mom of 3 starting mid-quarter Feb.

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I am married with 3 kids, 7,6 and 20 months. I do not work and will be starting with no prev. credits in Feb. I want to go full time after the mid-quarter(you can only take two classes then) but I am worried that it will be overwhelming. I have this vision of going to school and spending hours every day studying and still having everything else to do. Is it realistic to think I can do it all? How much studying should I expect for the pre-req classes if I am a quick learner. I never studied for anything in high school and breezed my way thru. Is this doable with little kids?

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I hope it's doable, because I just started back to school with 5 kids! I'm married, and we have a 6yr,5yr,3yr,2yr, and 6 month old! I think we can do anything we set our minds too, and I realize how much MONEY I've "taken" away from my family so I better not waste it by failing! Failure is NOT an option.

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what classes are you taking now and how hard are they?

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Yes, it is totally doable, i have 3 kids 7,4, and 2 i started back two yrs ago. I also work parttime as a hairdresser. You just really have to follow a strict schedule. Make a time period to clean, a period for studying and time with kids and family. then of course after everyones in bed study again. this kind of schedule has worked great for me , i just applied to ns and hopefully will be accepted for fall. good luck ladies, and again anything is possible many have treaded this path before us, just keep your eye on the prize! Good luck and best wishes!

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Specializes in Home Health, Hospice and Med/Surg.

It is doable but you have to prioritize. My house isn't nearly as clean as it used to be. :)

I'm also married, have four children (14 year old step son, 8 year old son, 3 year old daughter and 16 month old son) and I work full-time in a corporate management type job. I also am going to school full-time. Last term I took 19 credit hours which included Biology 1010, Renaissance & Baroque, College Algebra, US Government, Speech and World Religions. I made a 4.0 - granted I did spend most anytime outside of my 8-5 work day studying, I did it!

So yes, it can be done.

(This term is a lighter load, I'm taking A&P I, Statistics and Intro to Healthcare).

If you put your mind to it, you will do well. But yes, considerable study time is required.

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

Of course it can be done. I've got three kids, 6,5 and 2 1/2. I started my pre-reqs last year and I've applied for fall/January 2011 admission to a community colleges nursing program. I also work full time, teach swimming lessons, go to judo club, teach Sunday school and have a great time with my kids- and I'm no superwoman. It can be challenging to find time to study, but I can do that when they're sleeping, on my lunch break at work, or we all have study time together at the table. Me with my books and them with papers or coloring. You can do it.

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Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone!!! I'm only taking Micrioboligy and Algebra this semester while my lil guy is so young (6 months) but this fall I want to take at least 3 or 4 classes. It's going to be hard, and I get a lot of "Why would you do this to yourself?!" from friends, but I know it will pay off in the end if I apply myself now. Hubby is awesome for helping me with my math, he's a math whiz so he helps me with my homework big time. And he's so fair, he won't ever tell me an answer, he'll only help me figure out the problem. So I'm learning a lot from him. Biology is gonna be tough though.

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Specializes in Perinatal.

I have 4 kids and I did it! When I started, they were ages 2,4,5, and 7. It took me three years and I finished all my pre-reqs with a 3.89 GPA (darn "B" in microbiology~lol). They are now 5,7,9, and 10 and I am waiting to get into the nursing program. Good luck!!

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Thanks Soon2BeK10RN!!!

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It can be done!! I have 3 boys ages 6,4 and 12 months and my husband is in the Army and can work 60+ hours a week! I took A&P I, Chem and another science class last semester, and while Chem was my nemisis I passed, and I got an A in AP! This semester I am taking Micro, AP II and Psych. You will need lots of time to study for AP for sure, but it can be done (Kids have to sleep at some point!) Good luck to you!

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I started when my youngest was 22 months and my oldest was four. I went half-time till they were both in school, but I also did a lot of my classes online so i didn't have to worry about babysitters. I am going to school full time and the A&P classes requr a lot of studying and memorizing, but if you are a quick learner the other classes should be fairly easy.

I think you can do it.

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Thanks everyone. I really need to go full time because at my college you can take up to 18 credits per quarter for the same price as 12 credits. The more credits I take, the less student loans I will have in the end.

What did everyone do for childcare? My two oldest are in school and I am going to have my grandmother (who is in her 70's) watch the little guy while I am at school. I hope this works out and she can handle it. I feel guilty, like I decided to do something so I have to ask for help from everyone around me. But I have no other options, we cant afford daycare since I am not working. I am also not sure how I will work it out when it comes to the nursing program which is m-f 8:30-4:30.

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