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Because making a difficult decision is soooo much more fun when you have random strangers from the internet weighing in 😛
Background: I currently work at least 30 hrs/wk on the over-night shift generally fri, sat, sun nights at a hospital in a somewhat stressful job due to staffing shortage. Have a side gig that's mostly call and I rarely get called in for it, but I have to be get to the hospital w/in 30 minutes. I attend graduate school in a city that's about an hour and 45 minute drive one way. I'll be starting a required field experience for my degree that's 8 hrs a wk/ in a hospital ED that will count for 4 grad credit hours (this is in the other city where the grad school is). I own a house where I am now and can't list it just yet.
Here's the decision.
1) My original plan was to take an online 3 credit class that's req'd, for the sake of flexibility and with the hope that I could work ahead to finish early and start studying for the MCAT before summer (won't show up as online on my transcript). However, after scanning the syllabus it's come to my attention that there is a ton of weird online group work/paper writing. On top of that I'll either be writing a group paper, or individual paper every week. While I normally really like group work here, especially with my grad classmates (we do a ton of it in my grad program since public health is very team oriented) this seems to fall into the "bad" group work category and I'm not going to be able to work ahead or have the flexibility I hoped for. Classmates that have taken this course said the group stuff was kind of a nightmare and didn't work like it was supposed to. There would only be one day a week avg. commuting with this option.
2) My other option is to take an in person course that's two days a week for 8 wks. No papers, just in class assignments, lots of reading, and one exam. So I'll have to commute 3 days/wk. My only day off will be my post night shift sleep day on Mon. Tues I'd get home from class around 10:30 p.m. and have to leave to head back up to the city around 5 a.m. Wed for my field experience and get back home around supper time. Class is only 8 weeks, so this would give me from March 7th on with no actual courswork, just my job, volunteering, and field experience. So I could start my MCAT studying after spring break.
3) My final options is to just say screw actual class this semester, just do the field exp/ other stuff and ease into studying for the MCAT while working on my house so I can sell it. It'd give me a much needed sanity break since I over did it last semester. I won't get behind academically because I can take that online course over the summer with a different instructor who, according to my classmates, has well-done, effective group work projects.
Plus I'll have time to take a Welding for Metal Sculpture class 😀
Notes: *selling my house sooner might allow to move to city with school and cut out the commuting
*studying for the MCAT earlier might allow me to apply one cycle sooner
* I have a huge, adorable, overgrown mutt to consider
Background: I currently work at least 30 hrs/wk on the over-night shift generally fri, sat, sun nights at a hospital in a somewhat stressful job due to staffing shortage. Have a side gig that's mostly call and I rarely get called in for it, but I have to be get to the hospital w/in 30 minutes. I attend graduate school in a city that's about an hour and 45 minute drive one way. I'll be starting a required field experience for my degree that's 8 hrs a wk/ in a hospital ED that will count for 4 grad credit hours (this is in the other city where the grad school is). I own a house where I am now and can't list it just yet.
Here's the decision.
1) My original plan was to take an online 3 credit class that's req'd, for the sake of flexibility and with the hope that I could work ahead to finish early and start studying for the MCAT before summer (won't show up as online on my transcript). However, after scanning the syllabus it's come to my attention that there is a ton of weird online group work/paper writing. On top of that I'll either be writing a group paper, or individual paper every week. While I normally really like group work here, especially with my grad classmates (we do a ton of it in my grad program since public health is very team oriented) this seems to fall into the "bad" group work category and I'm not going to be able to work ahead or have the flexibility I hoped for. Classmates that have taken this course said the group stuff was kind of a nightmare and didn't work like it was supposed to. There would only be one day a week avg. commuting with this option.
2) My other option is to take an in person course that's two days a week for 8 wks. No papers, just in class assignments, lots of reading, and one exam. So I'll have to commute 3 days/wk. My only day off will be my post night shift sleep day on Mon. Tues I'd get home from class around 10:30 p.m. and have to leave to head back up to the city around 5 a.m. Wed for my field experience and get back home around supper time. Class is only 8 weeks, so this would give me from March 7th on with no actual courswork, just my job, volunteering, and field experience. So I could start my MCAT studying after spring break.
3) My final options is to just say screw actual class this semester, just do the field exp/ other stuff and ease into studying for the MCAT while working on my house so I can sell it. It'd give me a much needed sanity break since I over did it last semester. I won't get behind academically because I can take that online course over the summer with a different instructor who, according to my classmates, has well-done, effective group work projects.
Plus I'll have time to take a Welding for Metal Sculpture class 😀
Notes: *selling my house sooner might allow to move to city with school and cut out the commuting
*studying for the MCAT earlier might allow me to apply one cycle sooner
* I have a huge, adorable, overgrown mutt to consider
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