Why, oh why do things come and haunt me?..What I am talking about is, as far as pre-reqs go, I am still in need of a Orgo I&II and Physics I&II (along with Gen Chem II which I’ll be taking in the coming spring.
The problem(?!) is…I am considering adding Physics I to my spring schedule, along with the chem (and two others to be full time…14 credits). Ok, no marked loss of sanity yet. However, I noticed that last summer, my college offered Orgo I during the first summer session (a month’s worth) and Orgo II during the second summer session. The class met all 5 days of the week for 1 1/2 hours and two days included lab.
For some reason, I’ve got it in my head of looking to do this for Summer 2013 (assuming it’s offered), along with Physics II over the full summer session.
The allure of having all of my pre-reqs done by Aug 2013, instead of May 2014 has definitely got me thinking. It could bump my possible matriculation date by an entire year (Fall 2014 vs Fall 2015) by taking the MCAT in the Fall of 2013. Naturally, the worry is of biting off more than I can chew. I don’t work (my wife said for me to go to college fulltime while she went back to work when I lost my job last year), but my two kids are out of school over the summer so I will be Mr. Mom -ing it quite a bit.
And on the other hand, I’m thinking I should start getting used to sipping from a fire hydrant since medical school would not be any easier. My gpa is good (3.89 over 26 credits since starting back, and looking at all As for this Fall hopefully) so I’m wondering if I could actually handle the pace if i was single-minded in studying for 2 months worth.
Oh well…thoughts? advice? I know you have to be crazy to pursue this dream but is this a whole other level?
Silverknight -
Stay calm. Step away from the course catalog. 
For what it’s worth, I think this is a REALLY BAD idea. I took Chem I and II with lab in 9 weeks - full time, no job, no kids, and it was REALLY difficult. Got a B+ and and A (I had a 4.0 in grad school for reference). I cannot imagine doing Orgo in the same time, especially with lab (the lab is MUCH more extensive than with Gen Chem). Add physics to the mix - risking doing poorly and then jeopardizing your chances. And for what it’s worth - ONE course (NOT orgo) in the summer session was similar to the pace of medical school. I postponed Orgo II lab and took it the summer after taking MCAT’s and applying – schools were ok with me finishing it then.
Also - if you take MCAT’s in the fall of 2013 (and when were you going to study for it??), then do you realize that you will wait 6-8 weeks for scores? So have your app complete in late october or november… missing the number ONE strategy for success which is, APPLY EARLY.
If you stick to a more spread out schedule, you can enhance your chances of doing excellently (which you need), of having adequate time to prep for MCAT’s and excel there (important) and …apply early. When you get to the pace of medical school, realistically, you just need to pass. B’s are nice. For premed, you need A’s.
Repeat after me: slow and steady wins the race…
Sorry for the direct advice. Typed this once but the website erased it somehow (unless it shows up later…phrased somewhat differently). Anyway, that’ what I think. Best of luck!!
Kate
“Step away from the course catalog”…HAHAHAHA…exactly what I needed to hear. All good points actually, Kate. I guess there is a tendency to want to rush through things because we may feel like we’re trying to make up for lost time.
The last thing I would want would be to risk a bad grade, plus the fact I would not be an early applicant. At worse, I would be an late applicant with less than ideal marks/MCAT. Anyways. Thank you for replying.
Marathon not a sprint…marathon not a sprint…I need to internalize that some more. 
Kate,
You are speaking to me!! My hours are being cut back tremendously due to the department bleeding red, causing me to tremor under the worries of getting “there” sooner along with the worries of losing my ER nurse skills. I may transfer to the ICU and still work nights while doing my pre-meds.
I’ve also decided against NP school. I want to be my own boss, somewhat
I’ve written down your quote and am going to take it with me to work, “Slow and Steady wins the race”. And with the crab bucket I work with, I really need words of encouragement!! Some nurses can be our own worst enemies.
You really are an inspiration to me!!
What you said : "I guess there is a tendency to want to rush through things because we may feel like we’re trying to make up for lost time. " - I SO know what you mean. I applied early for VCOM thru a linkage with my postbac which fell thru, not really because they were my top choice but because I saw the chance to skip the glide year. The glide year ended up being good nursing work, near my mom so I had lots of chances to visit with her that year, and entered med school in a better financial situation, so it was not a bad thing in the long run. Does a year make a difference one way or another? Even at my age, probably not. As Sapphire (the uppity blues women) sing it “age ain’t nothin’ but a number”
Kate
Aw, thanks!!
Kate
Don’t do it. Stop and breathe, you’re talking about a year difference which isn’t worth the trouble. The fire hydrant effect only happens if you get into med school. Why try to mimic it and chance never actually getting accepted to med school?
Stick to the OPM basics of slow AND steady. See I’ve got the slow pat down but never really got the steady. 
Great advice…I knew deep down it’s the wrong idea, I just needed a few more good reasons to not go down that road.
Now…back to my structured craziness
I agree with Kate.