Will taking a Light Courseload hurt me?

[cee]

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I'm on the verge of finishing my postbacc prereq classes and all i've got left is orgo II and the april MCATs. this past 1.5 years, i havent taken more than 2 classes with their labs at a time (8 credit hrs, two 3-hr lectures and two 1-hr labs).. the reason being, this whole process was gonna take me 2 yrs anyways, why not spread out the classes to give myself a better chance at getting good grades? well, i've gotten straight A's so far (knock on wood), but i'm worried that the workload spread thin over 2 years could potentially be a knock on me to the admissions people.. i graduated with a 2.6 overall, but currently stand at a 3.05 after acing my prereqs.. does anyone know if the light courseload will be a factor?

 

[supersash]

hey chuck, good job at getting all A's in the prereq's.

i am sure people will diagree with me, but i am going to tell you what i, just another lowly pre med thinks:

i think that taking only two classes at a time is a pretty easy work load. many people on the non-trad forum say that you can take as long as you need to get the pre-req's done, just be sure to do good in them. i disagree. if i took only a class or two a semester, i'd rock every class too. but taking multiple sciences w/labs, plus a math, and a humanities class or two makes it a bit tougher.

i am not in any way trying to put down your awesome grades. you should be proud of how well you've done. but i know that if i only had orgo to study for, i'd do way better than i have done.

since this is how you did it, i dont think you should stress about it. take your free time during spring semester to really cram for the MCAT's. you should do great on them.

 

[medmom]

I agree with supersash. 100%

 

[chickens]

Are you also working full time? I came back to do my pre-reqs, but working also...and that was brought up in my interview. If you can manage work, and science courses...then it might just work.

 

[Sooz]

Are you also working full time? I came back to do my pre-reqs, but working also...and that was brought up in my interview. If you can manage work, and science courses...then it might just work.

Well, I suppose I'll be the one to disagree 😉 , If you have other stuff going on in your life while in school I wouldn't sweat it. I mean I was working full time, raising my kids (and my hubby) 😉 volunteering at a hospital, and going to school. There is only so much time in a day...if you have so much going on that you need to only take a few classes at a time I think you can justify it. Good luck, and grats on your great grades on the pre-reqs!

 

[dr.z]

I agree with supersash. 100%

I agree as well.

 

[Sooz]

hey chuck, good job at getting all A's in the prereq's.

i am sure people will diagree with me, but i am going to tell you what i, just another lowly pre med thinks:

i think that taking only two classes at a time is a pretty easy work load. many people on the non-trad forum say that you can take as long as you need to get the pre-req's done, just be sure to do good in them. i disagree. if i took only a class or two a semester, i'd rock every class too. but taking multiple sciences w/labs, plus a math, and a humanities class or two makes it a bit tougher.

I think many people on the non-trad forum say that it doesn't really matter because for non-trads it probably doesn't(as much). If you are not a non-trad, with no responsibilities (bills, mortgage, insurance, kids, job, spouse, etc....) then yes, I agree you should be going to school full time. With no other worries and responsibilities school is pretty damn easy, so there is no excuse to not go full time. But, if you are a non-trad (OP) I would ask this on that forum as many non-trads go part-time and have looked into the matter.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I've only taken one one to two courses a quarter since going back as a postbacc. Since I work fulltime, it hasn't been an issue. If you don't work, I think adcoms might want to know why you didn't do more.

 

[Sooz]

I've only taken one one to two courses a quarter since going back as a postbacc. Since I work fulltime, it hasn't been an issue. If you don't work, I think adcoms might want to know why you didn't do more.

You summed up what I was trying to say, but you did it with fewer words than what I did 😉 kudos! 🙂

 

[Doctor Bagel]

You summed up what I was trying to say, but you did it with fewer words than what I did 😉 kudos! 🙂

lol, it would have been even fewer words if i didn't repeat "one" in my post. 🙂

 

[Doctor Bagel]

but i know that if i only had orgo to study for, i'd do way better than i have done.

but as a nontrad, you don't only hard orgo to study for. you've got that job, which honestly has to take priority over school because you need to avoid being homeless. even with taking one five hour science + lab course, that plus work (assuming only a 40 hour workweek) takes up 48 hours of my week. add in six hours for volunteering and another six for studying, and you're looking at a 60 hour workweek. when i was a fulltime student in undergrad, i never had anything approaching that big of a time commitment. i know it's nothing compared with residency, but it's a lot more than being a fulltime student. now, fulltime students who also work 30 or more hours a week have it worse, and i have a lot of admiration for those people.

also, i'm a fan of avoiding taking superfluous classes because every class costs me $500+ a quarter. you're going to spend maybe $5k applying and $2k on the mcat, and you want to still be financially prepared for all your real life responsibilities like rent/mortgage, bills, retirement savings, etc. retirement savings is a big concern from nontrads because we're going to be spending many years closer to retirement than trads without earning any money. imo, putting that $500 for a class you don't need into your 401k is a better investment.

 

[cee]

ok, well i'm kinda busted on this one i'll come clean and say that i dont work fulltime-- i'm 24 years old, graduated from college, worked for a bit and saved my money, moved back home, and am paying for the prereqs with the money i've saved-- i purposely did not work because i did not want things to interfere with my grades-- well, it paid off (obviously), with straight A's [so far]. i did this because i'd rather get straight A's and have the numbers behind me, rather than possibly getting mediocre B's and have to explain myself.. i do, however, volunteer, but theorhetically, i could lie and say i work X amt of hours a week doing something non-medical related.. what do you guys think?

 

[medmom]

hmmmm, lying is always the best way to go 😱 👎 Especially when you are being compared to those of us that really have worked or whatever while taking a full coarse load and earned some "mediocre B's". But hey 3 kids under the age of 5 and 15 credit hours, totally compares to 1 class at a time and living with the fam
medmom

 

[box29]

I'm not sure about the other schools but I do know that the adcom at Touro-Nevada does look at how many science hours one has in comparison to the sci GPA. Additionally, they do look at any other factors including working during taking courses. I would think that taking a heavier science course load would be looked upon better than a light load.

 

[cee]

hmmmm, lying is always the best way to go 😱 👎 Especially when you are being compared to those of us that really have worked or whatever while taking a full coarse load and earned some "mediocre B's". But hey 3 kids under the age of 5 and 15 credit hours, totally compares to 1 class at a time and living with the fam
medmom

hey, by no means am i bragging about what i've done.. but i consider myself to be very fortunate in my position (young, single, have money saved up, can just concentrate on school, etc), and ALL credit goes out to those who've had it more rough.. but, it is what it is, and i was just wondering if anyone has done the same that i have done. it was an ultraconservative approach that paid off for me, in regards to the philosophy that "the numbers dont lie".. i doubt schools will make me retake my prereqs just because my light workload

 

[Beau Geste]

hmmmm, lying is always the best way to go 😱 👎 Especially when you are being compared to those of us that really have worked or whatever while taking a full coarse load and earned some "mediocre B's". But hey 3 kids under the age of 5 and 15 credit hours, totally compares to 1 class at a time and living with the fam
medmom

I don't think he lied - he just didn't say that he had a job (which he doesn't) or family (lives at home). It was a fair question, and probably better he asked it now than find out the hard way. Not everyone can be a martyr.

 

[cfdavid]

my experience is that, as long as you can answer to "what else have you been doing", you'll be o.k. Especially for post-bacc courses.

for sure, my recommendation would be to do very good in whatever you decide to take. if you're schedule would only allow you to get A's in 1 or 2 courses, then don't take more in hopes of somehow proving that you're a king multitasker. it'll backfire.

good luck. just be sure you keep a "busy" schedule with activities they look for.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I don't think he lied - he just didn't say that he had a job (which he doesn't) or family (lives at home). It was a fair question, and probably better he asked it now than find out the hard way. Not everyone can be a martyr.

true, i just assumed as i'm guessing other people did, too. it's not fair to accuse the op of lying because of that.

 

[medmom]

ok, well i'm kinda busted on this one i'll come clean and say that i dont work fulltime-- i'm 24 years old, graduated from college, worked for a bit and saved my money, moved back home, and am paying for the prereqs with the money i've saved-- i purposely did not work because i did not want things to interfere with my grades-- well, it paid off (obviously), with straight A's [so far]. i did this because i'd rather get straight A's and have the numbers behind me, rather than possibly getting mediocre B's and have to explain myself.. i do, however, volunteer, but theorhetically, i could lie and say i work X amt of hours a week doing something non-medical related.. what do you guys think?

I wasn't accusing the OP of lying in his original post. This is what I was refering to.

 

[Beau Geste]

I wasn't occusing the OP of lying in his original post. This is what I was refering to.

Ahhhh... good call. Sorry!

 

[cee]

well, i know this sounds a little sketchy, but after the MCATs this april, i was planning on getting a job anyways for the summer and throughout my glide year while i send my apps in and wait for responses.. so if i were to get an interview and they were to ask me what i've been doing, i could honestly tell them that i have a job.. but i doubt they will look at my work history to see that the job was during when i took the classes.. sounds very slick, but this entire time, i've tried to ENSURE that i got good grades, because afterall, we all know that to a certain extent it is a numbers game.. what do you guys think?