Is this schedule impossible?

madnurse2b · Aug 22, 2009

Gosh - I wish I had had that schedule! Do it now! You are 19 you can do this. I worked full time and did two to three cores (Micro with A&P2 for example) at a time. Do it, get it done, get into nursing school and get on with your life! But then I am an old broad - I think at 19 you can handle anything.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2009

Regarding your schedule, anything is possible, seriously. I personally hate taking multiple science courses with labs in the same semester, but that is just me - I can tell you others have done it successfully so it really is not out of your control.

However, let me pass along a little bit of life experience from someone twice your age - something I learned along the way. My ears perked up when you wrote that your "mother's really been pushing for [you] to have [your] pre-requisites done by fall of next year". Keep in mind that YOU are taking these courses, and YOU have to want to take these classes. If the passion is not there and you're just succumbing to someone else's urging to finish school, you will have a very difficult time getting through this course load. Even though you recognize that this will be an intense run of prereqs (and anyone here I am sure will agree that it is intense, especially Spring 2010) ... if YOU are not wanting to do this more than your mother is pushing you to do it, you're in for a very long school year. This course mix is not easy to swallow - you will have to devote an extreme amount of time to complete these successfully (and if you're to be minimally competitive for nursing school at all, nothing less than a B).

Good luck for sure, if you're focused enough to want this for yourself and that alone, you will succeed! :up:

nohika · Aug 22, 2009

I just found out that I managed to pull an A in my first pre-req (Engl102), and may pull a 4.0 this quarter, so I'm over the MOON in happiness. In reality, I came up with the schedule - I'm guessing she's actually going to frown on it because it's so intense. She really wants me to get into NS in Fall 2010, which really, REALLY isn't possible. So she's gonna get to be disappointed. :yeah: I know it's going to be hard, and have finally set up a little study area in my room (nowhere else in the house to study).

Thank you guys very much for your encouragement! :heartbeat

sdsusonalumni · Aug 22, 2009

Actually I am impressed with how you set your schedule of classes for each semester. I had a very similar schedule of classes when I was trying to get into nursing school. BTW I am a recent nursing grad. You can actually do anything you set your mind to do as long as you have good study habits and great time management you can get through these classes. Be aware that some nursing schools accept applicants by GPA, so make sure you know the policy for the school you plan to attend otherwise you would be doing yourself a disservice if you do not ace these classes. Don't be discouraged. I worked full-time when doing my pre-reqs for nursing school and I aced every course, so if you are only focusing on school I don't think you will have any problems. Best of luck to you

nohika · Aug 22, 2009

Actually I am impressed with how you set your schedule of classes for each semester. I had a very similar schedule of classes when I was trying to get into nursing school. BTW I am a recent nursing grad. You can actually do anything you set your mind to do as long as you have good study habits and great time management you can get through these classes. Be aware that some nursing schools accept applicants by GPA, so make sure you know the policy for the school you plan to attend otherwise you would be doing yourself a disservice if you do not ace these classes. Don't be discouraged. I worked full-time when doing my pre-reqs for nursing school and I aced every course, so if you are only focusing on school I don't think you will have any problems. Best of luck to you

The reason I have so many classes is because I'm looking at several 4-year universities and several community colleges. :chuckle Most of the community colleges have close to the same (a few have statistics, CMST, etc), but a lot of the four-years have slightly more varied requirements - thus the extra chemistry and anthropology, and some other things.

Thank you very much! I may have to tweak this schedule a bit and put my humanities off until the end so they don't yank my financial aid, though. That's really annoying. :banghead:

sdsusonalumni · Aug 22, 2009

The only semester I was concerned about was your Spring 2010 course schedule. You are planning to take A&P, Micro and Chem, that is a tough schedule but I don't know what type of grades you normally get. I would suggest taking the A&P, Micro and Humanities together and save the Chem for last. A&P, Micro and Chem are all difficult courses but very doable. You want a variety when choosing your courses. I wouldn't advise anyone to take three science courses in the same semester. These courses are similar to learning a new language if you don't have any previous knowledge.

nohika · Aug 22, 2009

Well, I'll have taken two other chem courses at that point - including the first half of that sequence. I really don't have much of a choice but to take them together. =/ I can't take them later, because I won't have my FA, and am trying to keep that schedule as small as I can, and if I take humanities too early, they'll yank my aid anyways. It's complicated and annoying and I know that quarter is going to be hell - but I'm pretty sure I could do it.

I'm just worried about waiting a quarter inbetween Chem&121 and 131 because I'd lose the knowledge from the previous one. =/

sdsusonalumni · Aug 23, 2009

I'm sure you can do it as well, but let me tell you it will be extremely tough. You don't want to lose your financial aid by failing any courses either. I am an A student and I would never attempt that feat. Have you finished all of your math courses because math will help you with your chem courses. I took algebra and chem together.

You must understand that A&P, Micro, and Chem all have labs which means extra work outside of the main lecture. These labs count as extra classes. So in reality you will be taking 6 courses if you take A&P, Micro and Chem together and they all require a lab. I graduated from a university and I know at my school, san diego state university, labs were required for each of these courses. I understand your issue with financial aid because I had to deal with that issue too, but you don't want to risk failing any courses or dropping any courses because this also affects your FA.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2009

You must understand that A&P, Micro, and Chem all have labs which means extra work outside of the main lecture. These labs count as extra classes. So in reality you will be taking 6 courses if you take A&P, Micro and Chem together and they all require a lab. I graduated from a university and I know at my school, san diego state university, labs were required for each of these courses. I understand your issue with financial aid because I had to deal with that issue too, but you don't want to risk failing any courses or dropping any courses because this also affects your FA.

I honestly think I would be suicidal if I had ever attempted this :banghead: ... but if you can emerge from this with straight A's, you deserve an automatic invitation to nursing school, dammit! :nurse:

nohika · Aug 23, 2009

I'm sure you can do it as well, but let me tell you it will be extremely tough. You don't want to lose your financial aid by failing any courses either. I am an A student and I would never attempt that feat. Have you finished all of your math courses because math will help you with your chem courses. I took algebra and chem together.
You must understand that A&P, Micro, and Chem all have labs which means extra work outside of the main lecture. These labs count as extra classes. So in reality you will be taking 6 courses if you take A&P, Micro and Chem together and they all require a lab. I graduated from a university and I know at my school, san diego state university, labs were required for each of these courses. I understand your issue with financial aid because I had to deal with that issue too, but you don't want to risk failing any courses or dropping any courses because this also affects your FA.

I also have no guarantee of FA next year. =/ So it's more pressure to cram everything into this one. I know it's going to be insanely hard, and extra time in labs, etc. And yes, I've finished all my maths stuff! (That was a relief). I've also taken an intro-to-chem course that'll work for my Chem&121 prep, so that'll make it a little easier. There will be labs with almost all the courses - the biggest thing will be managing time. I bought a huge planner with TONS of room to write. :smokin:

I think I pulled a 4.0 this summer with one four-week class, one five-week class, and an eight-week class, so I think I have a little bit of a taste of how hard this'll be. I like to think of it as "preparation for nursing school". It's gonna be crazy...but I figure, once it's over, it's over, and I'll make it! I'm shooting for As in everything. :clown:

Thank you guys for your responses. :heartbeat:heartbeat

butterfly journey · Aug 23, 2009

Nohika, have you considered what you will be doing during the semester (or whatever time it is) that you will be waiting around to find out whether you been accepted into a NS program? or does your last semester have classes in it that don't have to be figured into your GPA or other requirements? My problem was that I had to have every one of my classes completed before I could apply, but then the semester during which the application review was going on there was nothing for me to take (so lucky me, I'm taking Spanish) Are they any of your courses that you can put off until the end that don't have to be completed before you apply? For me I could actually have my histories and governments not completed by the time I applied (of course I'd already taken those years ago). Check that out to see if you might be able to lighten the load a bit.