Advice from anyone who can give an honest opinion

[traveljunky]

Hey everyone, i need some advice about classes i will be taking in the upcoming fall semester. Is taking molecular biology, botany, and organic chemistry an overload (pluse a classical and music class)?
Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated. Thankx!

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[teddybear]

Yeah, that's an overload. Not to say it can't be done. That is if you don't want a life outside of school.

 

[DrRobs]

well if the music classes will be easy for you, doesn't sound like an overload to me...but i guess it depends on the student...science classes are a lot of work yes, but if your majoring in any science taking 3 science classes shouldn't be out of the norm for you as long as you have at least one in a different dicipline. Any time you take orgo thats a lot of work so if you're not good at those two "electives" then don't take them take two electives that will be easier for you

 

[FL Opt Girl]

That is definitely a lot. But to make you feel better, I went through 3 science classes, plus 2 non-science classes this past semester and managed to be relatively successful in all of them. To me, 3 labs is really crazy and if I could have avoided it, I would have. But sometimes that can't be done. I think that taking this many classes really forces you to become more organized. I scheduled my weeks down to the hour of each day, e.g. I would study organic chem for exactly 3 hours, anatomy for 2, then go spend time with friends. That way I was able to make time for a life outside of school. I think it's also really important to study the material covered in class that day right after you leave the class. This definitely pays off in the long run, saving lots of study time the days before the test. Good luck!

 

[nc2tarheels]

I think it's somewhat of an overload. But it depends upon the student. Like mentioned before, classes with labs are a lot harder and usually I try to stay to taking 2 classes per semester with a lab. But make sure the electives will be pretty easy!

 

[Habitual Rx]

Shouldn't be an overload if you intend on succeeding in OD school.

 

[LucidEyes]

If your used to taking that many science classes then, it's not an overload.
If you are planning on doing that plus work or have more social life, I would reconsider.
If you are just going to school, then shouldn't be a problem at all.
If you can afford the time to break that up into more semesters then don't take that many classes at once. You don't want to risk your GPA.
Why are you taking botany??
So many factors come into play. Map it out on a sheet of paper, then make your decision.

 

[JMU07]

Do you have to take botany?? I took it only because it was required for my bio minor and I hated it. It was incredibly boring.

 

[mmd2jSCO]

It's gonna be tough but definetly not an overload... and will really prepare you for optometry school. The challenge will be worth it as you will not be so stressed about taking 6 classes like this once you start OD school! I did not start out with a major in science so my last few years of undergrad were ALL overloaded like that.. I still managed straight A's in sciences (I will admit I had to study ALL the time). YOU CAN DO IT.

p.s. I agree about the botany thing... you should stick to animal systems since the botany will probably be pretty difficult and not help you much in OD school

 

[itek2OD]

Do you really need botany? I thought only those who _really_ liked plants or aimed to get a PhD in botany took that in undergrad. There's too many other OD - relevant bio courses out there to take botany unless you really love it.

Good luck with the course load. I f music is easy for you it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[aDubs]

That seems like a pretty sick courseload in my opinion. This is coming from a person with a pretty strong music background. So if you have a strong musical background n ur in science go for it.

ps. I like organic chem too n found it easy, so thats probably why i like your courseload hahaha

 

[seminolefish]

Not bad. I took biochemistry 2, advanced analytical chemistry, and calculus-based physics 2 at once with Japanese film. Surprisingly, the Japanese film class wasn't so easy. The classes I took though were tough and I thought I was going to make all B's but ended up getting 3 A's and a B. The B being in the physics which kinda sucks.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Hey everyone, i need some advice about classes i will be taking in the upcoming fall semester. Is taking molecular biology, botany, and organic chemistry an overload (pluse a classical and music class)?
Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated. Thankx!

It is probably an overload by undergrad standards, but that would be a light semester once you get into optometry school. If you can take those classes and do well, you should be fine once you get into school. If you are going to go through with it, make a conscious effort to stay on top of all of the classes from the beginning. Stay organized and you won't find yourself overwhelmed when projects, papers, midterms all happen at once. (Still trying to follow my own advice on that one!!!)

Side note - Taking that many science classes at once (AND DOING WELL IN THEM) will look good to an admissions committee. Heavy science loads will be the norm once you start school, so it is good to show that you can handle it now.

 

[OPTOMtoB]

That seems like a pretty sick courseload in my opinion. This is coming from a person with a pretty strong music background. So if you have a strong musical background n ur in science go for it.

ps. I like organic chem too n found it easy, so thats probably why i like your courseload hahaha

You guys all have me worried.....

I'm just starting undergraduate in the fall and this is my first three years that I planned out:

1st year 1st Semester

Cell Bio with lab
Chem 1 with lab
Physics 1 with lab
Psych 101 (everyone has to take this! )
Calculus 1

1st year 2nd Semester

Zoology with lab
Chem 2 with lab
Physics 2 with lab
Calculus 2
Music 101 (yeah! )

2nd year 1st Semester

Statistics
Orgo 1 with lab
Computer Science
Human Anatomy with lab
Molecular Biology

2nd year 2nd Semester

Embryology and Histology with lab
Physical Optics with lab
Developmental Psychology
Orgo 2 with lab
Biochemistry with lab

3rd year 1st Semester

Micro 1 with lab
Physical Chemistry
Biochemsitry 2 with lab
Radiation Biophysics
Analytical Chemistry with lab

3rd year 2nd Semester

Microbiology 2 with lab
Genetics with lab
Physiology with lab
Adolescent Psychology
Biophysics of Organ systems

Is that a crazy load? Am I biting off more than I can chew? I don't want to ruin my chances of going into optometry if I'm gonna crash and burn here! I was a decent student in high school but not like the top 10% or anything like that. What do you all think?????

 

[IcanSEEanOD]

.

 

[OPTOMtoB]

At my undergrad, almost everyone took 16 credits, or 4 classes, per semester. I don't know how many credits your 5 classes are but I would really try to stay close to 16.

And 2 science classes per semester is enough for your freshman year. If you find that is too easy, you can always take 3 science classes the next year, but you really want to get a good gpa your freshman year, because it will barely move from that later on.

I would wait to take physics till at least your sophomore year, and take an easy class instead. And if you do wind up taking 3 science classes per semester, I think you would finish your major requirements your junior year (I only had 16 bio classes required for a bio major, and 2 were the intro class and the seminar class, really easy). I actually was in the top 10% of my high school class, and I went to a really competitive college, and found that taking two science classes per semester was challenging, especially because hardly any of the classes related to optometry or even humans.

HOLY CRAP! These are the break downs of my semesters:

1st Semester: 19.5
2nd Semester: 19.5
3rd Semester: 19.25
4th Semester: 20.25
5th Semester: 19.25
6th Semester: 17.75

Is this a crazy load? Am I in over my head? I don't want to ruin my chances for optometry school by overloading myself.

 

[JMU07]

Uh. I took 18 credits my first semester as a college student and wanted to die. DON'T overwhelm yourself. Yes, you take a lot more hours in OD school than in undergrad. It's like that for a reason.

Also, at my school (and others probably have similar rules) you are not allowed to take more than 19 credits a semester unless you get dept. head approval because they know that more than 19 is too much for most people.

If you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to finish in three years, take summer classes to lighten your load.

 

[OPTOMtoB]

Uh. I took 18 credits my first semester as a college student and wanted to die. DON'T overwhelm yourself. Yes, you take a lot more hours in OD school than in undergrad. It's like that for a reason.

Also, at my school (and others probably have similar rules) you are not allowed to take more than 19 credits a semester unless you get dept. head approval because they know that more than 19 is too much for most people.

If you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to finish in three years, take summer classes to lighten your load.

I haven't plotted out my 4th year yet....it's just way too far in the future.

So the consensus then seems to be that my schedule is crazy. Do you all really think I should try to scale it back?

 

[JMU07]

Do you think you'll be taking 19-20 credits a semester in your 4th year too? That is A LOT of credits... I might be wrong but I thought only 120 credits was pretty standard for a degree.

I do think you should scale it back, you're going to have a crazy schedule in OD school so enjoy taking 12-18 credits while you can! I still advise taking summer classes to help out, yeah it's more money but it'll be much easier than trying to squeeze everything in. Especially if you do one of your science sequences (gchem 1-2, ochem1-2, phys 1-2) in one summer. That's what I did and it helped a lot!

 

[sportsdude00]

I would take an extra semester to reduce the number of credits you take each semester.
I'm going to start my 3rd year of undergraduate soon (engineering), and I'm used to taking 3-4 sciences, plus a math or two each semester. One semester, I took 2 chemistry courses, physics, calculus, as well as an elective course. Most of the courses require time, but if you really pay attention in class and do your work, they shouldn't be too bad together. If it makes you feel better, I also worked/volunteered 5 days a week last semester. It was a bit of an overload in the beginning, but I really learned how to organize my time towards the end and feel prepared for next semester (and I still had time to hang out, play intramurals, etc). Basically, as long as you don't procrastinate too much and keep up, don't worry! =]

 

[aDubs]

hey OPTOMtoB, your 3 year plan seems pretty similar to what I just went through. I took 5 courses each semester with some odd ones like Physical chem. I personally didnt find it too overwhelming. It is definitely do-able. If you manage a pretty good GPA with those courses, I think you have a good shot at getting into the optometry school of your choice. Just to give you a heads up, if you plan on taking those physics and physical chem courses, you should have a good if not strong background in math/physics or else you might find those course a bit difficult. Biology are just memorization and some of the material overlap, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Hope this helps