pre-med hopeful

[hannacanna]

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Hello sdn! I have been reading posts for about a month now and I hope that someone will be kind enough to advise me. I am 26, earned a BA with no pre-med classes (gpa 3.6) in 1999. Last year I decided to explore medicine, and I've taken 1 semester of chem (somehow got an A) and am in the middle of the second semester of chem (still pulling an A).

My problem is I have a great job in the academic department of a tertiary care hospital that pays very well. I am learning a great deal and making invaluable connections with residency program directors, faculty, hospital leadership, etc. They are encouraging me to get my pre-med education BUT they don't want me to quit my job.

I've applied for a second bachelor's degree program in biology and can take 3 classes (15 hours of class and lab a week)and be considered full-time (so that I can get a nice monthly stipend from my scholarship provider). Do you think that it would be too much to take 3 classes and work 20 hours a week? Do you think 2 classes is more reasonable? With 2 classes I would get half of the monthly stipend from my scholarship.

For those who have worked during pre-med, how many hours did you work without having a terrible impact on your grades?

Of course, this is all dependant on IF I get in and IF I get the scholarship. I am absolutely blessed to have such opportunities; if I can just figure out this whole money vs. grades thing and the "i want to graduate from med school before 40" thing I'll be all set!

Thanks for your help.

 

[Tobtolip]

The work I do kinda varies, but on average its between 15-21 hours a week. Of course, its nothing professional like your job is, its just tutoring and working at a bookstore, so there is no extra work I have to do beyond those hours. I am doing fine in terms of grades ( wish i had a bit more sleep but I'm fine otherwise), and I take 17 hours this semester.

 

[tBw]

Only you can judge how much you can handle and what you think is acceptable in terms of grade average.

I work a professional job 8am-6:30pm Monday-Friday. I take 2 classes with labs per semester (current course load 10 credit hours). I am maintaining a straight A average. However, it is definitely tough. This last weekend I did nothing but study (two exams this week). I rarely go out other than for coffee with friends. For me it is all worth it, but how much of a 'life' you like/need to have will vary what is manageable for you. I absolutely could not take more credit hours than I am currently doing without going half time at work.

 

[tBw]

I should add that my classes have me working 7-11pm Monday through Friday too, so, with driving between work and school, and eating dinner at 11:30pm when I get home every night, my schedule is solid. Weekends are for lab write ups, homeworks, essays, assigned reading, test prep, etc.

 

[megkudos]

I have a question actually.
Why are you choosing to get a second bachelor's instead of just taking the pre-reqs for med school? If med school is your goal, maybe you should consider just taking the med school requirements (gen chem, orgo, physics, bio, some english and some math)? That way you'd have a lot less classes to take and could concentrate on what you really need.

 

[hannacanna]

thanks everyone for your input.

to answer your question, i am doing a second bac because i need to be enrolled in a degree granting program to get the full ride scholarship i am applying for. i might end up just taking what i need for med school, applying to med school, seeing if i get in, then dropping out of the second bac program. although i would like to just take classes one by one, i can't get the $ to pay for doing it that way. and a post bac premed program would be great, but there's not one near me. plus, i would like to be able to have the skills to do well in med school, not just do the reqs and squeak by. i'm focused on the fact that my peers will have chemistry/biology/etc majors under their belts, and i'm going to have to compete for spots with them.

it's looking possible to take 12-15 credit hours (3-4 classes) and work 20 hours a week. I still have a great deal of thinking to do.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Forensic Chick]

I volunteer ~20 hours a week and I'm holding a 30 unit load right now... I'm taking an EMT class at a community college and 22 units (2 lab classes, totaling 6 classes) and it can be highly stressful during midterms and finals (2 weeks away for me). I've learned that the human body can survive on 2 hours of sleep per day and I swear I have a frequent flyer's card for Starbucks. 3-4 classes and ~20 hrs of work per week souldn't be too bad as long as you set up a schedule and maintain it. Don't forget some time for yourself too!!

Good luck!

 

[hannacanna]

Thanks so much, everyone. I am definately inspired to keep at it and trust that I can do it. I know it won't be easy, but it's also not impossible. I have to work to live, but now I know there's hope to keep my grades up in the process.

Good luck to all of you. Thanks for taking the time to help someone just starting out.