Doable Courseload???

I would hold off on either the Child development class ( mine was paper after paper after paper, not hard, but a time suck) or one of the science classes.

Thanks to all for the incredible insight. I will consider everything. You guys are extremely helpful. The only reason I am considering taking Microbio and Chem together is because have to apply to schools after next semester.

I might have to drop a class or just not work at all. This is so stressful but definitely worth it in the long run.

As for my science GPA 4.0 :

General Bio A

A&P 1 A

A&P 2 A

You're going to be BUSY, but it's definitely doable. I took Physiology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Microbiology Lab, Intro to Health Professions and Human Growth & Development all in the fall semester (17 credits) and still got a 4.0. The key is to stay very organized. Get a planner and schedule everything, even your reading time. By breaking it up into manageable chunks, it makes it feel less overwhelming. If you're typically a good student, you can do this.

Because you're taking Intro Chem, I won't say you should drop it. If it was a higher level Chem, I would definitely say you should drop it. I've had a 4.0 in all my classes until I took a higher level Chem. Ended up with a 3.5 in that class, it's just that difficult!

Best of luck to you! Keep telling yourself you can do this!!!!

Thank you so much. Very encouraging!!!!

I can do this :)

Last semester I took math, life span psych, microbiology, Biology, and nutrition. I studied a lot but got all As and also have a 6 year old :) it's doable![/quote

can you give me some pointers on study gen bio and nutrition I really want to get A's in these classes I am taking them in the fall along with soc 290.

In my second year, I had to stop working almost entirely, and I was only working two shifts per week totalling 9-10 hours, and if I tried to read or study at work, it never failed that a customer would walk into the store. I also had to drop clinical chem halfway through the semester as I was failing badly, took it in the summer, failed it, then RETOOK it this year and finally passed it. I know classmates that would work more hours then I did, and had awesome marks, so depending on the person it is do-able. Best of luck! :)

If you have not had chemistry before or need the refresher, I would strongly suggest Microbiology in a different semester. Much of microbiology is chemistry, and you'll get a lot more out of it and do better if you can understand the chemistry.

Also, as these are probably both lab classes, they'll require a lot of classroom time.

I took A&P II, Microbiology, Algebra, and ENG 202 all at the same time. I got a C in Math though But I did a's and B's in the rest. I also have two small kids and didn't care for a social life at the time. I really don't think I could have done better in Algebra...it is my worst subject. So...I think you will be fine

I did two sciences (A&P I & Microbiology), a technical writing course, and a finite math course last semester (Math is probably my weakest subject, so I had to spend a lot of time with it) I got High B's in my sciences and A's in my other two courses. I was also working full time.

I think you can do ANYTHING you not only set your mind to, but commit to. Don't let other peoples experiences (good or bad) send you in one direction or another! Really sit down with yourself, make a schedule and prioritize! If it's really important to have a family get together 1x a week, schedule it, if you work, schedule it, class and study time, schedule that! Stick to it, but also know your limits.

We are no stronger than our weaknesses, for me mine is getting stressed because I don't allow myself relax time. That is so important to me so now I schedule it in! I really feel like this will help me when it comes to organizing my time in nurisng school as well.

I wish you success!

I can tell you not to underestimate nutrition! What I did was study every single night. Now, you don't have to go crazy or anything. Just 30 min each night & READ your chapters for nutrition....as for bio- study notes! I never opened my book, I just studied my notes! You can do it!!!

I took A&P 2 and Chem in the same semester (along with three other classes) and worked about 10 hours a week. I made As in all of them. I didn't have much of a social life to begin with so it wasn't a huge deal for me to spend free time studying. Hard, yes, but I made it work.

Its really up to you as a person. For me when I did prepreqs I was working fulltime like 50-60 hours per week and I did have some semesters where I did 4 courses and got all A's but when I tried that with microbiology, it was a lot more than I bargained for and I had to withdraw. If you do not have a firm Chemistry background from high-school or some basic chemistry I would recommend putting of microbiology for another semester along with one of your other non-science subjects. Microbiology is nothing like Anatomy and Physiology and many people underestimate it but a lot of that stuff comes back in nursing school.

Only suggestion I normally make is go ahead and try it and once enrolled look at the course load try the assignments and reading all for one week and if you think you can't get A's esp in Microbiology, then just drop it before the drop deadline comes along so you will be able to get a full refund.