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Job and Full Load
Started by lazgirl24
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I don't currently have that load, but when I was an undergrad, that was my situation. Just do the best you can. Pay your bills, but beyond that, your grades and academic progress should be your primary concern. I worked pretty hard to get through school. So far, I've recieved several acceptances at top tier schools. It can be done.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
during undergrad...many semesters i took around 20 units and worked around 40 hours a week.
class and work for me would take me till about midnight everyday and I would come home around then and start on stuff i needed to do like studying or hw or papers...
if you just have a plan and manage your time well and prepare to sacrifice some hours of sleep. i think i got on average 4 hours of sleep on a normal day.
try not to waste a lot of time by just procrastinating (which eats up a lot of time) and just constantly remind yourself that the more you put it off the more you will have to do in the end and being in that situation is just way too stressful.
but do take some breaks once in a while to just relax tho. these definitely helps out when it seems like you are being overwhelmed. just dont lose yourself in these breaks by constantly taking them.
it sucks but we are in this situation for our own particular reasons. my grades did suffer relatively to others who didnt have the load i had, but in the end i still turned out to be a relatively competitive applicant and did not regret any of the decisions that i have made.
class and work for me would take me till about midnight everyday and I would come home around then and start on stuff i needed to do like studying or hw or papers...
if you just have a plan and manage your time well and prepare to sacrifice some hours of sleep. i think i got on average 4 hours of sleep on a normal day.
try not to waste a lot of time by just procrastinating (which eats up a lot of time) and just constantly remind yourself that the more you put it off the more you will have to do in the end and being in that situation is just way too stressful.
but do take some breaks once in a while to just relax tho. these definitely helps out when it seems like you are being overwhelmed. just dont lose yourself in these breaks by constantly taking them.
it sucks but we are in this situation for our own particular reasons. my grades did suffer relatively to others who didnt have the load i had, but in the end i still turned out to be a relatively competitive applicant and did not regret any of the decisions that i have made.
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Hey Laz - I have work study at school so I always work part time and take a full load...usually with 2 labs. Honestly if you can find an on-campus job that's going to be the easiest way to manage it all. On-campus jobs are extremely flexible and often let you study when it's slow. They understand that your grades are the most important thing. If you can't find that then some off-campus jobs will still let you study when things are slow but it's harder to find.
The key is definitely time management tho lol. Schedule out every minute of your day and do your best to stick to it...even your fun...it sucks, but it's definitely doable. Avoid distractions and procrastinating (that's the hardest part for me). Schedule in specific tv watching time or computer time if you have to separate from your study time or use both of those as rewards for finishing things.
You may not have time for many ECs outside of school and work, but once you get the hang of it you will be surprised at how much you will be able to schedule in (depending on how many hrs you're really working).
Good luck!
The key is definitely time management tho lol. Schedule out every minute of your day and do your best to stick to it...even your fun...it sucks, but it's definitely doable. Avoid distractions and procrastinating (that's the hardest part for me). Schedule in specific tv watching time or computer time if you have to separate from your study time or use both of those as rewards for finishing things.
You may not have time for many ECs outside of school and work, but once you get the hang of it you will be surprised at how much you will be able to schedule in (depending on how many hrs you're really working).
Good luck!
I work 40 hours a week and have 18 credits.
It's hard work, but if you manage your time properly you'll be fine. Just don't expect to have any fun, any free time that pops up is used for study time. And be prepared not to sleep much, but just think of it as practice for when you become an intern.🙂
It's hard work, but if you manage your time properly you'll be fine. Just don't expect to have any fun, any free time that pops up is used for study time. And be prepared not to sleep much, but just think of it as practice for when you become an intern.🙂
I really have to agree that on campus work is the way to go. Before I use to work off campus forty hours a week full time, I got a pretty sucky gpa from it--2.72 
So a very wise man, Mike Molina said what is more important? Being a doctor or making money? He suggested that on campus work would be the way to go...Luckily I got a job at the MESA center as student coordinator, thereby killing two birds with one stone, leadership, AND money 🙂...My gpa in one year has gone from that to over3.0....with two 4.0 semesters and one 3.5, DAMN OCEM!!!!
sorry 🙂 only 52 points from an A in that class....anyways, really look into on campus work, and take the stress off making some dough
So a very wise man, Mike Molina said what is more important? Being a doctor or making money? He suggested that on campus work would be the way to go...Luckily I got a job at the MESA center as student coordinator, thereby killing two birds with one stone, leadership, AND money 🙂...My gpa in one year has gone from that to over3.0....with two 4.0 semesters and one 3.5, DAMN OCEM!!!! sorry 🙂 only 52 points from an A in that class....anyways, really look into on campus work, and take the stress off making some doughCurrently I'm working 28 hours a week and talking 15 credits (in a professional program). Like everyone else said, organize your time appropriately and there shouldn't be a problem. Get an agenda with the hours listed four each day and plan all the work you got into it. Just make sure that you can do it and that your weekly goals are realistic. It took some time to get disciplined, but in the end it is worth it.
I work 24-25 hours a week, 18 credit hours with 3 labs, and a full time g/f. Good thing is my scheduled ended up me going to class from 8am to 10pm on monday and wednesday, then work Tuesday, Thursdays, and Friday. It leaves the weekend for the g/f and studying. It is only the end of the first week back, but so far so good, besides my grandma passing away last Saturday.
I agree with you that on-campus jobs are the way to go. I was really lucky because I found a part time research job that enabled me to pay for a big chunk of my tuition AND get a lot of great research experience at the same time.
I didn't do work study but if you find a work study position, then you can work for about 10-15 hours a week and gain a lot of good experience in the process. Also you will have enough time to participate in other extracurricular activities. The max hours/week for work study is 20, if I recall correctly.
I didn't do work study but if you find a work study position, then you can work for about 10-15 hours a week and gain a lot of good experience in the process. Also you will have enough time to participate in other extracurricular activities. The max hours/week for work study is 20, if I recall correctly.
i have 2 labs (bio & chem) and i'm currently working too 🙂 it's perfectly do-able and i have plenty of time to volunteer and do research work. i edit research papers for my school journal as well. i work for only 5 hrs/wk though. so, im not sure if that really counts as "work".
Thanks for all your responses!!! I so scared that if i start to work, i won't have time for studying. I am planning to work at a optometrist's office but i don't know how much she wants me to work. I am also taking 22 quarter units.
Holy cow Laz - 22 qtr hrs isn't just a full time course load, it's an overload. I know if I was taking that many classes I couldn't possibly work too. Assuming you need to work to pay your bills you may want to seriously consider cutting back on the number of credits you're taking. Obviously you don't want to bite off more than you can chew.
I take ~16 hrs/semester and work about 14 hrs/week, and that's a pretty rough schedule for me. I'm lucky to see my bf twice/week right now lol. But working on campus as a research assistant I'm able to make my own schedule. Tues and Thurs are my long days for classes (have one at 8am, one at 1:40, and one at 4:30) so I'm there from about 7:40-6:30, but Mon I'm done by 10:40 and Wed by 12:30 so that's when I work the most.
Working for an optometrist sounds like a great opportunity, but you may want to wait until next qtr to start working for her and cut down on the number of hours you take. Most schools recommend only working 5-10 hrs/week if taking their recommended full load (and you're taking an overload so they wouldn't recommend working at all). Usually you can handle a few more hours than the school recommends but be very careful with such a full load of classes.
Good luck!
I take ~16 hrs/semester and work about 14 hrs/week, and that's a pretty rough schedule for me. I'm lucky to see my bf twice/week right now lol. But working on campus as a research assistant I'm able to make my own schedule. Tues and Thurs are my long days for classes (have one at 8am, one at 1:40, and one at 4:30) so I'm there from about 7:40-6:30, but Mon I'm done by 10:40 and Wed by 12:30 so that's when I work the most.
Working for an optometrist sounds like a great opportunity, but you may want to wait until next qtr to start working for her and cut down on the number of hours you take. Most schools recommend only working 5-10 hrs/week if taking their recommended full load (and you're taking an overload so they wouldn't recommend working at all). Usually you can handle a few more hours than the school recommends but be very careful with such a full load of classes.
Good luck!
I agree that is an overload.....I have three science classes, volunteering, applying for financial aid, planning a wedding, and running a club, and working full time,,,,it is going to be very hetic I could not imagine with 22 units how to have time for all of that!
I just did seven night shifts in a row, with 11 credit hours and two labs. This surely isn't going to be much fun. But, I do think it's possible. I think what everyone said about not procrastinating is key. If we do and get behind, we won't have time to catch up. On the other hand if we use our time well and keep up we shouldn't have to cram too much. I'm most worried about taking exams while exhausted.
you need to sleep to do well on an exam....it was in some CNN thing that my bio teacher especially printed up for me...she did this after I stayed up 52 hours studying for not only her class but for Chem as well. You don't want to be too exhausted....One time I was so tired I fell asleep on my math exam!!! literally! That really doesnt help people have a high view of you huh 🙂 Now I always have 6 hrs of sleep before my exams and I havnt failed one yet.....Plus there are embarrassing things that can occur if you are not fully aware 🙂
Example: I sit in the very front because my eyesite is bad, and no insurance, so while my bio professor was giving a lecture on an overhead one day, I started to drift asleep, I slipped in my chair and bumped the overhead into her!! How embarrassing...
anyone else have stories of these?
Example: I sit in the very front because my eyesite is bad, and no insurance, so while my bio professor was giving a lecture on an overhead one day, I started to drift asleep, I slipped in my chair and bumped the overhead into her!!
How embarrassing...anyone else have stories of these?
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deleted36260
This thread is refreshing.
I'm an undergrad going back to school. I'll be working 25-30hrs a week, with 15-16semesters hrs of school.
Sounds like the general thought is that good time management makes this fully doable! 🙂
I'm an undergrad going back to school. I'll be working 25-30hrs a week, with 15-16semesters hrs of school.
Sounds like the general thought is that good time management makes this fully doable! 🙂
