How did non-trads study with a full-time job?

[kevaznboy]

So as the title pretty much says, I got a full-time job because I needed the money and figured that experience wouldn't hurt, esp. if I'm going to be a clinical research coordinator. However, deep down, a part of me knew that a 9-5 job would be pretty demanding time-wise, and so, now after one full week of initial work, I've realized first-hand how tiring the 'real world' can really be.

If anyone else had full-time jobs during their gap year, how did you manage your time to study and do well? It just feels like all my time has already been eaten up by work (and I don't think I can take time off sadly, seeing as this job is healthcare-related). I'm planning to take a Kaplan course prior to the April MCAT ideally and need to get crackin' asap I assume.

Thanks for any advice!!! I just want any information and pearls of wisdom if any people went down this same route!

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[wholeheartedly]

Don't know what to tell you really. I work 30 hrs a week in healthcare on nights and my job can be pretty exhausting on top of grad school, which I have to commute to. It varies by semester so I haven't really figured out a great strategy, just reinvent the wheel each time. It can really suck some weeks. This semester I took a few more credits than was ideal and I definitely paid for it in terms of burnout. I'm downgrading next semester so I can study for the MCAT either this spring or over the summer (won't take classes over the summer). The one nice thing about my schedule is that I work 10 hour shifts so that gives me an extra day off work for studying or recovering. If you have some flexibility in your schedule that way, it might be worth it to do some rearranging. IE do 4 10 hr shifts instead of 5 8hr shifts.


I've heard of people studying in the morning before work so that they're more clear headed, knowing they'll be too exhausted to do much/be productive when they get home. Others just bulk up a lot on weekends.

 

[Juan Solo]

So as the title pretty much says, I got a full-time job because I needed the money and figured that experience wouldn't hurt, esp. if I'm going to be a clinical research coordinator. However, deep down, a part of me knew that a 9-5 job would be pretty demanding time-wise, and so, now after one full week of initial work, I've realized first-hand how tiring the 'real world' can really be.

If anyone else had full-time jobs during their gap year, how did you manage your time to study and do well? It just feels like all my time has already been eaten up by work (and I don't think I can take time off sadly, seeing as this job is healthcare-related). I'm planning to take a Kaplan course prior to the April MCAT ideally and need to get crackin' asap I assume.

Thanks for any advice!!! I just want any information and pearls of wisdom if any people went down this same route!

I too took a couple of years off from college after graduation to do research. However, my position was a bit more demanding than 9-5, I would say that on average that I at least worked about 50 hours per week. I too decided to study for and take the MCAT during this time. One big difference is that I couldn't afford to take a prep course so I taught myself the MCAT, which had some downsides to taking this approach. I managed to get a 32Q which I was happy with given the time that I had and resources available to me. However, I had to spend every weekend for about 6 months studying. If I could offer any advice it would be that for me the 5 days in between the weekends was a bit too long for me to have a seamless recollection from what I was studying the weekend prior. I would recommend some how studying for a couple of hours one day during the week, say a Wednesday, so that you can recall what you were studying from the previous studying session. Again due to the demands of my job I had to mostly study on the weekends, I just had to get through it.

I hope this helps.

 

[TriagePreMed]

You'd be surprised at how much time you have when you forgo some sleep and all socialization.

 

[marinehrnt]

I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can study at work. I also worked lots of nights so I could take classes during the day, didn't get much sleep but got all my classes done and was able to pay for my post-bac classes without taking out more student loans. It was worth the time sacrifice. Good luck.

 

[MedPR]

So as the title pretty much says, I got a full-time job because I needed the money and figured that experience wouldn't hurt, esp. if I'm going to be a clinical research coordinator. However, deep down, a part of me knew that a 9-5 job would be pretty demanding time-wise, and so, now after one full week of initial work, I've realized first-hand how tiring the 'real world' can really be.

If anyone else had full-time jobs during their gap year, how did you manage your time to study and do well? It just feels like all my time has already been eaten up by work (and I don't think I can take time off sadly, seeing as this job is healthcare-related). I'm planning to take a Kaplan course prior to the April MCAT ideally and need to get crackin' asap I assume.

Thanks for any advice!!! I just want any information and pearls of wisdom if any people went down this same route!

Monday: school from 11am-1pm. Drive to work/study from 1pm-3pm. Work 3pm-1130pm. Study 12am-1am. Sleep (total studying time: 1.5 hours)

Tuesday: school from 10am-2pm. Work 3pm-1130pm. Study 12am-3am. (total studying time: 3 hours)

Wednesday: school from 11am-1pm. Drive to work/study from 1pm-3pm. Work 3pm-1130pm. Study 12am-1am. Sleep (total studying time: 1.5 hours)

Thursday: study 12pm-2pm. Work 3pm-1130pm. Study 12am-2am. (total studying time: 4 hours)

Friday: study 12pm-2pm. Work 3-1130pm. (total studying time: 2 hours)

Saturday: study 10am-12am. (total studying time: 14 hours)

Sunday: study 10am-12am. (total studying time: 14 hours)

 

[TriagePreMed]

Saturday: study 10am-12am. (total studying time: 14 hours)

Sunday: study 10am-12am. (total studying time: 14 hours)

How are these 14 hour study sessions? Do they involve a lot of breaks? I couldn't imagine myself studying 14 continuous hours without a 30 minute break every 3-4 hours.

 

[ETLucky]

Believe it or not its a lot easier than you would think if you split it up (I have a full time job and two kids 4 and 2). Since my job doesn't know I am in school I study from 430 to 6am, during lunch break at the library or Barnes and noble, and then again after the kids are in bed (8 to 11 p). That could be upwards of 5 hours a day, assuming you are not like me and don't take breaks to throw in a load of laundry. I is what you make of it and how badly you want it.

 

[Dianyla]

Haphazardly.

 

[wanderedtoolong]

All you have to do is be committed to a schedule. I took an april mcat last year and studied from January-April. I printed out a calendar and counted back from exam day, figuring out how much material I would need to cover each week in order to take my last practice exam the weekend before the real deal. I studied about an hour in the am before work, 7:30-8:30, and then usually 2 + hours in the evening 7-9:30 or so depending on energy levels etc. I was fortunate to have almost no commute but if you do commute I recommend examcrackers audio osmosis. I studied maybe 4 hours each weekend day, but that time increased as the exam got closer.
When I say I studied 2 hours, I mean I was at my desk working problems for 2 hours- no computer, no cell phone, no distractions. I learned to focus in a completely different manner than my college studying which was probably 70% procrastinating/whining about how much I had to study.
Personally I found Kaplan a waste of time and got a refund after a few classes - they spend so much time talking about test taking techniques when what I really needed was content review, but if the content is recent for you then maybe it will be a good way to stay on schedule.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

agree with making and keeping a schedule. i am anal about my schedules. also OP understand that it is new and you will get used to it. give it a month and you fall into the groove and you will be less tired from the work and you will be more experienced. This allows you to work mindlessly allowing you to multitask but you can't really do that in a new job.

 

[i5hina]

You'd be surprised at how much time you have when you forgo some sleep and all socialization.

You are absolutely right about that. Take out the socialization, Internet, tv, and cell phone and your productivity goes up significantly.

However, I would like to see how those who work night shift are able to study so effectively. I work 12 hour shifts (full time) on a rather busy tele floor, so when I'm done with work, I usually sleep for most of the day. I'd like some insight on anyone who works nights and may have some tips to sticking to a rigorous schedule. Thanks.

 

[Freesia88]

I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can study at work. I also worked lots of nights so I could take classes during the day, didn't get much sleep but got all my classes done and was able to pay for my post-bac classes without taking out more student loans. It was worth the time sacrifice. Good luck.

This, except I took evening classes and worked during the day. Full time on both counts.

Studied and did homework at work. Went to class in the evening, came home, studied a little more and went to bed. Did some more studying over the week end.

It is true that your social life will take a hit. At one point SDN was my social life lol... Then I reactivated my Facebook too.

 

[abolt18]

Been working about 36 hours a week (40 in the summer) for the past 3 years throughout undergrad. Married 2.5 years ago, baby 3 months ago.

Basically, I go to school at 8:15am and have a 40 minute break between school and work (most of that is spent walking home from school then driving to work) to grab food, kiss my wife and baby, and change my clothes. Then I work until 10pm every weekday. I thrive on weekends with the family and I thoroughly enjoy the hour or two after I get home at 10. I have been fortunate enough to have a good job that works with my school schedule every semester. It's no glory job (customer service in a 24 hour call center) but it's gotten me through school and I can't wait to quit in May and take a month or so off before med school begins!

When it's slow, I study at work. When I have a break in class or a boring/useless lecture I study at school. Otherwise I study at home whenever I can get the chance!

 

[lunalight]

I also worked full-time during the day and took classes full-time in the evenings while I finished undergrad. Now, I have the same schedule except I'm a grad student. The trick for me was to become more efficient at studying. Since my time my time to study is very limited (lunch breaks and weekends), I knew my only option was to make that limited time count more. That's actually worked out really well because I've gotten so used to it that I spend much less time studying than my classmates, but am still doing as well (or better) than most of them.

As for how to become more efficient at studying...well, that's a bit tougher. The best advice I can give, although somewhat cliche, is to "listen to yourself." Meaning, if you are super tired and can't focus, then go to bed! Don't force yourself to study because now all you've done is filled your head with sleepy, scrambled, worthless info AND you are that much more tired. Plus, now you have to go back and study it again to unscramble it. Or if you know it's easier to get started studying one subject more than another, go ahead and review that subject first even if that's not what you need to study right now. It'll help get your mind in the right place and then you can switch to another subject once you've got your mind settled into study mode.

 

[MamaNerdling]

I am lucky enough to work nights. USUALLY it slows down enough around 1-3 am (med-surg floor) that I can do some homework. I also work only Fri-Sat-Sun. Leaves me about 6 hours to study on Tues-Wed-Thur while the kids are at school/daycare. I didn't have a social life before school; so that helps, too.

 

[kami333]

I didn't have a social life to sacrifice, the only people I know in this city is my SO (whom I work with and is also applying) and the grad students I work with so it was easier for me.

I think the biggest thing is to setup a rough schedule and stay with it, both a daily schedule (might be hard if you a work shifts) and in terms of overall progress. I made it clear to my work before the MCAT that 9-5 was it and set a goal of studying 5 EK lectures every week, which worked out to be about 3hrs per day. Then take a AAMC practice exam on Sat and have Sun off (study for classes).

Personally I found Kaplan a waste of time and got a refund after a few classes - they spend so much time talking about test taking techniques when what I really needed was content review, but if the content is recent for you then maybe it will be a good way to stay on schedule.

Same here. Their verbal techniques made my score go down so I stopped using it after the 3rd practice test and my score went back up.

 

[psychkub]

You'd be surprised at how much time you have when you forgo some sleep and all socialization.

This.

While working on my Post-Bacc, I worked nights 32 hours a week and went to school during the day. Averaged about 2-4 hours of sleep every night. My commute to school was about 3 hours total. One of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life. If medical school is any more difficult than this, I'm going to die.

*edit: Yes, I know the Medical School curriculum is going to be more difficult, but I do not plan to be working nights 32hrs a week, so I'm sure that will make things easier.

 

[QueenBee85]

.

 

[docsurf]

All you have to do is be committed to a schedule. I took an april mcat last year and studied from January-April. I printed out a calendar and counted back from exam day, figuring out how much material I would need to cover each week in order to take my last practice exam the weekend before the real deal. I studied about an hour in the am before work, 7:30-8:30, and then usually 2 + hours in the evening 7-9:30 or so depending on energy levels etc. I was fortunate to have almost no commute but if you do commute I recommend examcrackers audio osmosis. I studied maybe 4 hours each weekend day, but that time increased as the exam got closer.
When I say I studied 2 hours, I mean I was at my desk working problems for 2 hours- no computer, no cell phone, no distractions. I learned to focus in a completely different manner than my college studying which was probably 70% procrastinating/whining about how much I had to study.

This is almost exactly what I did. I work full time supervising a production group in biotech and have been out of college for 4 years. I was working 40+ hour weeks, taking a Kaplan MCAT class, 8 hours of classes in the evening every week and 4-8 hours of clinical volunteering each week. Setting up and sticking to a schedule was key for the MCAT. Kaplan gives you a schedule to do the problem sets which was really helpful - I just applied their suggested schedule to my own. MCAT class was helpful for me but I know I learn better when I have a physical commitment to be somewhere.

I cut down my sleep from about 7 hrs a night to 4-5 hrs a night to fit in more studying. Awful at first but you get used to it. I studied about an hour at lunch, at any point during my day that I could, as soon as I got home and (sometimes) an hour in the morning. I commuted about 30 minutes each way and used examcrackers audio osmosis - it kept me very focused on the task at hand. Also used Kaplan's one-a-day practice questions for the same reason. About halfway through the class I started taking one practice test a week and stuck to that commitment religiously. I found a quite corner in local law library, showed up at 730 am and started the practice test at 8. I took every possible step to simulate the test day experience - I think that really paid off.

I told my friends I was basically going to be unavailable for three months and my social life dropped to almost nothing, I stopped surfing for almost 3 months (longest period in my life) and missed all kinds of postseason football. It's kind of shocking how much time you have when you cut unnecessary things from your life. Now that I've been accepted for class of 2017 it was all worth it.

Sorry for an unnecessarily long post - hope you succeed.
PS Those of you who studied for the MCAT with a fulltime job and kids - I salute you.

 

[anguisette]

You'd be surprised at how much time you have when you forgo some sleep and all socialization.

Also agree with this. I started with work full time and school full time (night and weekend classes). You fit in study time every where else. When I was done with school I replaced those hours with MCAT studying and shadowing while working. Then when I was done with MCAT studying I did ECs and med school apps while working. That's the only way I managed--prioritizing one thing at a time rather than trying to do everything at once. Maybe not the best solution but it worked for me.

And again, lots of sleep and socialization forgoing.

 

[Back 5]

The past year I have been working 40+ hours a week and taking 2 science classes each semester, including summer. I had to study on the weekends and when I got home from class (worked 9-5/7 and class from 7-10) Mon-Thurs.

Now that I am not working, I am relaxing a bit, going to enjoy the holidays and prepare myself for 4 months of intense MCAT study.

On a side note, I actually find it more difficult to study and manage my time now that I have soooooo much free time. When you are working and full to the gills with studying and life demands, you become ultra efficient at time management. Now that I don't have the demands of work, I am having to try 2-3 times as hard to stay focused and on schedule.

 

[Bbutterfly]

Pretty much the same here! I woork on a med surg floor and work ONLY week-ends, given that I am in school Monday through Friday. Most nights it slows down after 12am before picking up again around 4am. So instead of spending time with coworkers, I do as much work as possible.
This semester that is concluding, I had 2 days during the week where I was done at school by the beginning of the afternoon. so hubby and I made an arrangment and he will take care of the litle one, while I stayed at school and study until 7p, 8p or 9p depedning on how much I had to do. The rest of the days, I got home around 6p, spent some family time, got to sleep and woke up around midnight to study until 3 or 4am ( Since I am used to be up at night for work, I can also study efficiently at night at home).
It comes down to a lot of discipline and great support!

I am lucky enough to work nights. USUALLY it slows down enough around 1-3 am (med-surg floor) that I can do some homework. I also work only Fri-Sat-Sun. Leaves me about 6 hours to study on Tues-Wed-Thur while the kids are at school/daycare. I didn't have a social life before school; so that helps, too.

 

[Gauss44]

I hear the key to this is studying BEFORE work so that you are not too exhausted to study effectively. This doesn't work for everyone. Depends on your personal stamina and if you can afford to be tired at work.

 

[lovesfall]

I went with the "smarter, not harder" route. I figured out how my professors taught, what they wanted us to know, and basically focused my energy on what I thought I would see on the exams. For some classes, if I knew it was MCAT material, I went above and beyond class material to make sure my bases were covered. I worked up to 60 hours per week, did a bunch of volunteer stuff, and took classes (usually ~2 at a time, 3 occasionally). Not going to lie -- it isn't easy to manage your time, but if you can find ways to be disciplined and methodical about knowing how you learn and targeting your study time to help you get the most information stored in the least time possible, it's definitely do-able. Also, like PP mentioned, know when you are most able to take it in. For me, mornings > nights. I'm a morning person and I tend to do more with an hour in the morning than an hour at the end of the day. I've also made myself audio notes and flash cards so that I could study in little bits of down time throughout the day (e.g., at the gym, in the car, on the bus, at lunch, etc.). Creativity is your friend when it comes to learning to be more efficient.

Prior to MCAT, I took 10 days off too and just sequestered myself and studied like crazy.

 

[avodemas]

I agree with studying "smarter, not harder". I have been working full-time for the past 10 years. 7 of those, I was also a graduate student. What you need are basic time management skills. Whether you are in school or only studying for the MCAT, you have to start preparing for the test early. If you plan on spending 400 hours preparing for MCAT, break it into manageable sessions. Start with 30 min study session and gradually build up endurance. I did most of my studying from 9pm to midnight on weeknights and for about 6-8 hours every Saturday and Sunday. If you work full-time and go to school, I would suggest delaying your MCAT preparation until you are done with school.

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

This is almost exactly what I did. I work full time supervising a production group in biotech and have been out of college for 4 years. I was working 40+ hour weeks, taking a Kaplan MCAT class, 8 hours of classes in the evening every week and 4-8 hours of clinical volunteering each week. Setting up and sticking to a schedule was key for the MCAT. Kaplan gives you a schedule to do the problem sets which was really helpful - I just applied their suggested schedule to my own. MCAT class was helpful for me but I know I learn better when I have a physical commitment to be somewhere.

I cut down my sleep from about 7 hrs a night to 4-5 hrs a night to fit in more studying. Awful at first but you get used to it. I studied about an hour at lunch, at any point during my day that I could, as soon as I got home and (sometimes) an hour in the morning. I commuted about 30 minutes each way and used examcrackers audio osmosis - it kept me very focused on the task at hand. Also used Kaplan's one-a-day practice questions for the same reason. About halfway through the class I started taking one practice test a week and stuck to that commitment religiously. I found a quite corner in local law library, showed up at 730 am and started the practice test at 8. I took every possible step to simulate the test day experience - I think that really paid off.

I told my friends I was basically going to be unavailable for three months and my social life dropped to almost nothing, I stopped surfing for almost 3 months (longest period in my life) and missed all kinds of postseason football. It's kind of shocking how much time you have when you cut unnecessary things from your life. Now that I've been accepted for class of 2017 it was all worth it.

Sorry for an unnecessarily long post - hope you succeed.
PS Those of you who studied for the MCAT with a fulltime job and kids - I salute you.

Love this post. Thanks for sharing what worked for you.

This whole thread is full of win.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

So I did a couple things... 1, I started using mass transit so I could use that time to study, 2, I started getting using audio books, or downloads (audible.com, etc) and used any time I had to drive, to 'study' then, I'd go home and study... but I worked a fulltime job, and fulltime school and am now OMS1

 

[neurodoc]

Working full-time while studying, as the OP stipulated, is gonna be very demanding, especially if you mean 40 hrs/week. One way to do that would be to work on weekends and a few weekdays around your weekday classes. If you can get T-Th classes you can work MWF + S/S, for example. Another approach is to get a high-paying job and working for fewer than 40hr/week. Or how about working the whole summer or part-year at some high-paying job....e.g. on an oil rig in Alaska or as a truck driver for one of the Govt Contract companies in Iraq/Afganistan (I'm only partly kidding).

I worked all throughout UG and Grad school and med school (all about 1/2 time and full-time during the long breaks). I worked in the building trades, as a plumber, which paid very well, had fairly flexible hours, and allowed me to get through UG/Grad/Med School with less than $20k student loan debt, paid back in full during residency. This was a while ago (I got my MD in 1990). During grad school I had two jobs...for UCB as a TA and plumbing.

 

[MDOnlyWillDo]

However, I would like to see how those who work night shift are able to study so effectively. I work 12 hour shifts (full time) on a rather busy tele floor, so when I'm done with work, I usually sleep for most of the day. I'd like some insight on anyone who works nights and may have some tips to sticking to a rigorous schedule. Thanks.

I work overnight 12-hr shifts in the ED. This wouldn't work for someone who lives alone, but about 4 hours after I go to sleep my husband comes in every so often and slowly opens the light-blocking blinds. It's the best way for me so far, helping me naturally wake up. Otherwise I get up at 5pm, just enough time for dinner and commuting.

I agree with the no socialization and little sleep- my social calendar is solely my family (friends? what friends?) and I've gotten used to getting about 4 to 5 hours of sleep. I am one of those rare people who can't study first thing in the morning- I need time to wake up before I can focus.

 

[Billy Madison]

Become a sleep tech. You work 3 nights a week and can study for about 4 to 6 hours each shift. Ironically, you are the one helping others sleep better while your sleep will suffer greatly.