Is Taking Three Evening Classes and Working Full Time Doable?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of taking three evening classes—Physics 1, Precalculus II, and Biology II—while working full-time. Participants explore the challenges of managing a heavy academic load alongside a full-time job, particularly focusing on the difficulty of the courses and the necessity of achieving high grades for transfer eligibility.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses uncertainty about the manageability of taking three demanding classes while working full-time, emphasizing the need for A's to transfer.
  • Another participant shares their experience of successfully managing a similar workload but advises against it due to the intensity of the courses.
  • Some participants suggest that having classes back-to-back could be beneficial for time management, especially during exam periods.
  • Concerns are raised about the difficulty of Physics 1 and Precalculus II, with one participant noting that they would drop Precalculus II if necessary due to its perceived difficulty.
  • There is a discussion about the content of Precalculus II and Biology II, with one participant mentioning the challenges of memorizing biological processes from their previous class.
  • Another participant questions the structure of the courses, asking for course descriptions and clarifying whether the physics class includes a lab component.
  • Some participants highlight the importance of having a good instructor, suggesting that teaching quality can significantly impact the difficulty of the courses.
  • One participant notes their struggle with foundational math skills, indicating that this could affect their performance in Precalculus II.
  • There is a suggestion that the workload may be manageable if the student remains focused and motivated, emphasizing the importance of asking questions and engaging in the material.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the feasibility of the proposed schedule, with some asserting it is doable while others caution against the potential challenges. There is no consensus on the difficulty of the courses or the best approach to managing the workload.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the extended duration of the semester (16 weeks) and the specific requirements for pharmacy school, which may influence their perspectives on course difficulty and time management. The discussion also reflects varying levels of preparedness and foundational knowledge among participants.

Revolver
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I work a full time job. I attend school at night. For the fall semester I am considering taking three classes:

Physics 1: 6:30pm -9:15 pm Monday and Wednesday

Precalculus II 5:30pm-6:45pm Tuesday and Thursday

Biology II: 7:00pm - 9:45pm Tuesday and Thursday

I work until 6:00 - 2:00pm everyday, including Saturdays. I know Physics 1 is a monster course, but I'm not so sure about Bio 2 or Precalc 2, though I heard Precalc 2 is a monster as well. Do you guys think three courses like this with a full time job is doable? Oh yeah, and I HAVE to get A's in all three classes as well for me to be eligible to transfer where I want to go.
 
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Revolver said:
I work a full time job. I attend school at night. For the fall semester I am considering taking three classes:

Physics 1: 6:30pm -9:15 pm Monday and Wednesday

Precalculus II 5:30pm-6:45pm Tuesday and Thursday

Biology II: 7:00pm - 9:45pm Tuesday and Thursday

I work until 6:00 - 2:00pm everyday, including Saturdays. I know Physics 1 is a monster course, but I'm not so sure about Bio 2 or Precalc 2, though I heard Precalc 2 is a monster as well. Do you guys think three courses like this with a full time job is doable? Oh yeah, and I HAVE to get A's in all three classes as well for me to be eligible to transfer where I want to go.

It all depends if you think you can do it.

I've worked full-time and went to university full-time for one term and actually manage to get an A+ average. Will I do it again? Hell NO!

It doesn't seem too bad because you get a few hours before classes start. Personally, I wouldn't do it. If I had to drop a course, I would choose Physics because it will free up 2 days of school. Other than that, it's all good.

How long is this for?

Note: It's definitely doable though.
 
It's doable. I've been taking 2-3 classes a quarter on top of a full-time job for three years now. Having two classes back-to-back is kinda rough during exam time, though - especially if two of your exams fall on the same night. Might want to take that day off work.
 
The problem is I need A's in both classes and I need study time. This schedule would extend for a full semester which is 16 weeks. Now if I was taking easy classes like sociology or basic computer skills I would submit and be done with it, but the fact is I know all three classes are hard, with Physics being extremely hard.

I should also note that I'll be taking algebra based physics as opposed to calculus based Physics. Oh and I attend community college as well.

If I had to choose one to drop though it would be the precalc 2 because Physics and Bio 2 are part of my main pre-reqs that I need to get into pharmacy school.

Any thoughts about Precalc 2 and Bio 2 as far as difficulty? Would you guys consider Physics 1 more difficult than General Chemistry 1 university level?
 
You should post your course descriptions. In my world, Bio 2 is Human Bio (no lab) and there is no such thing as Pre-calc 2. Is your physics class also a lab class?
 
I've never taken Pre-Calculus before.

I just jumped right in.

What do they teach in Pre-Calculus?
 
Precalc 2 is trigonometry with analytical geometry. Whatever that is... lol.

Biology 2 is just listed as General Biology 2. I don't know what it entails. My biology 1 class was horrid though... so many processes to memorize.. how cells split, both plant and animal, and we even had some organic chemistry in it. Yuck.

EDIT: Both Bio 2 and Physics 1 include lab. The way it works is one day of the week is dedicated to lecture for three hours, the other day is lab for three hours. Fun.
 
Did you take pre-calc 1? How did that go for you? I have to level with you and tell you that if you're not rock-solid on factoring techniques in algebra, pre-calc could become very painful for you.

Taking two lab classes is pretty ambitious. Very time-consuming for someone working full-time. Have you checked out any potential profs on ratemyprofessors.com? A good, well-organized teacher that doesn't waste your time can make all the difference in the world.
 
I am taking precalc now and yes I am very rusty on factoring, though FOIL is no problem for me. We made it past the chapter with all the factoring though, and now we are doing slops, intercepts, graphs, and synthetic division. Easy stuff.

What kind of math is in algebra based physics 1?
 
  • #10
It takes quite a time to master it, but try to heavily pay attention in classes, ask questions and think, at least try to think since it's hard to perform regular functioning at the end of the day. It'd limit your studies and save some time. Biology is just remembering stuff, so if you practice memorizing, you won't have to study at all. Precalc and physics is quite similar, it's not all memorizing but also logic, so pay a double attention here, and think of what you're doing, if something goes wrong, ask a question and sure it'll make things simpler. Load isn't too heavy as long as you want to learn, once you stop the desire, all things become hard.
 
  • #11
Talk to people about your teachers too, because teachers can make all the difference when it comes to difficulty.

How long is your commute time to school? Because having classes back to back can save some commute time and that time can add up. Also, more math will probably make Physics easier. Thus my recommendation would be to drop Physics.
 

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