one semester? FAIL!

October 31, 2008 10:09 AM

Is it humanly possible to take A+P II (3 credits, 4 with the lab), Introduction to Chem (4 credits), Microbiology (5 credits), and Nutrition (4 credits), for a possible total of 16 or 17 credits, all in one semester?

A few months ago at the very last minute I decided to take a stab at nursing school. To put my feet in the water, I registered for a few prereqs. Soon after I decided I wanted to do it, but it was too late to add more classes.

I'm applying for a program that starts next May. I'm currently taking A+P I and Stats, leaving another 17 credits worth of prereqs to go. I'm not sure, is that even possible to do in one semester? It seems obvious that I would not be able to work much during that time, but is that even doable? I'm filling out the application now and wondering if it's even worth sending it in. I'm doing great in the classes I'm taking (A+ average or something like that so far). Just wondering if I can more than double my course load next semester and pull it off?

posted by sully75 to education (18 answers total)

Depends... do you like having a social life? If you're willing to be a hermit, and can be happy and productive that way, it's probably doable if you enjoy the subject matter.

If that doesn't sound like you, though, I'd recommend stretching it out a bit more. I think it's probably more important to keep the high GPA than to cram it all into one semester.
posted by amelioration at 10:32 AM on October 31, 2008

Heh - funny. I think we're planning on enrolling in the same program. I'm planning on taking the exact same prereq's (and am currently taking Statistics now.)

Anyway, to answer your question, absolutely it's doable - but definitely consider how much you're able to work. You're basically looking at taking four classes (or 16/17 credits) in one semester which is what plenty of full-time undergrads across the country are doing this very moment - emphasis on the word full-time. Depending on the rigor and challenge of the classes involved, that won't leave a lot, if any, time for work.

I would have done this in a second, were it possible to get health insurance while doing so. I obviously couldn't get it through my employer because I wouldn't be working full time, and no school I looked at would offer health insurance unless I was enrolled in a degree program with them - simply taking prereqs didn't count.

So, I'm left to working full time (which is nice from a financial perspective anyway), and going through the agonizingly slow process of one/two prereqs a semester, at night, until I complete them all, and can then enroll in the full fledged BSN. Not ideal, but it's helping me acquire patience, and helps reaffirm my desire to go down this path.

Good Luck!
posted by Rewind at 10:35 AM on October 31, 2008

amelioration, thanks for the note. I should add that if this happens it will mean that I was accepted to the program and need to get a C or better in the classes to enter in May. And if I don't, the school process will extend from 15 months from May to possibly 2 years from next september. So it's sort of significant if I can get into this (accelerated) program.
posted by sully75 at 10:35 AM on October 31, 2008

If you don't have to work a ton and you are dedicated, sure thing. Now fun, not so much...

Everything that is normally important in school will become even more important. Time management, planning, study time. You are going to have to be that much more on top of it.

If you decide to try it, good luck. I worked full-time doing 3 on/3 off 12 hour nights and went to school full-time for my BS. I did it, but it wasn't fun. But you just have to keep your head up and plow through.
posted by Silvertree at 10:53 AM on October 31, 2008

Is the chem or Micro-B with a lab? If so, don't do it. If not - i.e. you only have one lab, you should be ok. Not pleasant, but ok.

(for the record, while working 20-hour weekends, I did 12 mech-e core courses, one race-car design-build class, one programming class, and three mech-e labs one semester. I drank, on average, eight Mountain Dews a day and came out the other end a nearly broken man. Then I did it all again the next semester...not recommended.)
posted by notsnot at 11:33 AM on October 31, 2008

16 credits is normal for a full-time student, so it certainly can be done. It's definitely going to be a lot more work if your Chem and Micro courses have labs, though. It might be tempting to look for those prereqs in a no-lab format, but make sure that's ok with the nursing programs you're applying to.

If you've got a full-time job right now, you should be able to quit and apply for COBRA health insurance to cover you while you do full-time prereqs in the spring, then get on your nursing school's insurance when you start up in May. Don't let you health insurance lapse, though. That can lead to problems getting insurance later.
posted by vytae at 11:48 AM on October 31, 2008

If you're generally a strong student, I think you can do it if you do not work and do not socialize at all during the coming semester. Be realistic with yourself - can you fully devote three months to this project and do nothing else? If so, go for it.

PS. For micro and chem I found it helpful to find videos on the internet to help reinforce key concepts that didn't sink in well on a single reading. This thread provided me with a number of helpful resources.
posted by serazin at 12:15 PM on October 31, 2008

Also, am I reading right that you're trying to get into an accelerated nursing program? If so this would be good preparation in terms of time management and study skills.
posted by serazin at 12:17 PM on October 31, 2008

I wouldn't recommend more than two core sciences per term, due to the fact that you actually have to demonstrate comprehension and retention of the content when you do in fact enter your nursing program. There is a difference between acing a course by sheer memorization and learning the content for life. (Not saying this is your strategy, but just saying.) I worked full-time and took two courses per term (including summer sessions), and it took me one and half years to wrap up pre-reqs. Is this by chance the ABSN at Hopkins? I'm in the Traditional BSN/MSN program now, feel free to MefiMail me if you are pursuing a program at JHU and have questions.
posted by Asherah at 1:03 PM on October 31, 2008

yes, it's possible. Just work your butt off. It won't be easy, but it's possible. good luck.

OH! where do you go to school? Do they tend to inflate grades, or are they strict on Bell curved scores? If they're bell curvers...it will be still more difficult, but possible nonetheless.
posted by cmchap at 1:32 PM on October 31, 2008

So would the grade results of these credits be considered for your nursing program application? Or would the nursing program just be considering grades from the 2 pre-req's of A&P I and Statistics? Because if it's just those 2 pre-req's I'd check with the program to see if it's better to wait to apply when you have more finished. When I applied they seemed to look at how I did in my pre-req's and ONLY in my pre-req's. People that applied with less then all but maybe one of them completed, did not get in. It seemed to be an easy filter for people in admissions.

I think you can do this volume of work if you can devote the time needed in order to be successful. It will be difficult. You will feel like you've never studied so much in your life. A bonus - another school I applied to favored people that demonstrated they could take a full load of nursing-esque coursework and do well. A large load looks good on transcripts.

But you must do well. Don't rush through the courses if you're not going to have a good GPA. When I applied, GPA was all they looked at, especially in your pre-req's. This may not be the case for all schools. BUT GPA seemed to be the main deciding factor in the schools to which I applied.

Good luck with what you decide!
posted by dog food sugar at 3:09 PM on October 31, 2008

Have you ever gone to a restaurant where the menu is listed and the prices aren't. Common sense tells you that if you have to ask for the prices, you can't afford it.

Well if you have to ask whether this schedule is possible, you can't do it.

There are people who can take on hardcore schedules, but they don't really have to ask.

If I were you, I'd make sure I take on a schedule I KNOW I can handle.

Consistent free throws always win the game, shots from the opposite court are RARELY successful.
posted by hal_c_on at 3:13 PM on October 31, 2008

Re-reading my answer (which sorry for not editing it better) I guess I want to emphasize the probability of you getting into that program in May may not happen if you're taking the bulk of the pre-req's during the time they will be evaluating applicants. That is, if it was like my program and they really only care about GPA of the pre-reqs.

Around 1100 people applied to my school for the 20 spaces in the Accelerated program. Most programs are expanded now so those odds aren't so extreme. But it was my impression that many people didn't make the cut because: 1. they filled out forms wrong and didn't turn everything in on time, 2. had mediocre GPAs, and 3. were still taking the bulk of their pre-reqs.

This may not apply to your program, but if it does, why rush to get into the one next May? You could take 2 of those classes over the summer and apply for September or January programs.

Hopefully that makes some sense.
posted by dog food sugar at 3:30 PM on October 31, 2008

Sure. I don't know you at all, but if you put your mind to it I'm sure you can do it.
posted by Wayman Tisdale at 5:22 PM on October 31, 2008

Yes, but you probably shouldn't
posted by meta_eli at 7:49 PM on October 31, 2008

When I was in college the registrar would only let you take a certain number of credits without special permission; your school probably has a similar policy so if you are under the allowed maximum you should potentially be OK. I had to exceed the maximum in order to graduate on time (due to transferring too much) and ended up working around it by taking a history course as a correspondence course and did the bulk of the work over Christmas break; you might want to see if there is a similar way for you to spread out the credits.

Only you can know if the particular mix of courses you are looking at is too much for you.
posted by TedW at 8:05 PM on October 31, 2008

Well, if you think you can pull it off, I seriously bow down to you. I'm taking AP II and Chem 101 right now and plan on taking Microbiology next semester (I don't need to take Nutrition). AP II isn't a problem for me, but Chem is totally kicking my ass. You might want to find out whether you need AP II as a pre-req to Microb, since I know it is one at my school.

What is the rest of your life like? As previous posters have indicated, only you can answer for yourself as to whether you can take on that many hours. It really would mean that you would give up pretty much everything else for the balance of the semester. How do you handle stress? Would you completely lose it if, say, you got the flu and missed a couple of days in each of the classes you were taking? How would you plan on catching up? It's one thing if it's two classes worth of notes. It's another if it's two labs plus two more classes, kwim?

I would talk to one of the advisors in the Nursing Division of your school before registering. For *me*, it would be an unfathomably heavy workload (but I have two little kids at home and a husband that regularly doesn't get home till 7:30 at night; I normally don't even crack the books until after 9-10pm).

Good luck!
posted by dancinglamb at 8:30 PM on October 31, 2008

Follow up: I'm doing this as we speak. It's been a tough semester but doable. I think the community college classes are a little easier then they'd be at a university. Currently I'm pulling As in the four classes and labs. I'm not working so that makes it a lot easier.

I must say I think community colleges are really awesome for doing stuff like this. My school is ridiculously cheap and a really nice place. The university nearby is like 4x the price and there are like 4x as many students in classes. I always kind of felt snobby about community colleges and now feel pretty stupid about that.
posted by sully75 at 1:14 PM on March 17, 2009