sure what it is! But you're right, I need to learn to work around that.

LizzyM - I did have 2 academic years of volunteering at the hospital (ie. Sept - April ish), and about 40 hours of shadowing from my undergrad years. But all of these stopped before my senior year in college (when I was applying to med schools for the first time; I was particularly busier my senior year with various things...). But I've also had many hours of non-clinical volunteering as well, which did continue through my last year in college. Do you think I should be more worried about upping my clinical/volunteering hours in this case? :-/

After being on SDN for a while, it feels like I don't have enough. Not just because I'm concerned about a number I have to list on my application, and it was enough to say that I'd like to pursue this field of course, but not enough to make me feel like I've done as much as I'd like. But since I'm seriously considering the MD/PhD programs, I am also concerned about taking too many years off before beginning the 8+ year program, if I were to take another year off just for clinical experiences...

I'm signed up for the 3/28/10 MCAT, and if the AMCAS opens up in May and available for submission in early June, I'm not sure that I have enough time to really do quality volunteering before submitting my apps, given that I'll also have to attend orientations/training-sessions and whatnot. And eep, I have to present at group meeting in late-April, so I'll probably be really occupied with lab work most of April 🙁

Sorry to hear you're feeling so overwhelmed. I work in clinical research full time, but no overtime like yourself. Based on my experiences during the past year, it was really tough even though my job isn't as exhausting as yours. And plus, I had really great bosses who let me take a LOT of time off to take care of the MCAT and applications. This isn't meant to discourage you or anything at all, but I think it is important to take a realistic look at what you can get out of your job. Will it be possible to get yourself ready for medical school with your current work schedule?

Yes, there are some people out there who can handle crazy work hours, while studying for the MCAT and doing award-winning volunteer work but that's not most people. If that's not you (which it definitely wasn't me), then maybe it means you have to look at holding off on applying this year and take another extra year to take care of things, or look at other options that meets your needs financially and academically. Trust me, the MCAT and applying are not things you want to do twice. I was lucky enough to get an acceptance this year at my first try, but it was really draining both financially and mentally.

With all this said, it is possible. I hope I am not discouraging you. I think that you asking these questions and thinking about them already shows that you're headed in the right direction! Just make sure you are READY to apply when you do. best of luck 🙂

 

[ShinyDome19]

I feel your pain, I was in a very similar situation as you. Working 7am - 6 pm in a lab, long commute home, and then trying to sit down eat, then study for the MCATs. I would get 1 good hour of studying in a night, and then usually another 30mins to an hour of half-asleep studying before actually falling asleep. With already feeling the drag of studying and working, I thought it impossible to volunteer and shadow...

But, I was able to make it all work after sitting down and doing some thinking. To make the time for MCATs, Shadowing and Volunteering, I pretty much had to take a 6-month hiatus from all my usual hobbies and really had to cut down the amount of "free time" I spent with my wife watching TV and stuff...Mostly though, I was able to fix a lot of my time problems by simply changing how I did my usual things. For instance, instead of watching TV with my wife, I had her test me on differnt MCAT subjects with flash cards and stuff. To help increase my studying time, I took one of my MCAT books with me to work every day and used small 15 minute downtimes, between setting up a gel or reading a paper..or what have you. I didnt get the MCAT score I know I could have, had I more study time, but I did well enough to get in and thats all that matters...And for shadowing, the ER is your friend...there are physicians around all day and I just talked to a couple of the physicians, told them my situation and was able to get an okay to just drop in on any days that I finish up early in the lab. For volunteering, I found something that I would really enjoy, this happened to be a free clinic which lets you work along side medical students in treating patients. I volunteer there every saturday for 6 hours. Its a lot of fun and really helped me unstress after a long week of work...which is what my hobbies were for.

As far as having time for anything else though, I really didnt. Atleat not until the MCATs were over...But, as far as I am concerned, its just the start of the sacrafices we'll have to make. And, in the end, if you can pull it off, you'll come out with publications, presentations, and leadership experiences that a lot of other people wont have.

 

[mvenus929]

I work full time and for all intents and purposes am also a single mom. It's hard, and I love the 2 hours or so of downtime that I have before my sisters get home from school in the afternoons. I spend most of my free time reading or running my non-profit, but it's exhausting, especially since I don't have a weekend half the time to unwind and take care of things. I think school will be a lot less stressful, and I can't wait until I can get away and enjoy myself.

 

[luckyducky87]

Yeah, I guess we'll find out. Yesterday, by the time i got home from lab with take-out dinner, it was already 9pm. It's hard to try to sit down and study at that point though... Today I am looking at having to be in lab until 7pm or later, again.

Maybe I didn't make the smartest choice working in such a high-end lab where expectations are ridiculous, when I knew that I would need to spend some time preparing for the application cycle. I didn't realize it would be this tough though 🙁 I mean, I'm enjoying lab work, and I am learning so much from the motivated and intelligent people around me -- I have no regrets! I couldn't have asked for a better lab experience. But it's just overwhelming at the moment.

 

[Practitioner]

Time/Work Management and enough sleep.

I work 9-5 or more with a 1 hour commute each way, tutor evenings and weekends, or workout when I'm not doing that. But looking for research to replace most of my tutoring, and then shift tutoring to 2 hours on weekend in a group setting than one-on-one which I prefer.

Anyways, if you're interested PM me and I'll dig out a ppt presentation on time management for you.

I'm not sure when I started managing my time, it certainly wasn't sudden, was more gradual and a response to the atmosphere I was exposed to in highschool and was pretty set by the start of college.

Here's how I do it now:

Split my day into 4 parts:
9 am - 5 pm work.
5 pm - 9 pm productivity time (call it EC time, but I'm not in school thankfully!)
9 pm - 5 am rest/sleep.
5 am - 9 pm personal time.

It's 11:35 pm now, so obviously that split is flexible. Very, but generally that's the outline of the day.

In the 4 hours before and after work I put aside one of each of those 4 hours for commuting to and from work. Those are also the hours in which I read, also check/send e-mails on phone.

The 3 hours (5 am - 8 am) before work are used to prepare breakfast, check e-mails, play games (computer or PS3), flikr, really just relax.

Tomorrow, for example, I'll "sleep in" till 7-7.30 since I'm up so late tonight, make a quick coffee before heading out to work by 8 am.

The three hours after work are harder to manage. If I'm tutoring, I do an hour session that takes an hour and twenty. I have parents bring my students to me on weekdays, and I go work out immediately after for 30-40 minutes. That leaves me with an hour to make dinner, if there's nothing left over from the previous day (cook one day, eat left over next day, and eat out/order in once or twice a week) and cool down, shower quickly.

Around 9 pm I start winding down, maybe read a little, or do some cleaning up, etc before sleeping. I'm usually asleep by 10-1030 and up again by 5-5.30 typically.

Rinse. Repeat.

Today i was looking up some postbac programs, looking at FAFSA, and planning a weekend trip so I'm up late -- and later now to write this 🙂 Some days I get 3-4 hours of sleep because I have too much going on, but I always back off and drop an activity or two to get some rest so I can keep going normally.

I also discovered that maintaining a calendar helps. I use my phones and keep all major appointments on it, and tasks that need doing (like finishing applications, etc). I travel 3 weekends a month and sit home the fourth to clean up, run chores, shop, etc.

I hope that helps give you some ideas!

11.49 pm. Good night!

 

[youngnflyy]

I'm in the exact same boat. I too work in a high throughput research lab, and by the time I get home most evenings, I'm exhausted, and on top of that, it's usually late (7-8ish). I'm beginning to study to take the MCAT in May, as well as planning to apply in June. So it's definitely a very stressful lifestyle to try to pull everything together, stay on top of things in the lab, and devote enough time to studying. I too am looking for ideas and ways of managing time, so this thread is a God-send.

 

[youngnflyy]

Good to know I'm not alone in this! And I'm not sure about anyone else, but being in a lab for hours makes me tired at the end of the day 🙁 Not because I don't enjoy it, but something about it is really exhausting.

I don't completely understand it either, but being in a lab all day really does take a toll on you.

 

[luckyducky87]

Thanks for the info/comments! But regarding time management, I think it's partly harder for me because I don't have a 9-5 job. I usually have to work longer, and the worst part is that hours are totally unpredictable depending on how my experiments go.

On good days, labwork ends around 6:30pm (I start around 9:30am). But on most days, I get out after 7, or some horrendous days, I don't get out until 8:30pm. So by the time I get home, it usually ranges from a little after 7pm to well past 9pm. This does not include dinner time. So, I come home anywhere between 7:15pm and 9:15pm...

On the late days, I end up getting take out food on my way home... which takes time. Eating takes time. So by the time I'm ready to "do something" it's already around 10pm. I'm totally exhausted at this point, and drowsy from food, so even if I sit down to study, it's usually unproductive enough that I'll disregard those sessions 🙁

On earlier days, sure, I can sit and study for 1-3 hours. But oftentimes, I like to do a couple of hours of things for myself to keep myself sane (and/or to do housework because it manages to become a pigsty over the course of a few late days). And I manage to get all of them done, except then I'm exhausted the next morning.

I don't know, maybe it's not supposed to be this hard. Or maybe I'm putting myself too far into labwork. Or maybe I need to build endurance or something. But I've been soooo moody lately it's not even funny. All the stress has been building up: exhaustion from lab, frustration for not being able to leave earlier, stress of what I have to do when I get home (or hte things I won't be able to do BECAUSE I was in lab so long)... So coming home at the end of a long day, and having to start studying at 8pm (or 10pm) has been hard.

I'm starting to drop some of my weekend commitments (although... these were the things keeping me sane outside of lab and pre-med stuff 🙁), so we'll see how that goes.

I just got really angry over the past few days because of my apparently inability to leave lab earlier. I plan out my day, so it's not ridiculously long, but something delays, something happens, something I forgot to do, etc --> leaving lab late (I know I'm not the only one with this problem, even post-docs in the lab agreed...). I've also started bringing my MCAT prep books to lab so I can read between western blots and cell cultures, but I'm also feeling pressured to spend my little downtime organizing my data, thinking about what experiments to do next, do lit search, etc. Heh, obviously I'm taking a little time now for SDN, email, etc, but if I don't even take off a little time for this, I'll really go crazy!

 

[Maschuch]

I feel your pain although my situation doesn't/didn't seem as bad.

I studied for the MCAT during my last two quarters in undergrad. Three weeks before my test date my girlfriend at the time dumped me, so on top of the stress of taking the MCAT, starting my last quarter in undergrad, and working part-time in a lab, I had to deal with that emotional hurricane. It was tough, and I bet my friends could tell you I was not the most pleasent person to be around. It was the little things that got me through that time. Music (both playing and listening to) helped keep me sane and somewhat grounded. I maybe only had time to play guitar for an hour or two a week, but I tried to make that time. On weekends I would limit myself to taking a full-length practice test in the morning, and I would leave the afternoon to maybe watch a movie or TV show, and then maybe review what I missed on the test. And, as bad as I feel saying this now, I let myself get "lost" in work. I wouldn't suggest it, but it helped with the emotional stress. It's not all that conducive for keeping a social circle though.

After graduating I immediately started working full time in the lab I work at. I've been doing that since last March now, and during this past summer/fall I've been doing all the AMCAS and Secondary stuff you have to do. My commute is pretty bad too, about an hour each way, so I know how hard it is to find time for yourself (I work 9-5 at my lab though, so not as bad as your situation). What has helped me keep my sanity? I started going to the gym with one of my friends (who isn't pre-med), and I tried to mix things I enjoy in with the work I had to do. The gym I go to is on campus here (I still work at my undergrad university), so my buddy and I usually go after I get off work, but I know some ambitious people who work out during their lunch hours. And the whole mixing business and pleasure? Well, I love music, so I listened to music while I was studying or writing essays, and I would have a beer or two to help me relax. I also think it's great to have friends who are NOT pre-med. They remind you that not everybody in the world is just competing to get into medical school. And I try my best to B.S. with my co-workers about non-pre-med stuff (and non-work stuff too) so I still feel connected with the real world. Taking a quick look at the headlines on google news, listening to music I like in my car, and talking with friends I have to say were the ways I held onto my sanity.

We're all competing against the most ambitious and tenacious individuals you'd probably ever meet, but it's important to remind yourself that you're human too. I catch myself all the time thinking about what I "should" be doing, but you have to remember you are just one person and there are only so many hours in the day. And, every doctor and adcom committee is (or at least was) human too, and SHOULD understand that we can't be perfect.

I hope the best for you.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

I worked in lab with a 1.25hr commute while I was studying for the MCAT and volunteering. My hours were more predictable than yours; I would get there around 7:45 and be done at 4:30-5. My two recommendations are:
1: if you need to volunteer, do one 2-3hr shift per week after work where you work (it sounds like you're at a big academic center, so hopefully there's a hospital nearby). It makes for a really sucky day, so do it later in the week.
2: Take an MCAT prep class. If you're working you can afford it, and it will focus your studying so when you do that 1-3hrs/night it is good quality, focused studying. The class will also focus your weekends, giving you time to go to the gym, hang out with SO/friends, etc.

 

[BBender716]

Flue powder really makes it doable for me.

 

[Charcoal]

I went through the same process last year--I was working ~50-60 hours a week, taking physics at night, and studying for the MCAT-- it is terrible but you will get through it. Here are the tips I used to manage my time:

1) Never wait until you get home to study. By the time you get home, you will be tired. Plan to study at work (either in a spare office, at a nearby library, or at the bench).

2) Set reasonable goals for studying: Start by studying 4 hours per week--make that your goal for the first week so you are not discouraged. Build on that every week.

3) Plan one fun thing each weekend and use the rest of the weekend to study: This is the worst goal but it is very helpful--the weekend is the only time you will have >2 hours to study in one block and you will have to take advantage of that time. However, you will want to balance that with fun activities to prevent burn-out.

4) Choose one day out of the weekend to sleep in and one day to wake up early (9 AM) and study.

5) Save up vacation days and use them to take brief respites to study -- a day or two here and there.

6) If you work in a lab with down time during experiments, use those times to take minitests or review flashcards. I worked in an office with zero downtime but if you work in a lab where experiments take time, you should ABSOLUTELY take advantage of this time.

7) Cook one big meal for the week (make it a Sunday night activity with friends so you get to socialize) and eat it for the rest of the week -- it is cheaper and saves time. I recommend:

a) Peanut noodles with tofu or chicken
b) Vegetable Chili
c) Sanwhiches and/or boxed soups for quick lunches during the week

8) Feel free to PM me with any other questions. I had no life for 6 months but it was worth it in the end-- I've had 10 interviews and 2 acceptances thus far!

 

[mvenus929]

7) Cook one big meal for the week (make it a Sunday night activity with friends so you get to socialize) and eat it for the rest of the week -- it is cheaper and saves time. I recommend:

a) Peanut noodles with tofu or chicken
b) Vegetable Chili
c) Sanwhiches and/or boxed soups for quick lunches during the week

Don't stop at one meal... it'll take you just as long to make enough food in one meal to last the week as it will to simulataneously cook several different (and smaller) meals.

You can also put soup in muffin tins and put it in the freezer. Once it freezes completely, pop it out of the tins and into a plastic bag. Then, you can take the cubes and put them into a bowl. They'll stay cool in your bag and you can choose how much you want in any given serving, and it keeps well.

 

[novawildcat]

I know exactly how you are feeling. I found it almost impossible to study for the MCAT properly while working full time. Get up at 6 AM, leave for work by 7. Get there at 8. Work until 5. Get home at 6. Cook dinner, eat, clean up and be done by 7:30. Then try to not fall asleep while studying. I could only get about an hour and half of studying done before dozing off. I'm sure there are people out there that were able to do it, but it was brutal. You don't have time to do anything except eat,sleep, work.


On the positive side though, I made some real money and got to travel the world with that lucre. I'm kind of glad that I didn't go to med school right out of the gate at 22 years old. I would have never been able to travel to the places I did during the prime years of my life while not being attached to a wife or family.

 

[Marcus Brody]

It really is tough. I was lucky to have a job where I did a ton of studying and application related stuff online at work. I can't imagine having to put it off all day for when I got home. The whole experience of working between UG and MS is pretty hard on the psyche.