Older Pre Meds working fuul time.

[PreMedJason]

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hi all
I am changing Careers and going Back to scool To finsh all Premed Sci requirments I need. My question is How many of you Guys/Gals work fulltime and are going to school full time 12+ credit hours?


Premed Jason

 

[MedicineBird]

hi all
I am changing Careers and going Back to scool To finsh all Premed Sci requirments I need. My question is How many of you Guys/Gals work fulltime and are going to school full time 12+ credit hours?


Premed Jason

I did and took 20 credits/semester. It's hell but doable

 

[twicetenturns]

Me too.

It hurt so good, but only really works if you don't sleep much

 

[MedicineBird]

Me too.

It hurt so good, but only really works if you don't sleep much

that's exactly right. you also have to know when to call it quits and get some sleep no matter what is due.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Would that be 3 classes with labs? Depends on what else you have in your life, but it's doable. The important thing is to be able to get great grades so access your abilities honestly before embarking on it. It is better to take a little longer if it means the difference between A's and B's. Also, with that schedule you will probably staying in on a lot of Friday and Saturday nights, so plan accordingly.

By the way, I took 8 credit hours (two classes with lab) and worked full time for a year. It was rough, but I enjoyed what I was learning and didn't mind being so busy for the year.

 

[MedicineBird]

Would that be 3 classes with labs? Depends on what else you have in your life, but it's doable. The important thing is to be able to get great grades so access your abilities honestly before embarking on it. It is better to take a little longer if it means the difference between A's and B's. Also, with that schedule you will probably staying in on a lot of Friday and Saturday nights, so plan accordingly.

By the way, I took 8 credit hours (two classes with lab) and worked full time for a year. It was rough, but I enjoyed what I was learning and didn't mind being so busy for the year.

I have to say I think it would be easier if the classes you took were ones with lab simply because the work you have to do on your own time is less i.e. you are done when you walk out of the lab (except for possibly a write up). It gets really stressful taking 5 or 6 classes knowing you have homework to get done in all of them by the end of the week and need to get started but you're stuck at work. It works best if you find a job that you might get some down with. For instance I worked in the ER while I was taking 19 credits (only one class with lab) and on the night shift I would sometimes find time to work on assignments around 3am when it slowed down. Of course often we would get slammed all night so it was never a sure thing. You just really have to be good at managing your time and sticking to it. I know I would have gotten better grades had I just had school to deal with but managed to do well enough. Raistlin is very right though -- you definitely need to know your limits and be prepared for no life. The worst thing you can do is get in over your head because then you are screwed on both the school and work front.

 

[3rd_i]

here's another one who did it. Came back from the peace corps and decided to get into med-school. But with a philosophy BA, I had to take almost all of the prereqs. I took 8 credits per semester while working at a local hospital as a CNA. Not to bad as long as you're focused. The hardest part was studying for the MCAT's when I hadn't even finished Org. Chem.

But I think that focus is one of our assests as a non-trad. We've seen what else is out there, and we know that it doesn't appeal to us. we've come to the decision to become a Doctor via an alternate route. That gives us motivation that many undergrads could only dream of.

Good luck!

 

[llort]

here's another one who did it. Came back from the peace corps and decided to get into med-school. But with a philosophy BA, I had to take almost all of the prereqs. I took 8 credits per semester while working at a local hospital as a CNA. Not to bad as long as you're focused. The hardest part was studying for the MCAT's when I hadn't even finished Org. Chem.

But I think that focus is one of our assests as a non-trad. We've seen what else is out there, and we know that it doesn't appeal to us. we've come to the decision to become a Doctor via an alternate route. That gives us motivation that many undergrads could only dream of.

Good luck!

I also did the career change and went back to school for a year to take premed reqs: took 36 semester hours, did some working and volunteering. fortunately my parents live in the same city as my state university, so I just moved in with them. (free rent). I studied alot, but the hardest thing about it all was trying to convince college chicks to come back to my parents basement to hook up.

 

[Geronimo]

I taught school full time and went back to school. I can be tough and a real strain on quality time with family but overall it has been a blessing. Now I'm ready for whatever Med School throws at me! It might even seem like a break!

 

[titoincali]

I'm currently working full time (40 hours) and taking 2-3 classes a term to finish my pre-med classes. I've just finished my core pre-med classes after a 2 1/2 post bacc run. There were times I was so tired that I was almost non-functioning at work or at home but I'm glad I stuck with it. Or, I guess I should wait to see if it was worth it when I apply to MD school next June!

Wait, I'm still taking 1-2 classes a term while I apply so I guess I'm not completely done. Oh well.

 

[DrYo12]

I have been working full time and taking classes at night and on the weekends whenever possible. Its hard to be at work all day and then to shift yourself into classes mode and then stay up even later studying, but it can be done--and its worth it!! I have been out of school for about 4 years, but taking the classes as I can. When it came time for MCAT studying, it was really quite madness because I was taking the courses, studying for MCAT, and working full time. The MCAT went alright and this pace of life paid off because I'm now at the waiting end of 4 interviews with 1 acceptance!! Life happens and admissions committees understand this and appreciate it!

G'luck! 😀

 

[nicholonious]

hi all
I am changing Careers and going Back to scool To finsh all Premed Sci requirments I need. My question is How many of you Guys/Gals work fulltime and are going to school full time 12+ credit hours?


Premed Jason

I never did it, but if you can pull it off, more power to you. I do regret overworking myself certain quarters and wishing that I had not done so. Just make sure you can pull off good solid grades without the feeling of work burdening your academic performance.

For example, one quarter I took 5 classes (approximately 18 units), TA'ed for a lab class, and worked about 8 hours a week at a genetics lab. This was quite overwhelming and retrospectively looking back, realized that it hurt my grades somewhat. Simply put, I wouldn't have done this much at once if I could do it again, spreading out the work is smart and helps you manage things more wisely.

When the days feel like 6am-2am, repeat, repeat, then you start to understand what you've gotten yourself into.

 

[PreMedJason]

Thank you all for your wonderful input and encouragment.
It's a marthon for sure..

Premed Jason

 

[medic170]

hi all
I am changing Careers and going Back to scool To finsh all Premed Sci requirments I need. My question is How many of you Guys/Gals work fulltime and are going to school full time 12+ credit hours?


Premed Jason

I did it for 4 years. If you really want it, you can do it.

 

[Handyman2Doc]

I took a ten year hiatus from school. I am a married father of two, and for the past year and a half I have worked full time in the construction field, gone to school for 14-17 credits/semester, coached little league soccer three seasons per year, and just recently started volunteering saturday nights in the ED. Although I am married, my wife works retail so I end up cooking 5/7 nights a week and somehow the laundry ended up being my responsiblity as well. 😕 Still trying to figure out how I got suckered into that.

It is a very hectic life but I am happier than I have ever been. The key for me is TIME MANAGEMENT. My gpa is around 3.7 and I attribute that to making sure to study course materials on the day they are given instead of cramming the night before an exam. I tried the cramming route the first semester and I was rewarded with a C in calculus for my efforts. 🙁

BTW, I still get to bed between 11pm and midnight on most nights so if you do it right, you won't have you spend your under-grad years feeling like you are run through a meat grinder on a daily basis. 😀

OH! And Caffiene! LOTS of caffiene helps too.

 

[medworm]

I'm amazed at how you all manage! I too started w/ 1 class at a time but decided that time was more precious, so I quit my full-time job and went to school instead. Fast forward to the Fall semester: I took 18 units w/5 labs a week, 2 volunteering jobs and a lot of commuting. During the week, I did assignments and reading, but it was only during the weekend that I could study for exams. Somehow, no matter how much I try, I was always behind b/c I had at least 1-2 exams a week. So I was constantly exhausted w/EXTREME fatigue. I definitely noticed a drop in creativity (in ideas and language) and responsiveness. I certain put on a few years in my face and a few pounds from cutting out exercise and social activities. In all, I wasn't insane yet but somehow I started losing my hair, which was very demoralizing. I swear, there was no end in sight. I was doing okay but not acing (>95%) every exam, so I ended up griping and being angry at myself. (I still need to touch up on certain topics I didn't fully grasp in class.) But anyhoo -- I'm glad the semester's finally over. Phew! (I certainly hope the adcoms can put 2+2 together and figure out that even though I'm no child prodigy I morphed into a pretty darn dedicated old premed.) I have a short holiday break before going full speed at the April MCATs and finishing my prereqs. Sorry for the long run-on "story of my life". 😴

 

[liverotcod]

I maxed out at 10 credits (physics, organic with labs) along with my full time job, the newborn and the four year old, and volunteering. For me, it would have been difficult to do more without significant quality problems on all fronts.

 

[twicetenturns]

Come to think of it,

My beard does have an interesting slash of grey through it after that experience. It really does depend on what type of person you are. I love a hectic schedule and don't really sleep much anyhow. If you are naught but driven, go for it.

Oh yeah, Friday night fun = physics problem set and LOTS of coffee.

 

[benelswick]

Cool thread!

I'm working full-time and doing about 10-12 hrs/sem. But I eased into it, kind of like adding weight towards a peak set in weight lifting. I also agree with the person who found the on the job down-time--this is one of the killer tricks of the trade, because you can pay your bills while studying. I transfered out of the swing shift in the E.R. to a gig transporting patients around the hospital because once I finish a call I can usually squeeze in some quick studying before the next call. This kind of hustling is a skill that evolves from necessity and it took me awhile to find the niche but anyone could do it.

For those who are doing this while raising children....man, you guys are in a whole different league. Hats off to you.--Ben.

 

[camukuhi]

Just to add weight to what everyone else said,It can be done.I have worled a full time job (averaging 40 hours a week) and btw 12 to 16 credit hours.My GPA is 3.9 and i do some volunteer work.Notmuch compared to what some of us have to go through but it is possible.Just hang in there and manage your time.All the best.

 

[mshheaddoc]

Ok another question for all of you ... did your job support your schooling efforts?

I'm amazed at all of you who did this, and I'm very jealous. I don't know if I could do all of it, only b/c of the class schedule around me 🙁 lecture on night, lab another ... hard to get all the classes in ...


Also was this County Colleges or universities? Thanks 🙂


I'm contemplating on whether to quit my job (which I can't really afford to do ....) or to find a new job and go to school. I can't do any work for school at work ... its too hard ... and stressful at times. and non-health related ... looking to maybe switch ...

~Mushy

 

[PublicEnemy]

i'm almost 2 years out of undergrad, i've been working full-time and taking a full-load of classes. i worked as a research specialist and quality manager at Penn last year in Hematology/Medical Oncology and this year i accepted a position as clinical research coordinator at Cooper in Radiation Oncology. as part of my benefits for working at penn, i got free tuition, for 2-3 classes per semester at penn, which was huge. to take as many classes as possible, i also took a few classes at rutgers. so i was taking 2 classes at penn and 2 classes at rutgers every semester. in 1 calendar year, 3 semesters, i was able to finish 12 classes working full time.

it was rough, but worth it. i got the free classes, while doing research, and getting clinical experience. also volunteering at CHOP was easy too, right next to my building. my days were long, i worked at least 8-9 hours a day in the lab, and then i went straight to class, mostly night classes 6-9pm etc. so 3-4 days of the week it was a 12-13 hour day between work and class. one semester i made the mistake of taking a saturday class with lab, that was bad not only because it was all day, but it ended up ruining my entire weekend as well. squeezing in time to study for the classes was a challenge, but its doable, and it forces you to stay on top of your stuff every week.

obviously choosing to work in research, i wasn't bringing in the same amount of cash i could have, had i chosen offers in consulting or finance, and i thought about going that route, but i figured this way would be most beneficial towards my goals.

 

[jules0328]

Wow, you are all my heroes. I am nowhere near where you guys are. I quit my full time job to solely dedicate myself to school and yet just couldnt ace my classes, *sob* Nonetheless, I admire all of you for being so determined and persistent. Keep up the hard work. As for me, I plan on working even harder next semester.

 

[medic170]

Ok another question for all of you ... did your job support your schooling efforts?

I'm amazed at all of you who did this, and I'm very jealous. I don't know if I could do all of it, only b/c of the class schedule around me 🙁 lecture on night, lab another ... hard to get all the classes in ...


Also was this County Colleges or universities? Thanks 🙂


I'm contemplating on whether to quit my job (which I can't really afford to do ....) or to find a new job and go to school. I can't do any work for school at work ... its too hard ... and stressful at times. and non-health related ... looking to maybe switch ...

~Mushy

I paid with my job and student loans as well. I am not sure what County College is, if you mean Community College, I did that for a year to save $$$ and transferred to my State University.

 

[Birdyman]

I returned to school after 12 years in engineering. My wife works full-time, and I have 3 children. After discussing my undergrad grades with the [local] med school, I decided to quit work and go back to school full-time. I did 11 hours during summer, 15 hours during Fall, and 7 hours during Spring - all life science and chem. I also put in 300+ hours for the Spring MCAT, including reviewing/relearning Physics and GenChem, as well as giving myself a crash course in A&P (which turned out to be unnecesary). I held two volunteer positions, and also stayed on top of my home remodeling projects. I saw quite a few 70+ hour study weeks, and the typical study week was 60 hours. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. Of course, once you've been an engineer for a few years, 70 hours on school is a piece of cake.

But, let's put all that in perspective. My family didn't fall apart - in fact, we may even be stronger. My kids are doing fine, and their school grades are top notch. My wife ended up getting her dream role at the hospital, and got her opportunity to kick off some new nursing programs. The money has worked out, and my health is fine. My post-bacc GPA was 4.0 with A+'s where offered. I had the highest grades in class (usually by 5+ numeric points), except for Organic where one person beat me by 1 point each semester. I scored 30 on the MCAT, which isn't great, but it's good enough considering the "brain fog" present. In retrospect, I think that I could've tackled a 21 hour/semester equivalent and still kept a 4.0.

Anyway, the point of all this is not paint everything rosey, or to say that this will get you into med school. It is simply to say that you can accomplish some big tasks if you have the drive and commitment. My drive came from an experience reflecting what Danny Thomas once said: "No child should die in the dawn of life". Anyway, if you have the drive, go for it ... take the pain ... and have fun.

 

[Renny Bluce]

I returned to school after 12 years in engineering. My wife works full-time, and I have 3 children. After discussing my undergrad grades with the [local] med school, I decided to quit work and go back to school full-time. I did 11 hours during summer, 15 hours during Fall, and 7 hours during Spring - all life science and chem. I also put in 300+ hours for the Spring MCAT, including reviewing/relearning Physics and GenChem, as well as giving myself a crash course in A&P (which turned out to be unnecesary). I held two volunteer positions, and also stayed on top of my home remodeling projects. I saw quite a few 70+ hour study weeks, and the typical study week was 60 hours. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. Of course, once you've been an engineer for a few years, 70 hours on school is a piece of cake.

But, let's put all that in perspective. My family didn't fall apart - in fact, we may even be stronger. My kids are doing fine, and their school grades are top notch. My wife ended up getting her dream role at the hospital, and got her opportunity to kick off some new nursing programs. The money has worked out, and my health is fine. My post-bacc GPA was 4.0 with A+'s where offered. I had the highest grades in class (usually by 5+ numeric points), except for Organic where one person beat me by 1 point each semester. I scored 30 on the MCAT, which isn't great, but it's good enough considering the "brain fog" present. In retrospect, I think that I could've tackled a 21 hour/semester equivalent and still kept a 4.0.

Anyway, the point of all this is not paint everything rosey, or to say that this will get you into med school. It is simply to say that you can accomplish some big tasks if you have the drive and commitment. My drive came from an experience reflecting what Danny Thomas once said: "No child should die in the dawn of life". Anyway, if you have the drive, go for it ... take the pain ... and have fun.

I think your kids will have abandonment issues later in life b/c of how much time you must have spent away from them. From a developmental standpoint, I don't think it is a good idea to have children and then not be part of their growth so you can selfishly pursue your "dream" of being a physician.. That's just my two cents thought.

 

[Birdyman]

Troll Alert ... please check out Renny's other posts.

 

[medworm]

mshheaddoc - That depends on your workplace and your own situation.

Depending on your financial situation and timeline, you can find another job at a university/comm. college where you can get good hours and tuition reimbursement. If you quit completely, maybe moving back home is a good option. Provided you can tolerate your family and so forth. (I decided against moving back home b/c my family drives me nuts.) 🙄

My company would not reimburse me for non-work related classes and my boss would not allow daytime courses. Plus I live in Southern CA, where enrollment is an issue for everyone, including undergrads. I could look for another job w/o mgmt. responsibilities, but after much deliberation I just quit. Shocked everyone I knew. B/c of $$ and time, I was driven to complete all my prereqs plus more in <1 year. I still believe it's the best course of action for me. UPSIDE: Dedicated to my studies and total control over how I allocated my time. DOWNSIDE: This endeavor wiped out my entire liquid savings (~$15k). I have no prospect of buying a house on my own in the next couple of years. I don't lead an expensive lifestyle, but I still end up w/lots of bills b/c food, gas, rent and insurance are expensive. Never underestimate how much $$ you'll need. Not that I'm a materialistic person, but it was hard living this "grad student" lifestyle while your friends cruise around in new cars, new toys, new homes, trips abroad, and lots and lots of free time. And last but not least, I turn away from dating b/c I knew I wasn't much fun to be around. 🙁 But if you're in a supportive relationship (share rent and costs), that should make it 110% better.

Anyhoo, my two cents...

 

[benelswick]

I am paying for all of it with my $17/hr job and student loans. I'm broke. Sometimes its stressful trying to figure out how to pay bills. But I'm pulling a 4.0 so I can get some satisfaction in the struggle.

This is an exercise in self-assesment and diagnosis. For the engineer with the family maybe the schoolwork just comes easy to him. Some people have money in the bank and can afford to go full-time without working. Create a strategy with an open-mind for possibilities you didn't think would be there and move at your own pace--that's what's working for me atleast. Good luck--Ben.

 

[Truce57]

Just to chime in with another "it can be done!" post. I just finished my prereqs this spring quarter, after starting last spring to take calc, then doing a year of gen chem over the summer with labs, then a year of physics, organic chem, and bio with labs--all while working two jobs at about 60 hours/week. Both are medically related and awesome experience so it was worth the agony. Now I'm just working both jobs still and taking some upper level sciences (biochem adn genetics last term, cell bio this upcoming term, etc).

Haven't regretted a second of it, even though I decided to give up my posh Hollywood job and relocate from L.A. to Cincinnati. All this must be to my credit becuase adcoms seem to really like me.

Good luck to all of you!