I know it’s been noted in the past that the adcoms like to see at least 1 full year of full time school to show you can handle the workload. However, I’m faced with a catch 22. I work full time and then some, so it’s very difficult for me to go full time. I have not yet completed my undergrad, so I was considering trying to do full time for a year without incorporating any of my premed cirriculum into that year. So that way, at least if my grades suffer a bit, it won’t affectm my math and science grades.
If I can’t do that, then would the adcoms take into consideration that I was going to school AND working 50+ hours/week? I mean realistically, I have to make some tough choicees, and unfortunately quitting work to go to school full time for my undergrad just isn’t possible at this time. Any suggestions? I considered trying to live off loans, but realistically, I won’t have the same fiancing available to me in undergrad as I will with med school, so I couldn’t “scrape by” on loans.
I think the fact that you work and go to school is ok with the adcoms. I think if you only went to school part time, but didn’t work then that would be a problem. I knew a whole bunch of people that only went part time and worked 30 hours and then got in with out any questions asked.
I would suggest asking a director of admissions at a school of your interest if it would be a problem. You can email them and they are ususally more than happy to answer your questions.
Thanks for the advice. I’m not necessarily aiming for harvard(but then who is at our age?-our age being a very loose term;) hehe) So if I have to “bump” myself down my list of school choices in order to find one that will accept this, that isn’t an issue. so I’ll check around. Thanks for the responsse!
Just had to note that we DO have an OPM at Harvard, Joe Wright, who’s in his early thirties. He’s not able to spend much time with us these days, as he’s an MS-2, but everything he says is well worth listening to so watch for his name!
In that case, let me retract my statement, and be the first to give a high five to Joe- I read his speech from NPR-very good stuff! I have no doubt he’ll be sucessful.
I aspire to attend mayo- With Joe there, and one of our own at mayo already, anything’s possible 
Maybe I just having been aiming high enough 
Working full-time, going to school full-time, and volunteering can be very hectic. I did it for 5 years, but my GPA was damaged. When I start my premed, I plan on only studying and living on loans and meager savings. C’est la vie!
THat’s my plan as well, nahani. But I haven’t yet completed my undergrad, so I’m trying to figure out a way to do that without quitting work, before I go for my prereqs
Hey Zan,
I’m working full time and taking 8 hrs (physics and organic with labs). I would not anticipate and am not worrying about what the adcoms say. It’s taken far more work for me to be successful now than when I was a full time student. I plan on working that into my personal statement.
The only downer is that it may take you a bit longer to finish your undergrad (assuming you take fewer classes per semester). A year or two in the scheme of things is not such a big deal. At least that is what I keep telling myself 
. Good luck!
Apropos of all that, as a post-bac I went to school part time (at San Francisco State Univ., not a formal post-bac program) and worked part time. I quit the job that was paging me about dumb stuff during my final exams and took a cut in pay but a rise in interest and relevance to do it. There is no glory in less-than-lovely grades, and no glory in driving yourself to a nervous breakdown either. Don’t work any harder than you have to to pay the rent; anything else is pointless. What did I do with the extra time? Read, volunteered, wrote, took other classes I was interested in towards the end, all of which supported the kind of experience and reflectiveness that gave me good choices at admissions time. Cut your expenses and your workload as much as you can–you will be very grateful to yourself later. And, all of your GPA matters, not just your math and science GPA, not to mention those other classes should be things you’re interested in. Why half-ass it?
School is tough, stressful, costly, and often frustrating. But it beats the hell out of working.
Good luck!
cheers
joe
I extend a golden trophy to each poster on this thread…especially, dmaes! Alas, I’ve had a sabattical from OPM and due to my 50+ hr work week (2 jobs) and attempting to take 3 classes, I ended up in the hospital. I would like to say that stress is just not worth the price that is often demanded that you pay. Take Joe’s advice.
love, peace, and hair grease