Starting in Jan. 2013. Which classes and how many?

[Mixed Breed]

Hello everyone,

I am starting a pre-med program in January 2013 (spring semester). I need to take Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Organic Chemistry and re-take Calculus. In college I received a B- in Calculus I and C+ in Calculus III.

With that being said, I currently work 45 hours per week and will be working while taking my pre-med courses. I graduated with a B.A. in May 2008. I have been out of school for 4 years.

Is it manageable to take two courses while working 45 hours per week?

I am thinking of setting up my pre-med course-load in the following fashion:

Spring 2013:
General Chemistry I
Biology I

Summer 2013:
General Chemistry II
Biology II

Fall 2013:
Organic Chemistry
Physics I
Calculus I

Spring 2014:
Organic Chemistry
Physics II
Calculus II or III

Are the Chemistry labs taken together with the lectures or are they totally separate classes?

Also, is my schedule realistic and manageable? Would any of you rearrange the way I have placed the classes in each semester?

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[Goucher2013]

If you graduated in 2008 with a 4.0 from Princeton, then yes, it's probably realistic. Otherwise, hmm....

First off, is it possible to take two hard science classes at once and work full-time? Yes. Is the failure rate astronomically higher? I'd bet it is. The grades will be set in stone. They'll determine the rest of your life, in terms of getting into med school or not. I'd suggest throttling down work or only taking one class at a time.

Beware that taking a class such as gen chem during the summer can be an absolute ball buster - even more so when you're taking two hard science classes at once. With a full-time job, it'll be nigh-impossible unless you're a memorization genius.

Finally, labs are indeed usually scheduled separate. Never seen it done otherwise.

 

[johnnyscans]

If you graduated in 2008 with a 4.0 from Princeton, then yes, it's probably realistic. Otherwise, hmm....

First off, is it possible to take two hard science classes at once and work full-time? Yes. Is the failure rate astronomically higher? I'd bet it is. The grades will be set in stone. They'll determine the rest of your life, in terms of getting into med school or not. I'd suggest throttling down work or only taking one class at a time.

Beware that taking a class such as gen chem during the summer can be an absolute ball buster - even more so when you're taking two hard science classes at once. With a full-time job, it'll be nigh-impossible unless you're a memorization genius.

Finally, labs are indeed usually scheduled separate. Never seen it done otherwise.

Your spring schedule looks OK.
Your summer schedule is a little bit tougher. I took Biochem and Molecular Bio this past sumer while working 30 hrs/week. I was incredibly busy and I'm very lucky that molecular biology is my bread and butter; summer classes are no joke.
The real party for you starts in the fall. Physics is incredibly difficult to a lot of people. Orgo is incredibly difficult to even more people. Calculus, especially since you haven't recently taken pre-calc, will not be a walk in the park either.

Considering you graduated with a B.A I'm assuming you don't have too much prior knowledge to pull from. These classes are no joke, especially when compared to non-science undergraduate coursework. 45 hrs/week of work + 8 or 12 hours of classwork + lab + 8 - 12 hours of studying per week equals a pretty extreme level of busyness.

Is it doable? Sure. Right now I'm taking 8 credits, working as a TA for another course, doing 30-35 hrs/week of research and volunteering 3 hrs/week in the hospital. I'm also masochistic and am extremely comfortable studying and learning.

Jumping right back into the swing of things after a 5 year hiatus could be a recipe for disaster.

Hope this helps.