1/ keep your current A in calculus
2/this summer, register for ONE physics class and another class (just one). Get A’s.
3/ see if your CC offers Emt or CNA or medical tech certification, take one course along with your summer course to get you started. You want to be certified ASAP so you can rack up the patient contact hours. Added bonus: it’s paid, and more than minimum wage. (Although Cotsco just announced their minimum wage would be $16 an hour so in the meantime…)
4/ find a volunteering opportunity or community service hours.
After after first physics course, reassess. No matter what major you choose, it’ll count, so you’re okay regardless. If it’s Physics, you got your first requirements down. If another science - they typically have a “hard science” co-curricular requirement. If Nursing, you’ll have one less class to take.
Note: at Chicago CCs, the AS prepares for the BS.
(@napnemeanix : at some CCs, AS= career/AA= transfer).
The plan I have for summer 2021 is very fast-paced but I can handle it. in 8 weeks. Physics 1, General Chemistry 1, and Calculus 2. But if they offer Physics 1 in Summer, my advisor does not know the full schedule as of yet. If not summer then I have to take Physics 1 in Fall 2021.
That’s too much. Don’t take more than 2 courses in an 8-week summer session*, especially since these are very hard courses and you must get an A.
I understand you want to optimize your Pell Grant’s but for any sort of health care profession, you’re better off getting 2 As than 3 Bs.
(*2 courses in an 8 week summer session= 4 courses during a semester. However, during the semester, you can balance the workload and the difficulty and if need be you can take 5 or 6. General Chemistry, Calculus based physics, calculus 2… these classes kick everyone’s butt. In addition, they have labs, so that youd likely be in a lecture and lab every day for either one. If need be, overload in the Fall.)
Trust me I spent 40 hours in 1 week doing Intro To Statistics and College Algebra, English 102 in summer 2020. It was very fast paced and heavy workload.
You do, and you only have 6 years of Pell Grant monies. You’ve already used 2 years of your grants so you need to be careful about what classes you take so as to preserves your grant for your 4 year college.
Take only classes that will directly transfer to a BS degree. Finish those classes and move onto a four year college and get a bachelor’s degree in a major that you are interested in and that will have good job opportunities.
Honestly you’re all over the place with your ideas. You seem smart though so I’m sure you’ll figure something out.
How many college credits do you have? There’s a limit to the number of credits 4-year colleges will take. That’s part of the reason why transfer students don’t always graduate in 2 years. It takes some students 2.5 to 3 years to complete all the requirements. When you don’t have a clear direction and your only career goal is to make money it can be difficult to find a clear path. You need to create a plan that gives you enough time to finish your bachelor’s degree before your Pell runs out.
Low income students face a lot of challenges. Unfortunately, students on time constrained need based grants don’t have the luxury of drifting from one major to another. They need a plan. They should also think very carefully before choosing a major that requires years of additional schooling. I think most choose 4-year degrees that will allow them to support themselves while they pursue additional schooling (med school hopefuls who major in engineering, for example). If you don’t settle on a plan soon I think you risk running out of money before you finish your bachelor’s.
Applications for professional school will require more than a particular set of courses, grades, and test scores. You need a cohesive application that shows (not tells) them that you’re a fit. You can’t fake an interest in medicine. You’re either putting in the hours to build the kind of resume needed for med school or you’re not. If you’ve used over 200% of your Pell grant it sounds like you should have enough credits to graduate from community college (minus an odd course or two to complete the degree). That means you should have over 2 years of ECs, volunteering, and other activities. What do yours say about you?
I have not had a chance to volunteer. Due to the past 5 semesters being a full time job, while being in CC. Working and CC is a bad mixture for me or else my grades will slip.
So you didn’t have a job or volunteer hours even before Covid? Med schools expect a great deal of shadowing and volunteering, and they expect students to do that while getting top grades.
How many credits have you earned so far and how many more do you need to complete your associate’s degree? In our state I think the maximum number of credits that students can transfer to a 4-year school is 90 credits. And only those that meet the requirements at the 4-year school are accepted. Remedial courses won’t be accepted. Does your cc have an equivalency list that shows which courses transfer to your state’s universities? Your advisor should be able to help you with that.
For my General Studies, it was 60 CH but now, I’m at 74 CH finally putting an end to that gens and eds.
It’s going to very complex working and taking care of family members while doing a BS.
Higher courses can transfer to a BS degree, the duration can be cut down to half that way I can maybe have some time to work if I can.
My advisor told me since I spent a lot of time reading the college catalogs, I have a good understanding of which courses will transfer.
For example, I can’t take Calc 1 while in a university and taking care of family members, that’s going to be too much. For now, things are calm now is my chance to finish it up at CC, that will transfer easily and it saves me time.
Do you have a plan for balancing other commitments while completing upper level coursework and earning mostly As? (I haven’t read the entire thread so maybe I missed that)
If you have family issues that prohibit you from taking calc 1 at a 4 year university, you need to reconsider your career goals. If, and when you complete UG, in med school you wont have anytime for family, a job or anything else. You can’t just miss a day or more for a cold, you would fall behind. Based on your posts, I wouldn’t think med school is for you. It is NOT a career you go into because you can make good money.
@napnemeanix I responded to one of your other threads (I now see you have several going asking for somewhat the same information) and suggested nursing as an option that may meet your career goals while being manageable to complete a BSN.
I should just focus on my BS degree first then think about what I want to do. 4 years into the future, things and rules will change maybe.
My goal is to take fewer classes for my BS, it’s big handful taking care of family members. Working would cause my grades to fall very badly for my CC.
I have but he told me, he does not know what colleges I want to transfer and what major I was in a BS. He told me make a list of colleges you might like and go through their academic catalogs and see what they offer. Then come speak to me to get ready for the transfer process. I told them I like to do some thorough search on each college before making a decision. I’m not going to sign up quickly to a random place and end up getting caught with surprises.
