work / undergrad

[dentaldetox]

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hey guys. im a pre-dent guy and im just wondering if anyone of guys had to work 25-30 hours a week and go to school full time and still managed to get a high GPA..just curious . i am facing a similar dillema. bleh! 😕

 

[Midoc]

I worked on average about 20-25 hours per week in undergrad. I'm not sure what you consider a high gpa as but I did ok in undergrad with a 3.35 gpa. I could have done better but I slacked off the first two years and I was actually working less then. It is definitely doable to work 25-30 hours and get good grades but you'll have to give up some of your social life and spare time. Good luck.

 

[aileen]

I agree with midoc. I worked 30 or so hours during undergrad, and 45 hours when I was taking pre-requisite classes. I'm a non-traditional pre-dent. Even when I was working like 45 hours a week, I took 2 or 3 science classes (ranging from 9-13.5 credits per semester). It was definitely doable, and it's coming from a person who is no genius. You just have to learn how to use your awake hours more wisely.

 

[drPheta]

Time management is the name of the game. Most of us (myself included) worked several hours during the week while holding anywhere form 12-21 credit hours. The sooner you start, the easier the game becomes. Besides, GPA is all relative to how you study for you particular exams. More often than not, you don't need to study much in undergrad. If you got the jones to get into dental school, you can handle 25 hours of work and a full-time course load no problem.

 

[DesiDentist]

Throughout my undergrad i was constantly working and I found it better to manage my time that. NOt only did i get experience, but also made money and budgeted my time.

Its a win/win situation. It'll pay off "literally" at the end. 😛
DesiDentist

 

[dentaldetox]

awesome. thank you all for your advise. i feel much better about it now. 😀

 

[ItsGavinC]

I worked 40 hours a week while taking 21+ credit hours for several semesters. Class was from 8-12:30, Monday-Friday, and work was 2-10:30 every evening/night.

I received 3.45-3.7 grades during that period.

 

[critterbug]

I worked 40 hours a week while taking 21+ credit hours for several semesters. Class was from 8-12:30, Monday-Friday, and work was 2-10:30 every evening/night.

I received 3.45-3.7 grades during that period.

That's amazing. My hats off to ya Gavin, that had to have been hard with a family to!! Dental school must be a breeze after that. I would venture to guess undergrad was harder than anything you have experienced in D-school, simply because the "stress" to "make the grade" is more predominant in your pre-dental studies due to the stiff competition of admissions. Plus, didn't you go to BYU?? (which isn't easy at all!!)

I am speechless

 

[Col Sanders]

I worked 40 hours a week while taking 21+ credit hours for several semesters. Class was from 8-12:30, Monday-Friday, and work was 2-10:30 every evening/night.

I received 3.45-3.7 grades during that period.

Instead of being in awe like most gavin disciples, I just want to say that I have a very hard time believing this to be true. And if by some small chance it is true it reflects poorly on BYU and its curriculum.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Instead of being in awe like most gavin disciples, I just want to say that I have a very hard time believing this to be true. And if by some small chance it is true it reflects poorly on BYU and its curriculum.

Wow, slightly bitter? You choice of words (ie, disciples) is completely uncalled for. All I do is contribute where I can.

I'm curious as to how this reflects poorly on BYU and its curriculum. I was lucky enough to a call manager for Sears Home Services, which translated to doing perhaps 45 minutes of actual work each evening. From 6pm on, I knew that I would have 4 hours of uninterrupted study time. Interestingly enough, BYU continues to be the #1 predental school in the nation, so the vast majority of adcoms would disagree with your slant.

My story is completely true, and is partly what landed me in dental school. You can see my initial post on my situation as post #2 on this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=45563

Notably, that was posted nearly 2 years ago (September of 2002). That thread also demonstrates that my classes weren't all hard science classes (I was an English major).

 

[ItsGavinC]

And Col Sanders, for what it's worth, more than a couple members of your class and their spouses were neighbors with me and my wife while we were all attending BYU. They can attest to my schedule.

I have nothing against you nor your viewpoints, and I appreciate your opinion as always. 😀

 

[Bcat]

All I know is that out of our class of 35 there are several BYUers and they tear it up. And to me this reflects well on BYU and their curriculum.

 

[jes1ca]

I worked about 20 hours a week with 16 credit hours and that was a lot of work for me. I'm going to have a hard time in dental school, I can feel it....

jes

 

[Col Sanders]

I didnt mean this to be such an inflammatory remark, for your information I went to BYU. I know of no one at BYU in any of my classes (premed or predental) who was able to take more than 16 credits and do well who had to work more than part time. To claim you worked 40 hours and took 21+ credits(dont you have to petition to take more than 18 credits) without qualifying that your job was a cake walk misrepresents the truth and sounded boastful. The thread starter dentaldetox asked if it was possible to work and still get good grades, and you gave your story without telling him he may need to find a job that lets him study all the time. I felt that you offered him no real help in your post and then the post after you praised you like superman. With my post I had hoped to be realistic for dentaldetox so that he doesnt have to feel inadequate if he is not superman too.

 

[aileen]

I didnt mean this to be such an inflammatory remark, for your information I went to BYU. I know of no one at BYU in any of my classes (premed or predental) who was able to take more than 16 credits and do well who had to work more than part time. To claim you worked 40 hours and took 21+ credits(dont you have to petition to take more than 18 credits) without qualifying that your job was a cake walk misrepresents the truth and sounded boastful. The thread starter dentaldetox asked if it was possible to work and still get good grades, and you gave your story without telling him he may need to find a job that lets him study all the time. I felt that you offered him no real help in your post and then the post after you praised you like superman. With my post I had hoped to be realistic for dentaldetox so that he doesnt have to feel inadequate if he is not superman too.

I agree.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I felt that you offered him no real help in your post and then the post after you praised you like superman. With my post I had hoped to be realistic for dentaldetox so that he doesnt have to feel inadequate if he is not superman too.

No problem, I see your logic and agree with it.

 

[critterbug]

Even if the job was a cake walk, 40 hours a week is still 40 hours a week. That is FULL TIME work, which means that your job will generally come first to anything school related. And a family on top of that......yes, "I" think that is amazing!!

I will give you an example. While I was in undergrad, I didn't work much. I was on a FULL academic scholarship, so I didn't really have to. The job I did have was in research, paid minimal, but I set my own hours(usually at the last minute to boot) I basically had to work 20 hours a week, and the professor I worked for didn't care WHEN I worked them, just as long as I worked them. When you have a FULL TIME job, you usually don't have that luxury.
So..... tests,after hours review sessions held by TA's, last minute group study sessions, writing lab reports, staying late to talk to professors about a concept, etc always had priority over work.....BUT when you work a full time job AND you have a family, you have to begin to split those priorities up.

Give credit where credit is due. I'm not saying all of us on this forum couldn't have done it, but I SURE AS HECK wouldn't have wanted to!! I think ANYONE who works ANY job 40 hours a week and takes ANY classes for 21 hrs a semester *deserves* a pat on the back. As Mr. T would say "I pity da fool who has to do that" But I respect it none the less.

So, my hats off to ya again Gavin (or should I say superman 😀 )