Struggling w/ work and classes

Krzysztof · Feb 12, 2014

Many of us are both full-time workers and full-time students, so hopefully you'll get lots of good advice.

While I haven't exactly "totally isolated" myself, I have definitely re-purposed much of my previously spare/social time. I too am taking five courses this semester, so I certainly understand the time demands. It's a hefty load and needs balance for sure. Just be sure that you're consistently giving yourself enough scheduled study time on a regular basis -- and definitely put as much importance on it as your work time. It's not unusual to spend a good amount of your weeknights and/or weekends dedicated to studying while it seems the rest of the world is partying and singing and dancing the Macarena. (Do people still do that?) It's part of the choice we made by bulking up on coursework. We'll reach our goals more quickly, but we've gotta pay the price right now.

At the risk of being a bit more isolated than you would care to be, just be sure to buckle down on these courses. You're going to want the best possible scores for a competitive application. If this really, really isn't working out for you, definitely consider a lighter course load next semester.

Best of luck!

7237dallas · Feb 12, 2014

You are definitely not alone!! I work full time, have 2 young boys and go to school part time. Currently taking A&P I and Human Growth and it's definitely a struggle!! I took chemistry and sociology last year and it was a breeze compared to this semester! I have a lot of anxiety and stress and it's only been 4 weeks! I try to work out and get enough sleep but that's been a struggle here lately bc my dad just had quadruple bypass a week and a half ago so I had to take time for that too. It will get better! Try and think positive and get on some kind of schedule with studying. I know it's hard as I'm still trying to figure mine out too...lol

jcab2 · Feb 12, 2014

I can relate 100%. I was working mon-fri 7-330 and taking four classes trying to knock out my pre-reqs within two years so that i could apply asap. I went to school mon-thurs from 6-10 which left hardly anytime for studying during the week. What i had to do was suck it up and study on lunch breaks at work and then i would get up Sat and Sundays, go to Starbucks from 8-6pm and not leave until that time. This gave me enough time to balance my school work and work and i was able to pull off a 4.0 gpa with that schedule. It can certainly be done, but it takes an enormous amount of discipline and drive. It will definitely be worth it in the end just keep at it! :)

RunBabyRN · Feb 12, 2014

If you plan to pursue nursing, your grades are absolutely VITAL. You NEED As.

You'd be better off taking one or two classes instead of 5. You can build up from there as you find your balance, but I found that when I slowed things down, my GPA shot up, and I was less likely to find myself on the edge of jumping off a bridge. When you get into the prereqs, like anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, and even English, you really need to get As in those if nothing else, since your prereq GPA is usually weighed as heavily as your overall GPA.

Consider slowing down so you can still pay your bills AND keep your sanity and your GPA up.

boragirl02 · Feb 12, 2014

Although it might be late for this semester, you might want to consider lessening your course load next semester. I decided to do my nursing pre-reqs slowly but surely and only took a maximum of 3 courses per semester and got an A on all of them. You really do not want to gamble and take more than you can handle then get low grades on them, especially now that it is really tough to get into nursing school with low grades/GPA.

Try to break your study time into 2 to 3 hours per day before or after you work. Do not study the entire weekend!!! Just add a few more hours to studying on weekends. Make sure to print out all power points your professors provide since most of the time, exam questions are based on them. ;)Good luck to you!