How the @#$% am I supposed to go to Class, Study AND Work AND Volunteer?

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

**please bear with this MAHNY rant, thank you**



How the FUCK am I supposed to take 20 hours worth of classes (its only 3 classes, 14 credits, but 20 in class hours!), work a minimum of 22.5 hours a week, find time for studying, and find an opportunity to volunteer with animals (which looks like it will mostly likely be a 3 day commitment anywhere)?!?!?!?!

Where am I supposed to find time for anything?!?! My ideal schedule for next fall (who knows if the sections I'd like to be in will be open when I register) has me taking 4 nights a week of night classes, from 5:30pm to 8pm or 10pm, depending the night, with one class during every day except Thursdays.

I barely have 3 hour blocks of time to get into work, baring the one day where I could work for 7 hours (still, it only gives me a total of 16 hours of work a week, not even enough to be considered Part-Time).

Then, I also need to find an internship/volunteer opportunity in my field, which would take up all weekend, I guess. When am I supposed to study?!?! or find time to breath?!?!? argh.



thanks for bearing with me

...and if anyone is willing to be a sugar-daddy/momma, please don't hesitate to drop me a PM

[progmom]

1. that sounds overwhelming

If I win the lottery, we'll be your sugar mamas, ok?

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

2. I am overwhelmed, and I'm not even there yet

oy!

I just wish you aren't getting my hopes up to be dashed if you don't win the lottery

[joneschick]

3. sleep is over rated.

and I will keep you on my list for when I win the lottery. I could never take more than 11 credits at a time, so that's what I did for way too many years along with several pt jobs and three small children. Now I have my degree in a field that's left my city mostly.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

4. There is a midnight shift at the ASPCA

...thanks for the good thoughts.

Isn't it just amazing that we can spend years going to school, and finally have a degree to show for it, only to have what you want to do close up shop?! many hugs for you

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. You aren't...

something obviously has to give, and of those, that something would obviously have to be the volunteer work. Taking 20 credit hours can be brutal in itself WITHOUT working. I'd say you need to reassess your priorities (the volunteer work = nonessential; school and work ARE).

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

7. and I'm not even taking 20 credit hours!!! Its only 14 credits,

but 20 in-class hours (including labs and stuff). I've taken semesters with 20 credits before (5 classes) but none including labs, so it was not that bad. However, this is only 3 classes: bio, chem, pre-calc. That doesn't even include studying time.

Actually, the volunteer work is much more essential to my future career plans then my job is. Although I need money to survive, I must have volunteer/internship experience for graduate school. There is no questioning that. In fact, some of the statistics for the '06 incoming class shows that they have an average of 3,000 hours of animal work expereince....currently I have a big fat 0.

Something has gotta give, and it will probably be my job...but I have no idea how i can survive on 0 income. If I could only find a part-time job with animals...sigh...

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. You really ought to see if there are any internships available.

Part-time paid work at a veterinary hospital or an animal shelter, if you can find it, would kill two birds with one stone. (Easier said than done, of course, but if there's anything out there it'd definitely be the best solution to your problem.)

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

13. That is the best solution to my problem...

but I have not had much luck finding animal work for a no experience dreamer, lol. Seriously though, it would be ideal for me to have a p/t job (even if the pay is minimal) with animals.

[The2ndWheel]

6. Perfect way to acquire more time

Break every clock on the planet. Can't get all your freedom back with that one gesture, but it's a start.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

8. now thats thinking!

if only I could stop atoms from moving to really take care of those pesky atomic clocks

[LaraMN]

9. Cloning?

I think we can all agree another MAHNY would be a good thing!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

10. haha!

you are far to sweet to me

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. My dear MAHNY.......

I wish I had some concrete suggestions, sweetie.....

But I don't.......

Just these:

I really really hope that things work out for you!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

14. awww, thanks for the good thoughts Peggy

even the nicest vibe can help

[yvr girl]

15. You have no life

I went through a stretch where I was working full-time, taking 3 classes and volunteering at least 2 days a week. It was tough, but you can do it for awhile.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

16. for a while? how long till you burned out?

im so afriad of not being able to concentrate on my studies fully and work. Its not like im taking classes that are just reading or writing a paper. I could handle that...this is more like study non stop, cause its science and math....

[yvr girl]

17. I did it for two terms

Then I took the summer off from school.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

18. lol...I need to get through 2 years

with a summer of school in between...sigh

[Nikia]

19. In college, I had 17-24 hours in class/lab, 15 hours of track practice,

Usually all day in a Saturday track meet, although we all studied on the bus and in between events. Ten hours of work. I was also an officer in my sorority and belonged to a couple other clubs. In a survery given to students, the average student reported studying 25 hours per week on average.
It is no wonder that I had trouble maintaining friendships outside of my activities and classes once I started dating my husband.
It also make syou realize that students who don't have to work have a serious academic advantage.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

37. wow....

sounds just as crazy as what Im coming into...damn

[TallahasseeGrannie]

20. You are setting yourself up for

getting sick or failing. Don't do it!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

36. which part shouldn't I do?

lol

[TallahasseeGrannie]

38. I don't know

that is for you to figure out, but when you end up with mono in November and can't take your exams, you'll wish you had worked it out. Maybe you will have to go for another extra semester or find another volunteer site.

My husband is a prof here at FSU and he sees this all the time. College kids are very, very susceptible to illness when they over schedule and the stress gets to them.

Listen to Grannie!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

39. ha! thanks Grannie

Im a second degree student, so its really this whole need to have an income part thats fucking me up. I can handle everything except the working a real job, lol. Thats where things get stressed for me.

[LeftyMom]

21. Speed?

[flvegan]

24. Ephedra could be his friend.

It's not speed. It's legal. What?

[LeftyMom]

25. I still say that shit's a bad idea

but I don't even drink coffee or caffinated sodas.

[flvegan]

26. Ma huang has been used for eons

by the Chinese without problems. Big pharma couldn't profit from it, so it's banned in doses above 10mg.

Coffee and soda are enhanced chemically, not herbally. Big difference.

[LeftyMom]

27. I'm wary of anything that smacks of something for nothing.

[flvegan]

28. Well

it does speed up the metabolism, and it shouldn't be used by anyone with heart/blood pressure issues. Also, used in moderation. So it's not something for nothing. Even St. John's Wort has a caveat. Sensitivity to sunlight. It's just not catastrophic...like Vioxxx.

Like any other plant, it's ingestion has an upside and a possible downside if overdone. Example: dandelion. Good amount, good diuretic. Too much, and you pee the bed (so I'm told).

[TallahasseeGrannie]

43. I lost a former student to ephedra

the year before last. Turned out he had a defective heart and he didn't know it. He took it to work nights.

[flvegan]

45. I hate to hear that.

I wish folks would get checked before they took certain supplements, and that they'd follow the dosage recommendations.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

30. Yes please

[LeftyMom]

31. Well, I could get you hopped up on sugar

I still owe you (and flvegan, lest he think I'm leaving him out) a box of cookies.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

34. lol

cookies might just be what im looking for

[flvegan]

22. Rewards, my friend.

Class/study gets you ahead, right? Volunteering with animals? That helps you be who you are. Also makes for a very sexy guy, that I REALLY wish I had someone for, if you were looking.

BTW, internship and volunteer opp...drop me a pm and let me know the criteria. I know a lot of folks with whom you might be interested in working with. I'd give you the never given, A++++++ flvegan "superhero rating" to get you in the door.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

32. The simple solution

would be to get paid to work with the animals....but I don't see myself being that lucky yet, sigh. The reason i want/need to volunteer is to help along with my vet aspirations, but if that could some how be a real paid job, id be tight! juggling all these different things is whats scaring me

[flvegan]

47. Check your pm, brother.

The only issue is how far you could reasonably go each day/weekend.

[hippiechick]

23. Uhmm, I did it ... and was a single parent too.

Keep on keepin' on and before you know it, you'll be on the other side.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

33. yea, just rub it in

you ladies seem to be able to handle anything, huh?

[Lavender Brown]

29. You'll do great

Good luck with everything MAHNY!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

35. Thanks for the encouragement LB

[Lavender Brown]

56. Anytime

I didn't know you were in school.

[Mutley]

40. Something has to give.

At one point, I worked a full time job, a part time job, and I was taking four classes. It was right after the second semester of that when I dropped out of school for two years. Even if you can manage to keep that schedule up for as long as you need to, you won't be able to do any of it well. You'll be stretched so thin and everything will suffer.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

42. Thats my biggest worry

the being streched thin part and fucking EVERY thing else up...sigh

how the fuck are we supposed to get everything done that we have to? i just feel there isn't enough time in the day for it all

[Mutley]

46. You don't have a life.

Even now, when I only work part time and I took five classes this semester I spent a whole lot of time in front of this computer doing school work. Sometimes I forget what the Sun looks like.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

49. Thanks to my job, im very expereinced with no sun

argh.

and I don't even have a life now, except for you people

[Mutley]

51. Sadly, it is the same with me.

[SofaKingLiberal]

41. Forget about sleep and a social life.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

44. i didn't even know those two things factored into the equation

[jonnyblitz]

48. ..

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

50. ...

[Giant Robot]

52. Find small ways to take care of yourself they will help

Worked full time 40 hours, internship part time 20+ hours, and 8 hours of classes. For a year. This was for my masters. It sucked. A lot. I ended up taking a sabbatical before the year was out, which the university was happy to let me do, so that worked out well. I started doing small things for myself, like walking to my internship site instead of driving, as it was less than a mile away. I made certain to take certain days off a month so that I could spend time by myself or with my girlfriend (now Mrs Giant Robot). It was not a lot, but it helped. And most of all, I only focused on that one day. Not tomorrow or the 300 other days of this hell I had in front of me, but I kept that focus on today. It made a small difference. Put it simply, do what you have to, for a limited duration, and be good to yourself during it. Love and luck!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

53. its always the little things that count

thanks GR! some very encouraging words

[LSK]

54. why so much???

Cant you cut out something? 1 less class? Why do you have volunteer during all this?

[mykpart]

55. Well, I took 10 hours (3 courses)

worked 40 hours a week, volunteered with Cub Scouts, with 2 small children of my own. And had a 3.8 GPA. But I was divorced and didn't date.