Need a response ASAP

I’ll get to the point. I am thinking about taking a summer class July 5. It’s actually anatomy & physiology. The class meets from 6-9:45 pm. I get off work at 4:30 and I am not sure if I want to spend the time and the money taking this class since I have to be up at 5 AM every morning. What should I do?

Quote:

I’ll get to the point. I am thinking about taking a summer class July 5. It’s actually anatomy & physiology. The class meets from 6-9:45 pm. I get off work at 4:30 and I am not sure if I want to spend the time and the money taking this class since I have to be up at 5 AM every morning. What should I do?







Sounds to me as if you don’t really want to take the class. I can speak for myself that Summer classes are a LOT faster and take up twice the time if not more. You HAVE to be completely dedicated to this class especially since you need to get a good grade.





It all comes down to whether or not you feel you can put forth the effort to get the good grade. Good luck with your choice!





Geoff

I’ve heard more than one person say that the A&P offered in most universities (your mileage may vary) is often geared to nursing students and isn’t all that helpful for med school. Where are you in the process?

I have heard the same Denise. As a matter of fact, I had an admission counselor tell me that higher bio classes are good but not A&P. They say you will learn all of that in the 1st year and it will be totally different.
Marcia

I can definitely put forth the effort because it is down time at work and I don’t do that much. I am concerned about the time. The class meets from 6-9:45 PM. Do you think it is worth it?

I am also a 5am riser and currently take a summer course (nutrition), meets twice a week from 6-9. And last spring I had chem twice a week usually getting home around 10:30 or so. It hasn’t been a big deal for me, but I don’t usually need a full 8 hours of sleep or anything like that. I guess that would by my main concern.
As for whether A&P is worth it? I took A&P I this spring (I’m pre-nursing now) and found it interesting, largely memorization and regurgitation, but I can’t say as I retained enough to make it worth my while if I were planning to go on to med school, not to mention that it struck me as being a rather cursory overview of the subject.
Good luck w/ your decision!

Hi.
My academic advisor suggested taking A&P as prep for the MCAT. Now that I’m in a Kaplan prep-course, I see the benefit of the class – negative feedback, homeostatis, reproduction questions (stuff like that) are clear and the practice questions relating to body processes aren’t intimidating. If you’ve taken the MCAT, then this class might not be of much use to you.
anita

I thought having two semesters of A&P before med school was a huge help, esp for the MCAT. The anatomy was also very helpful in med school. However, I would not have wanted to take either semester during the summer as it is a lot of work memorizing the info. I agree with the other posters that said that you sound luke warm at best about taking this class. Possibly, it’s better to wait, ultimately having a good outcome and enjoying it when you can dedicate the time to the class. Just my 2 cents.
Good luck,
Tara

I’m taking organic now. The class meets 3 days a week, 7 - 10 pm; but when we finish earlier we can leave. It’s usually around 9:30.
I really enjoy the class, I find it very interesting, and 2.5 - 3.0 hrs is, I guess, maximum I can stand at one time.
Your class would be 4 hrs long…That’s pretty intesne.
If you’ve ever taken evening classes and didn’t have any problem with that, go for it…
I’m not too fond of evening classes. The only reason I’m taking organic in the evening is the teacher. He’s great and I was ready to sacrifice for 2 months…
But at the same time I didn’t take a interesting microbiology class in the fall, only becasue it was in the evening…
Good luck with making your choice.
Kasia

Hmmm, I worked hard on a reply to this thread last night and now I don’t see it - oh yeah that must’ve been right when the thunderstorm hit! Oh well. Here’s what I wanted to say:
I worry when I hear terms like ASAP in relation to signing up for courses. What’s the hurry? Why do you need to take this course NOW? What happens if you don’t? What makes you feel that you need to do this?
My pointed questions are to emphasize the oft-repeated axiom on here, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Don’t feel pushed into taking a course even though the timing doesn’t seem quite right. In the grand scheme of things, it can’t make a significant difference - and I mean that, even if this one schedule question means the difference between applying to med school in 2006 vs. 2007.
There’s a reason you’re raising such concern about the lateness of the class and the frequency of its meetings in relation to your regular work schedule. You’re concerned about it. Frankly I think that’s reason enough NOT to take the class. None of us can tell you whether you’ll enjoy getting up at 5am every day after going to bed at midnight with your head full of new A&P ideas. To me it sounds distinctly unattractive but someone else might think it sounds great. I would definitely not talk myself INto such a schedule.
Again I raise the question of motivation - why do you need this course, and why do you need it now? I think it’s important for you to explore this because it may actually make a difference in how you cope with the schedule. If you REALLY want to do it, and you REALLY need to do it soon, and you REALLY think it is going to be pivotal for your application, then you’re more likely to be motivated enough to stand the many late nights. On the other hand, if you’re just feeling a vague sort of global pressure to get some credits under your belt and this one looks good because it doesn’t conflict with work directly, it may be hard to maintain sufficient motivation.
Hope this is making sense. And I hope you’ll let us know what you decide to do, since it’s just a few days away!
Mary