Is this possible - HES

[Irish0407]

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does anyone know if it is possible to do chem, bio, and physics in fall/spring and then orgo in the summer or is that way too much at once?

 

[Lokhtar]

From what I hear - its possible, if you have very little else going on. I believe Maxprime finished it in one year.

 

[Irish0407]

by nothing else going on i'm guessing you mean a job....

i am looking at HES specifically b/c the night classes will allow me to work part-time. anyone have any more insight?

 

[Lokhtar]

Then don't take three courses.

 

[cheezer]

don't work if you're planning on taking everything in a year. you want those grades as high as possible, yes?

plus organic chem during the summer is going to be a full time job in itself

 

[Maxprime]

From what I hear - its possible, if you have very little else going on. I believe Maxprime finished it in one year.

I felt my ears burning . . . 🙂

does anyone know if it is possible to do chem, bio, and physics in fall/spring and then orgo in the summer or is that way too much at once?

'tis possible, also not the most fun experience you'll go through. With a part time job, I don't know if it's even possible. When I say impossible, I mean Stephen Hawking with Schwarzenegger's body couldn't do it. There just aren't enough hours in the day/week.

Then don't take three courses.

+1. While I know success stories, I also know stories of it not going well. It's better to put in some extra time and not have a grade deficit to try to overcome. Post-bacc is show-off time, it's the one time you cannot afford to take on too much. Especially if you're working, go with just 2 classes - they'll keep you more than busy enough.

 

[Irish0407]

got the point.

i really want to get the post-bacc done as quickly as possible while working part-time. it is possible to take more than orgo in the summer (start physics and complete it in the fall) or is orgo just that time consuming.

thanks for the advice so far...

 

[Lokhtar]

All the summer courses will be pretty much full time.

 

[Maxprime]

got the point.

i really want to get the post-bacc done as quickly as possible while working part-time. it is possible to take more than orgo in the summer (start physics and complete it in the fall) or is orgo just that time consuming.

thanks for the advice so far...

It's definitely not possible - no question about it. I got straight A's while taking 3 classes, doing research, studying for the MCAT, and volunteering - then struggled to keep my A- in orgo over the summer. It was incredibly difficult. If you absolutely must, take orgo in the summer - clear everything else off your schedule.

I wanted to take biochem along with it and was (thankfully) heavily warned against it. It's bad, I mean really bad - trust me on this one.

 

[cheezer]

got the point.

i really want to get the post-bacc done as quickly as possible while working part-time. it is possible to take more than orgo in the summer (start physics and complete it in the fall) or is orgo just that time consuming.

thanks for the advice so far...

I second Maxprime. If you take orgo during the summer it should be your one and only focus.

As for the regular school year, your goal is to kick ass in the prereqs and working will only slow you down. I'd suggest taking out loans instead. gpa rehabilitation is much worse than some added on debt.

 

[Irish0407]

thanks for the advice. maxprime - did you have any science at all going in? how much time did you dedicate to studying to get the 3 prereqs done in a year. i'd like to get them done so I can take the DAT at the end of the summer and get my dschool apps sent in during that year but I'm gaining that this is near impossible. anyone have any alternative ideas? i'd like to put off loans until dschool and I have some money that will cover tuition at HES but the living expenses in Boston might kill me.

 

[Lokhtar]

You may want to try some other place then. Check out my sig for about nine places just in Philadelphia that offer structured post-bac.

 

[Maxprime]

thanks for the advice. maxprime - did you have any science at all going in?

One of my undergrad degrees is a BS in Math - so I didn't have any science classes per-se, but had a pretty strong background in problem solving. It definitely made things easier in gen chem & physics.

how much time did you dedicate to studying to get the 3 prereqs done in a year.

A TON. If I wasn't at the hospital or in the lab, I was studying. We would go out once every couple of weeks or maybe after an exam, but very little recreating. I have friends still in the program that get up every morning, go to the library, study all day, get kicked out at midnight, and go home to sleep. I'm currently doing a 2 year MS program in Neuroscience in just 1 year and taking 3 classes @ HES was a lot more work than this.

But, you get out what you put in. I killed myself every day for a year, but I got a 14 on the BS without any background in biology before my HES class.

but the living expenses in Boston might kill me.

Most. Expensive. City. Ever. (but worth every penny!) Lokhtar knows what he's talking about, regardless of anyone's opinion - definitely shop around. I've said many times that I absolutely loved HES, but that doesn't meant it's for everyone.

 

[Lokhtar]

Lokhtar knows what he's talking about

Awww I love you too.



Well, your MCAT score at least.

 

[Lokhtar]

I really wish it was possible to steal MCAT scores 😛.

 

[Irish0407]

thanks for all the advice so far. I really appreciate it. I think 3 does sound a little out of my league esp since I want to work so I can pay some bills, car payment, rent, etc. I definitely want to be in Boston though - my home city! From what I am reading you guys are pre-med, not sure how much you know about pre-dental, but I was thinking since physics is not on the DAT, taking bio and chem, then summer orgo, and then physics the next year so that I can take the DAT late summer. Owen told me that chem is a prereq for bio (or is it the other way around??) How important do you feel it is to take this in order or can they be feasibly done simultaneously?

Thanks!

 

[Lokhtar]

thanks for all the advice so far. I really appreciate it. I think 3 does sound a little out of my league esp since I want to work so I can pay some bills, car payment, rent, etc. I definitely want to be in Boston though - my home city! From what I am reading you guys are pre-med, not sure how much you know about pre-dental, but I was thinking since physics is not on the DAT, taking bio and chem, then summer orgo, and then physics the next year so that I can take the DAT late summer. Owen told me that chem is a prereq for bio (or is it the other way around??) How important do you feel it is to take this in order or can they be feasibly done simultaneously?

Thanks!

It's not a hard pre-requisite, but it will certainly enhance your understanding during Bio, and it is 'strongly' recommended. Generally, when they say something is strongly recommended', I'd think twice about not following that guideline, especially if you have no prior exposure to the subject. Remember that you need to get As in post-bacs, or close to it, and HES classes are very challenging. You needlessly don't want to put yourself at a disadvantage.

Fixsen (the person who teaches bio)'s class is very in-depth and having an understanding of basic chemistry would be very helpful, from what everyone has been saying about HES. If you have two summers, you can do CHEM in the summer, OCHEM and BIO during the year, and then Physics in the second summer - that way you can do the DAT in the middle.