Reasonable Fall schedule?

bear94, BSN, RN · Jun 5, 2014

I just answered another question like this in a different forum! These questions are hard to answer because they are so relative to each person. To ME, it seems reasonable... But my life circumstances are different than yours. If I had a family and had to work nearly 20 hours a week I can't say how my grades would have turned out during my pre reqs. I worked at a restaurant bartending one night and waitressing the next every Friday and Saturday for a total of 12 hours every week, and I don't have a family to raise. I took 16 credit hours last fall (the most credit hours I have taken in one semester.) I took AP1, Statistics, Growth and Development, Philosophy, and American Government. It was time consuming, but I managed straight A's. I had great professors in every class, and I worked my butt off because I had nothing more important to do. My life circumstances definitely made it optimal. It just depends on so many factors! A great suggestion that I saw on another post is to go to each class for a couple of weeks to figure out what the professor will be like and to get an idea of how the class will be and what the course load will be like. In my opinion it takes three weeks to get comfortable with a class and feel like everything is under control, but that's just me! Good luck, I bet you'll do great no matter what you decide to do. Just make sure to make API your top priority.

tbbtpeach · Jun 5, 2014

If you want it, you'll do it! Those classes don't seem to terribly demanding. At least you only have 1 BIO class. Maybe you could wait for the CNA position until a later date to see how you're feeling with school, job and family. :) Good luck!

ksw1978 · Jun 5, 2014

That doesn't seem too bad.

My schedule for the Fall is:

Monday 9-1140 psych in first 1/2, human growth and dev in second 1/2

Tuesday work all day

Wednesday 9-1140 same as Monday plus 5-9pm A and P 2

thursday work all day

Friday work all day

Saturday 8-1030am A and P 1

I'm doing both A and P's in one semester as I already completed them but 6 years ago this fall so I timed out of being able to use them. Hopefully I've retained a lot of the info, I got an A and a B last time.

I have to work 3 days a week to live! But I'm determined to work hard and do what's necessary to get good grades and also remain somewhat sane!!!

i believe you can do whatever you set your mind to.

Livetoride · Jun 5, 2014

If you want it, you'll do it! Those classes don't seem to terribly demanding. At least you only have 1 BIO class. Maybe you could wait for the CNA position until a later date to see how you're feeling with school, job and family. :) Good luck!

That's what I was thinking about the CNA course. I was diddling dallying thinking, "Well, I can do this now or next year." It's a lot of things to take into consideration since it is a 5-hour 2x a week course.

They are very basic classes. The algebra is technically remedial and it's setting me up to take a course that is now a new pre-req for the nursing program at my school.

Livetoride · Jun 5, 2014

I just answered another question like this in a different forum! These questions are hard to answer because they are so relative to each person. To ME, it seems reasonable... But my life circumstances are different than yours. If I had a family and had to work nearly 20 hours a week I can't say how my grades would have turned out during my pre reqs. I worked at a restaurant bartending one night and waitressing the next every Friday and Saturday for a total of 12 hours every week, and I don't have a family to raise. I took 16 credit hours last fall (the most credit hours I have taken in one semester.) I took AP1, Statistics, Growth and Development, Philosophy, and American Government. It was time consuming, but I managed straight A's. I had great professors in every class, and I worked my butt off because I had nothing more important to do. My life circumstances definitely made it optimal. It just depends on so many factors! A great suggestion that I saw on another post is to go to each class for a couple of weeks to figure out what the professor will be like and to get an idea of how the class will be and what the course load will be like. In my opinion it takes three weeks to get comfortable with a class and feel like everything is under control, but that's just me! Good luck, I bet you'll do great no matter what you decide to do. Just make sure to make API your top priority.

I was pondering that too because the school has those class drops that don't go on my record until a certain date. Currently, psychology is my most time consuming class with all the reading and studying. I only study when I am at school on break or when everybody goes to sleep. So far that works (for me at least). My psych professor is phenomenal. I didn't think I'd hack it but she takes it and twists it a way to which completely relates to me as a human being. I'm hoping other professors I get in the future are like her.

If I can learn how to balance a full-time courseload with my other obligations, I know it can pave the way for success for me. I was starting to think I was crazy when I made my schedule lol.

Livetoride · Jun 5, 2014

That doesn't seem too bad.
My schedule for the Fall is:
Monday 9-1140 psych in first 1/2, human growth and dev in second 1/2
Tuesday work all day
Wednesday 9-1140 same as Monday plus 5-9pm A and P 2
thursday work all day
Friday work all day
Saturday 8-1030am A and P 1
I'm doing both A and P's in one semester as I already completed them but 6 years ago this fall so I timed out of being able to use them. Hopefully I've retained a lot of the info, I got an A and a B last time.
I have to work 3 days a week to live! But I'm determined to work hard and do what's necessary to get good grades and also remain somewhat sane!!!
i believe you can do whatever you set your mind to.

Thank you!

I thought I was going to go ahead and delve right into my A&P class but I saw the course material and said eh, let's go back to basics. The last anatomy class I took was at a for profit and I learned more A&P in Psych than in that class.

As for you, I know you can do it! Just think of the end result when you are walking across that stage to be pinned. It's all worth it in the end!

daetor2012 · Jun 6, 2014

For pre-reqs my semester looks like this:

Elementary Chemistry

English Comp 1

Anatomy and Physiology Lecture w/ Lab

Mathematics and it's applications

13 credit hours altogether, I find it's hard to get that balance of pre-reqs and reqs to graduate, because if you end up taking and passing all of your non-nursing courses you'll struggle to maintain full time status.