Tests, and Labs, and Homework, oh my! (Also known as a week in the life of a postbac)

So you may be wondering what the week in the life of a postbac looks like.  I can only speak to my personal experience, because every school (and even every student), does things differently.  As a matter of fact, in most of the programs I looked at for postbac, students take only Chemistry over the summer (isn't that nice!), so they have a completely different type of schedule than we do.

I'm actually happy we're doing both Chem and Bio at the same time, because it allows us to take two electives instead of none in the Fall and Spring semesters.  We take Biochemistry, which is all but required for the MCAT and an elective.  I chose to take Physiology - and I'm STOKED for that class come Fall.  But I digress...

My week looks something like this:

Monday Morning - Chemistry Lecture (1.5 hrs)
{Study, cook meals for the week}
Monday Evening - Biology Lecture (1.5 hrs)

Tuesday Morning - Chemistry Lecture (1.5 hrs)
Tuesday Late Morning - Chemistry Lab (3 hrs)
{chemistry tutoring}
{study and cry because this day is loooooong.  Okay, kidding about the crying.}
Tuesday Evening - Biology Lecture (1.5 hrs)
Tuesday Late Evening - Biology Lab (2 hrs)
{throw down a bowl of cereal before having a Narcolepsy attack and falling into bed}

Wednesday Morning - Chemistry Lecture (1.5 hrs)
Wednesday Late Morning - Chemistry Lab (3 hrs)
{chemistry tutoring - optional}
{study}
Wednesday Evening - Biology Lecture (1.5 hrs)

Thursday Morning - Chemistry Lecture (1.5 hrs)
{chemistry tutoring - optional}
{study}
Thursday Evening - Biology Lecture (2 hrs)
Thursday Late Evening - Biology Lab (1.5 hrs)
{study}
{drink so much caffeine I cannot fall asleep}

Friday Morning - Chemistry Test (1.5 hrs)
{study for Biology Test}

Saturday/Sunday
Church/Figure Skating Coaching/Grocery Shopping/Studying

So total, we're talking about 22 hours of classroom instruction per week.  It feels like less.
Now, if you add in homework time, postbac becomes more than a full time job.  Lots of people say that a good ratio between classroom hours and homework hours is 1:3, meaning that for every one hour of class time, you should spend 3 hours outside of class.  That brings the total of study hours up to around 66.  Add it all together, and you've got more than two full-time jobs here, which I would say is just about right.

I looked at my advisor like she was nuts when she initially told me that it was impossible to work during postbac.  I honestly thought, "Really? I did 18 hours a semester as an undergrad and worked two jobs and had no problems..." But that was stupid and naiive and I'm so glad I listened to her.  I currently work 2 hours per week and that's good.  I could maybe work 5 hours per week, but that's pushing it. 

Moral of the story: listen to your advisor.  They know things.

I don't spend all of my studying hours alone - in fact, I like to meet with study groups a couple of times per week, as well as attend the free Chemistry tutoring sessions my college offers.  They're fantastic and I'm sure I wouldn't have done as well on my last Chemistry exam as I did had we not had them.

So that's my week.  It looks repetitive and it is, but I'm already finding my groove. The next summer semester, the whole apple cart will be upset when I trade my Bio I class for a 3 week Cell Bio intensive and go into Gen Chem II. Such is life...