How long for undergrad?

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apnea

Forgot the safe word...
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i'm planning to major in microbiology, interdisciplinary studies in molecular biology...and it's probably going to take me 6 years :oops:

i'm planning on going full time, working when i can, and not neglecting my daughter. i'm also taking probably more electives than the average pre-med would, but that's not what's setting me back. Is it going to look bad to take that long to finish a degree?

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Don't see any reason why that would look bad, especially considering that the average time to finish undergrad nowadays is edging over 5 years.

Good luck:)
 
if you count my detour through a worng major...having to go back to cc to finish pre-reqs i ultimately graduated with my two b.s. degrees 12 years after i graduated hs....so six to me would not be that bad :)

is tehre anyway to pare down to the bare minimum and shave a semester or two off...once you have satisfied the course requirements for the degree as well as taken the med school requirements??
 
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Slow and steady wins the race.

High gpa & lots of hard courses > shorter time to get degree :thumbup:
 
i'm planning to major in microbiology, interdisciplinary studies in molecular biology...and it's probably going to take me 6 years :oops:

i'm planning on going full time, working when i can, and not neglecting my daughter. i'm also taking probably more electives than the average pre-med would, but that's not what's setting me back. Is it going to look bad to take that long to finish a degree?

Don't worry; it took me 6.5 years to get my B.S. I had to work full time through college, but you have to take care of a child through college and that's waaaaay harder than working 2 full time jobs! Adcoms will probably think nothing of it. If they bring it up at least you have a damn good explanation!

Good luck :luck:
 
Micro/molecular bio won't be easy...i'm a little worried about the "filler classes" though. i think i COULD shave about a semester off, but i'm not sure i'd be able to pull the grades the whole way through. When i say i'm going full time, i mean i'm going 12-15 hours, and all but the last two semesters are working towards my dance minor. i'm copping out a little, i've been a ballerina since i was 3 :oops: So i'll take a 3 credit hour ballet class for 6 semesters, then it goes to 2 hours for the last two, and that's supplemented with choreography and recital classes. It's a definite GPA pad.
 
Started in June 2000 and finished in August 2005 for one degree and no minor after attending school every summer except for one.

My only advice is not to go for the program simply because you want your application to look better or to stand out. Pick a degree that you are really interested in.
 
Micro/molecular bio won't be easy...i'm a little worried about the "filler classes" though. i think i COULD shave about a semester off, but i'm not sure i'd be able to pull the grades the whole way through. When i say i'm going full time, i mean i'm going 12-15 hours, and all but the last two semesters are working towards my dance minor. i'm copping out a little, i've been a ballerina since i was 3 :oops: So i'll take a 3 credit hour ballet class for 6 semesters, then it goes to 2 hours for the last two, and that's supplemented with choreography and recital classes. It's a definite GPA pad.

Are you still considering nursing first?
 
i'm planning to major in microbiology, interdisciplinary studies in molecular biology...and it's probably going to take me 6 years :oops:

i'm planning on going full time, working when i can, and not neglecting my daughter. i'm also taking probably more electives than the average pre-med would, but that's not what's setting me back. Is it going to look bad to take that long to finish a degree?

Taking 6 years to complete your degree is not problematic if you have family obligations, employment etc. As long as you keep your grades high and master your coursework, you should be fine. If it is taking your six years, you must be taking a semester off here and there or taking less than a full-time load some semesters which is understandable because you have a family and need to have an income.

Quality always trumps quantity.
 
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