I thought about this the whole break and now I have one day to make up my mind. I am re taking Bio II and Stats. Took both about 4-6 yrs ago and got C’s in both. Aside from that I am taking…
Immunology
Genetics with Lab
Botany with Lab
I could not convince myself to drop any of them. It just doesn’t seem too crazy to me being that 2 are retakes and 3 others don’t seem too hard (not ochem or calculus hard)
I don’t have to work this semester so all I have to worry about is A-ing these classes. I volunteer Saturdays too. I just need some re-assurance that this is reasonable and very do-able. Thanks in advance 
Wish u all a great semester
Seems a bit much to me.
Not what you wanted to hear but it is my op.
nope, thats fine. honest opinions are what i’m looking for. does it seem like a lot cause its 18 hrs or cause of subjects?
18 hours is a pretty good haul. Not impossible, but thats a lot of UG credits. Also I think Genetics will be much harder than you think. That being said with no work and keeping your weeks free it sounds doable enough.
Seems like too much to me as well. Both Immunology and Genetics with Lab could be pretty challenging. Honestly, I’d do only one of them at a time. However, since both are upper division med school related classes, perhaps you could drop Botany to have more time to concentrate on them. Genetics can be VERY time consuming. Immuno has lots of memorization.
Kate
Seems like too much to me as well. Both Immunology and Genetics with Lab could be pretty challenging. Honestly, I’d do only one of them at a time. However, since both are upper division med school related classes, perhaps you could drop Botany to have more time to concentrate on them. Genetics can be VERY time consuming. Immuno has lots of memorization.
Kate
Short version:
Married, two kids, 18h of various science courses. Seriously?
Without trying to be rude or judgmental, I think this is way too much.
I also am married, two kids and work. I am going much slower simply because there are only 24h in a day. And it has been working pretty well so far (4.0). I don’t pretend to know what will or will not work for you, but being a teacher, I have seen too many students chewing up more that they can afford. Result: low grades, poor morale, and sometimes dreams shattered.
Unless you are absolutely sure you can ace all of these classes (which is not impossible), then I would drop a few of those classes (a good third or half).
In any event, all I wish for you is to succeed.
Isn’t med school like…23 credits a semester or something??
Even though I would never pull a heavy duty course load like that (can’t study fast enough,lol) I think that if a person is naturally gifted and can study efficiently enough to not get hung up on a particular subject then I think it is possible. Just think how much of a bragging right that would be to say that you’ve “Aced” this semester while parenting your two children and volunteering to boot!! EPIC!!!
In the end only you know what you can and can not handle. In my opinion, stick to what you can do…but do without burning yourself out in the process
Those are similar to my thoughts julio. Most science students do 15 or 16 hrs- at least those around me.
i do have two kids but the hubby is most helpful. ‘redoitall’ how many hrs do u work? I just feel like this heavy load would really be like a full time job and going to school like u do. I don’t have to work and I think that is a huge plus for me
My previous job was as a bio teacher, basketball and track coach. I would get home, make lessons and be done until 8 or 9pm. i could hang with the kids and hubby for a couple of hrs and that was my day. The next day i’d be back to work w an early practice at 6am and that was my whole week along with games and meets in the weekends. Job was ok but i did not love it.
I am only sharing this to show two things. One, hubby is very helpful and adapts well to my schedule. He does 70% of cleaning and cooking - if not more. Two, if I spend the same amount of time on those classes as I did on the teaching job that I saw no future in, why would I not be able to do this that I see such a big future with.
Hope i made sense. I am still considering what you all are sharing and I truly appreciate you alls input. If I drop I am thinking I would drop one of the retakes. Thanks all
It’s hard to come to a forum where people don’t echo your thoughts. I’ve been there, sometimes I’m still there.
What I want when I ask a validating question, is validation, not objective thoughts. When I ask if I’m too fat, I just want to be told, “No, you’re just fine in that size 6 dress” instead of, “Holiday festivities are making that dress crumple in a few spots…”
Unlike the dress and the weight which can come off:
You really only get one shot to redo an undergraduate premed education.
If you, are like the rest of us here, screwed up, waited, took a breather, had another career, had a life changing experience only to find out that medicine is now a red, hot, lights flashing passion…
We don’t get to retry this med school thing again.
Knowing that, knowing that everyone who responded “gets” what being above average is (we all are; every single one of us is above average) says, “Don’t take that load” it is simply because we well understand what that one chance means.
Slow. Marathon.
We don’t want to see you back here in 6 months saying you got 3 Bs and 2 As because it was too much of a load. If that happens, it may well be “game over” - and no one, especially on this forum, wants to see that happen.
As for dropping one of your repeats, I can understand dropping stats, but not the bio II. As for the others, I would also drop botany and probably immuno.
As my own med school adviser told me (he was or is on the adcom):
I want to see courses that you can ace with one or two of those courses easier than the other. When he looked at my own line up, he cringed and said, verbatim:
“I would not allow my own advisees take that course load. You need to get As and As only. Please rethink that schedule.”
My schedule?
Evolution (guy is an easy A, just breezed through bio with him)
Biochem with the professor above
Ochem 2 - with a well respected, highly decorated professor
Physiology
I saw that as an easy A, a little tougher A (bioc), a pretty easy A (ochem 2), and no-clue.
I’ve since, swallowed my pride and adrenaline to dump ochem 2 (whooo hooooooo!!!) and physiology, picking up anatomy instead (I had it years ago).
Three courses.
i totally get what u all are trying to tell me. and ur right. I would hate to b back here regretting what i did. i guess its that whole feeling like i’m in a hurry to get “there” that gets me going.
i am dropping the stats. i learned they offer it in the summer at the univ i’m going. I will still think ab dropping another one. they offer these by semesters at a time and it will set me back another year if I don’t take now
thank u all
- Julio Cesar Said:
Isn't med school like...23 credits a semester or something??
I can't speak for everyone, but my MD program breaks down as follows:
Fall - yr 1 = 19 cr
Spring - yr 1 = 19 cr
Summer - yr 1 = 9 cr
Fall - yr 2 = 21 cr
Spring - yr 2 = 22 cr
TOTAL = 90 cr
Here’s what I think everyone is trying to say. I don’t think we don’t think you can do it or you will fail miserably, I just think it is very easy to stumble with a heavy load and get a B or a B- (not that those are dream killers, but as non-trads we all want to be perfect). Take for instance last spring. That was my MCAT prep spring so I only took two classes, albiet they were Org II and Physio. I also took my MCAT prep which I say you should treat at least as another 6 hour class. On top of that I have a wife and I was volunteering pretty heavy including one which kept me out unitl 11p atleast 1 night a week.
I almost got a B in the physio class. If I hadn’t aced the final it would have been a B. It wasn’t that I was any less of a student in this class, it was that I was cutting corners time wise to fit everything in and coming up 3 points short on every test. B’s are pretty easy to get when you are a good student, A’s take a dramatically larger amount of time to acquire. Just worried that you will have to short one class in you hectic schedule.
Also Immuno and Botany aren’t required course so, if you still want to take them you can push them to your glide year?
So now i’m feeling overwhelmed with all this and i hate to admit it.
I cannot take anything during my glide year because I will be where there is no school near me . All of me is now thinking I should focus on retakes, prereqs and only other classes that will help my GPA n help out in med school instead of pursuing a Bio degree.
your post, ‘baileypup’ helped me see this too.
i mean I am only applying DO and wouldn’t this be best? I soo wish my university had premed advisors 
- dkclayton Said:
So now i'm feeling overwhelmed with all this ,,, thinking I should focus on retakes, prereqs.
Yes. That is exactly what you should do. All of us have been saying just that; and not all classes just at once
- dkclayton Said:
i mean I am only applying DO
Never, ever say "only apply DO" as if that is bad. It is not. It may be seen as "easier" but I bet if we took a poll between MD and DO students, we'd get the same levels of stress, knowledge requirements, etc. I know you weren't disparaging DO and it is easy to misread (I do the converse and say, only MD which is kind of the same type of saying - I have to check myself as if that is somehow better than DO; it is not).
- dkclayton Said:
I soo wish my university had premed advisors
Most schools med school advisers are there for really one purpose. Weed a student out. Most are terrible.
This forum is far more useful than anything I've seen or heard about offline. We have doctors - DO and MD, we have former and possibly current adcoms, we have residency coordinators, we have legal gurus, we have Richard, we have med students, we have premed students.
And ALL are here to support each of us to get where our path should go. I know of no other place where you can this level of support, encouragement, butt kicking, discussion, etc.
You're going to be fine if you cut your classes back and focus on the above.
Eat the premed elephant one tiny bite at a time, like you were sitting with the Queen of England (or gorgeous Kate!).
Adoc2be, thanks a bunch. I don’t know why I felt so frustrated with this last night. I’ve just been over-thinking this whole process, i guess.
Thank you all. You ALL have been great help and u are right! who needs an formal adviser when u got ‘oldpremeds’ 
Oh and by saying “only applying DO” i meant as in not applying for both MD and DO and in no way meant to degrade becoming DO
- dkclayton Said:
... i meant as in not applying for both MD and DO and in no way meant to degrade becoming DO
I know
I am only applying to MD as I seriously, do not have the backbone to tackle the DO. What is inferred in your application carries as much weight as what is stated. If you can manage the schedule you described and still keep a 4.0 you will no doubt impress the adcoms with your ability to focus and multitask. However, if you have a mediocre showing and a couple of Ws, that suggests a tendency to overcommit, and gets you at least a yellow flag. I agree with the previous postings that taking it slow and concentrating on getting the best GPA is the better approach. I can certainly relate to the frustration of wanting to “get there” faster, but rest assured it will be worth the wait. The other aspects of your life (children, work, commute) will be taken into account when your application is reviewed, but you have to get past the initial screening first, which like it or not, means minimum standard GPA and MCAT scores.
Best of luck whichever way you decide. We’re all rooting for you.
Right - My was more like 21 credits a semester. But the important thing is, you don’t have to get A’s. You only have to pass, if you are not going for a really competitive specialty. BIG difference. I still study as if for A’s and am happy with B’s with the occasional A, but I do have the freedom to sometimes just go to bed because I don’t NEED the A.
Kate