After completing my pre-reqs I applied to 5 nursing programs. I had a little over a year between completing my pre-reqs and starting a nursing program. During this time I continued volunteering at the hospital, I also worked part-time (not in the medical field) and took classes part-time. I crashed LVN classes at the local community college and I was able to get two semesters of medical terminology classes & a pharmacology class. These classes don't count toward the nursing program I got into, but I'm really thankful that I have exposure to these subjects. Medical terminology is like learning a whole new language. I'm hoping the knowledge I got from these classes will help reduce some stress the first semester of nursing school If that option is available to you, I highly recommend it!