<p>This semester I have the option of continuing (this time by volunteering, not paid) my summer project I started as a part of my undergrad summer research program the past summer. My PI told me that this project might be publishable. By continuing working on the project, I'll be able to make more progress so that I can accumulate enough data sooner in the long run (I'm planning on continuing this project until I graduate) and, if lucky, publish a paper.
But the problem is that this semester I'm enrolled in 18 credit hours, which isn't always overwhelming. But my courseload consists mostly of heavy courses, with three labs--biochem 3 with lab, physics 2 lab, genetics 2 with lab, animal physio, and linear algebra. I've counted all the hours I'm in classes, tutorials and labs every week, and I got 31 hours. The estimated minimum number of total hours to put in to those courses on my own every week for all those courses combined is 70. Besides this, I lose 49 hours a week on sleeping and 12 hours on two EC's. This leaves me with ~6 free hours which I can spend however I like.
Obviously, to make time for research, I can either drop one of the heaviest courses, getting back ~15 hours which I can spend on research, or drop one or more EC's. But I wouldn't drop EC's because I have only two of them right now and pausing my activity this semester will make it hard to get involed in it again next semesters. It would also be harder to attain the similar positions in those EC's. Dropping a course also has its drawback in that I'd have to pay a penalty of $600.
Next Monday is the last day to drop without a W on transcript so I'd have to make up my mind quickly. Would it be worth it to sacrifice $600 to continue making a progress on the project, or should I just continue it starting next semester when I have less demanding courseload?</p>
<p>drop Linear Algebra</p>
<p>try and avoid an 'R' or 'W'... not sure if that applies here</p>
<p>I was in a similar position. I continued my project from the summer, and planned on doing research for credit. However, I am already taking 17 credits, and one of my pre-med advisers gave me some very strong advice.</p>
<ol>
<li>Talk to your PI, tell him/her that you have a hard year. Tell him/her that you would rather accept a small, manageable responsibility and fulfill all your duties rather than taking a big responsibility and not keeping up with the project at the expected pace.</li>
<li>Tell your PI that you can't shoot yourself in the foot, and you should sacrifice some research now so you can do research after you get into med school. Don't end your opportunities early.</li>
<li>Make it clear to your PI that you enjoy working in the lab, and would still like to be a part of it. Try to attend lab meetings regularly so you can still keep up with the lab even with less hours.</li>
<li>If applicable, ask if you can go to a more technical role, such as running PCR, prepping DNA, etc. until summer where you can resume working at 30+ hours a week.</li>
</ol>
<p>Pre-med is tough at my school, and a lot of kids have followed the above advice. It was a hard decision for me to make, because I enjoy being in lab. My PI was very, very accommodating when I brought up those 4 points to him. In fact, he let me continue my project albeit at a slower pace.</p>