Why People Advise Only 2 Science Courses For First Semester? And My Timetable..

[Strutter]

I'm heading to a university in the fall (it was a university-college about a year ago, and a college MANY years ago). It will be my first time in a university setting. It's a small one, but I'll be transferring to a bigger one later.

Their site says 2-3 hours per every hour in class.

Is there a difference between the number of hours your science classes are?

My current schedule has 18 hours with 1 5/6 hours (110 minutes) per class/lab per week.

I'm thinking of taking 3 sciences and 1 math. If I do, I will drop psych, making it 14.5 hours of class/lab per week.

Knowing all this, would you guys recommend taking 2 sciences or 3 sciences for me? Or would it still be too much for first semester? I want to get the best GPA I can get.

Monday:
Intro to Psychology - 8 AM to 9:50 AM
Chem - 12 PM to 1:50 PM

Tues:
Chem Lab - 9 AM to 11:50 AM
Physics I - 12 PM to 1:50 PM
Bio lab/lec - 4:00 to 5:50 PM

Wed:
Chem - 12 PM to 1:50 PM
Calc - 2 PM to 3:50 PM

Thurs:
Intro to Psych - 8 AM to 9:50 AM

Fri:
Physics lab - 12 PM to 1:50 PM
Calc - 2 PM to 3:50 PM

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Vicviper]

Eh, it's just always best not to kill yourself your first semester. A good way to go is always 2 sciences + 1/2 GE's + anything fun you want to do. Chem, Physics, and Bio can be pretty heavy all to have the same semester. If you've had AP Chem, Bio, and Physics, and you feel comfortable, sure, go ahead and take 3 - First semester bio is usually cake, but you don't want to overload yourself and screw it up.

 

[117296]

Taking Bio + Chem + Physics + Calc is not a good idea. Why do I say this? I did. I passed all 4 of them but not with what you'd consider "professional school" worthy grades. Besides, there is much more to an app than just classes.

Unless you find Calc easy, do not take this class with the three others.

Also, do not take 3 labs at the same time. Lab writeups take longer than you think. If it takes you an extra semester or two to complete the program, so be it...

 

[NickNaylor]

As CUbeav said, keep in mind the lab requirements. Labs are usually not horribly difficult, but they are incredible time sponges. Even if you don't have to do any work outside of the lab time (which is probably doubtful), the time spent in lab alone can be substantial.

As the other two posters have said, it would be better to take a more conservative route your first semester or two rather than pushing yourself too hard.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Remmeber....as much as it sucks to people who love science...taking college classes all your college career is not going to get you a diploma. You do have general education requirements...which you should start from freshman year. Because honestly, ive seen people not graduate on time because they were missing art or music. If you can change your schedule its probably a good idea.

If you dont want to major in Bio...it might be a good thing to start Physics and Chem...then take Bio your sophomore year.

 

[Bacchus]

At my university (90% science curricula) we take 2 sciences first and second semester. I wouldn't recommend anything over that.

My first semester was: Bio, chem, english, math.

 

[DrReo]

You'll take 2 classes so you can start/continue animal house like behavior.


In a few years, 3 or 4 science classes will be a walk in the park .

Your schedule, with math, phys, chem and bio is manageable, especially if you have had a combination of the classes before. More than likely, you'll want to enjoy the social scene and/or have some of a life your first semester.

 

[nfgsjklgnsdfkjn]

Science courses are absolutely brutal time sinks at many colleges. Labs themselves can be just as hard and time consuming as the lecture course.

My first semester of college I doubled up on sciences and labs and managed to do very well since I studied regularly and was organized. BUT... The second semester I took 4 science courses(one of which was a upperlevel neurosci course) and 2 science labs, and although I managed a 4.0, they devoured my soul. I had to study from dawn to dusk everyday and pull tons of all-nighters and pop adderalls to push through exam times.

So if you take that schedule be prepared to have no life and spiral into depression for a semester. My school is a top 20 known for rigorous sciences, so depending on where you go, it might spare you, but I'd seriously consider shifting one of those lecture/labs to another time. You don't want to go through that right as you're trying to make friends and enjoy college life.

 

[psipsina]

First semester of undergrad is an adjustment period. You have to figure out how to balance your new freedom and social life with your studies and your long term goals. You have to learn to self motivate when no one is watching over you making sure you're keeping up with homework, attending classes etc. You have to learn how to study in a much less structured learning environment and where there will be different expectations of you. Because science and math courses are generally considered to be harder its best to start off with a mix of a few non science/math courses on your plate to give you the room to make all those adjustments with less risk of falling on your face.

My first semester was a near disaster. I'd never had to really study to get good grades and it took me a while to understand that I would actually have to put forth effort in college and then how to go about doing that. Once I'd developed those learning skills and my own rhythm I could handle very rigorous science loads but it would have been a full on disaster if I had tried to do that during my first semester.

 

[Kaiter]

Contrary to what everyone else is saying, I think its fine to have your course load as long as you enjoy and can do well in those classes. The only big problem is if you can manage your new found freedom in comparison to high school. If you lived in a restrictive home environment then I would recommend a lighter load...if you lived in a pretty relaxed home and studied on your own accord (etc) then I think your course load is fine...

I advise you to research your potential teachers and talk to your upper classmen about how hard the professors/courses are...make important notes of "Last day to drop" and "Last day to add" for courses...

 

[ThirdEye]

If you have good study habits, it can be done but you're better off using your first semester to adjust. I transfered to a university from a junior college. I had a WAY ABOVE average gpa in junior college then did my first semester at the university and got my a.$.$. handed to me because of my poor study habits. 4 Cs and 1 D. I went from being on the Dean's list to being put on scholastic probation.

I highly recommend that you do 12-14 hours. Bio, Chem, Calc, Psy, and Tennis(so you can meet some chicks)

You can always audit another class. When the add/drop deadline comes around, if you decide you're motivated enough to get 4.0 with a heavier load, then add it.

 

[Strutter]

Wow!

Thanks for posting some awesome advice, guys!

I want to ask you guys, is my current schedule good for first semester (I want to have a balanced life socially, physically, and academically, while maintaining excellent grades like a 4.0)? Or should I drop Calculus for Life Sciences I for something easier?

My current schedule has 12-14 credits:
Calculus for Life Sciences I
Intro to Biol I + Lab
Intro to Chem I + Lab
Pre-calculus Algebra (Co-requisite to chem I)

I took calculus in high school, by the way.

 

[Tots]

Even though that pre-calc class is a co-requisite for chem are you sure you have to take it? I mean if your already taking math at the calculus level it seems odd that you would have to take pre-calc in conjunction with Chem but maybe I have no idea.

 

[Veloce]

Depending on the school, science classes in college can be harder than anything you've ever experienced before in highschool. They can also be very easy.

I suggest that you take it easy your first semester. While they may be more difficult, you can still easily get an A if you put the work into it. Once you get a feeling for what college is like, you can load up the classes.

 

[Kaiter]

Wow!

Thanks for posting some awesome advice, guys!

I want to ask you guys, is my current schedule good for first semester (I want to have a balanced life socially, physically, and academically, while maintaining excellent grades like a 4.0)? Or should I drop Calculus for Life Sciences I for something easier?

My current schedule has 12-14 credits:
Calculus for Life Sciences I
Intro to Biol I + Lab
Intro to Chem I + Lab
Pre-calculus Algebra (Co-requisite to chem I)

I took calculus in high school, by the way.

If you took calc in high school ,just make sure its beginner calc (or calc 1) in your college and it should just be the exact same regurgitation from high school.

 

[sumstorm]

The challenge is that you won't know how easy or hard a course is until you are in the middle of it. It doesn't matter if someone else says 'if you had control over your own time and were self disciplined in hs, you should be fine' if the professor you get for bio 101 believes the course is a weed out and enters the classroom with the aim to have 1/3 of the class drop. Or if you end up being the only person in your particular section of calc that isn't a math major (had it happen.)

I had a calc prof freshman year not only expect 3 hours per hour of class time and lab time (yes, we had lab), but also expected 'mandatory' attendance at a study session 2 nights a week (4 hours total) and several 'out of class' quizes that had to be taken at a learning lab...where missing more than 1 question = fail the class. Apparently, she really believed that calc should only be studied by math and engineering majors and was going through a nasty divorce.

So, my advice, until you can get on campus, get a good feel for the professors and class structures, is to take 2 sciences and get some other pre-req for graduation out of the way. It can be really difficult to recover from a poor semester...and a semester can be turned poor with just a couple of C's...or depending on where you apply to, a single C- in a single semester of a pre-req course.

 

[confusedliberal]

Science courses are absolutely brutal time sinks at many colleges. Labs themselves can be just as hard and time consuming as the lecture course.

My first semester of college I doubled up on sciences and labs and managed to do very well since I studied regularly and was organized. BUT... The second semester I took 4 science courses(one of which was a upperlevel neurosci course) and 2 science labs, and although I managed a 4.0, they devoured my soul. I had to study from dawn to dusk everyday and pull tons of all-nighters and pop adderalls to push through exam times.

So if you take that schedule be prepared to have no life and spiral into depression for a semester. My school is a top 20 known for rigorous sciences, so depending on where you go, it might spare you, but I'd seriously consider shifting one of those lecture/labs to another time. You don't want to go through that right as you're trying to make friends and enjoy college life.

My fall semester of freshman year:

Molecular/Cell bio
Organic Chemistry I
Physics I - Mechanics
Immunology (upper level)
Biochemistry I (upper level)

5 total science classes with 2 upper levels and I nailed a 4.0, and had plenty of time left over for partying, lab work and volunteering. It all depends on how well you manage your own time.

OP, the best advice I can give you is when you're actually studying, STUDY. Don't do ANYTHING else but study when you're doing it. You'll be surprised at how much time you waste checking your email, facebook, texting, chatting on AIM, etc

 

[nfgsjklgnsdfkjn]

My fall semester of freshman year:

Molecular/Cell bio
Organic Chemistry I
Physics I - Mechanics
Immunology (upper level)
Biochemistry I (upper level)

5 total science classes with 2 upper levels and I nailed a 4.0, and had plenty of time left over for partying, lab work and volunteering. It all depends on how well you manage your own time.

OP, the best advice I can give you is when you're actually studying, STUDY. Don't do ANYTHING else but study when you're doing it. You'll be surprised at how much time you waste checking your email, facebook, texting, chatting on AIM, etc

Where do you go to college at? Maybe that's the difference. I was always one of the first to get done with exams and knew the material much better than most people, and spent less time studying per class than others, yet I didn't have much time left over. Nobody did, even those taking easier course loads. Unless you are superhuman, you can't be sure what a class is going to throw at you. Different colleges have different academic cultures and different professors demand different commitment, and some schools will suck the life out of you trying to get a 4.0 in a hard science major.

First semester isn't the time to go in neck-deep. I had near perfect GPA/SAT/ACT in high school, got a full-ride at a top 20 school, study by myself in a room without a computer or phone to distract me, and I was scared crapless that I'd bungle my GPA until I finished my last exam. I did everything right and just got by. Just don't go overboard and get your ass handed to you unless you absolutely have to take such a course load.

 

[sumstorm]

5 total science classes with 2 upper levels and I nailed a 4.0, and had plenty of time left over for partying, lab work and volunteering. It all depends on how well you manage your own time.

OP, the best advice I can give you is when you're actually studying, STUDY.

I agree with actually studying when your studying part of this message, but here is a key difference: NO ONE in the 4 years I attended obtained a 4.0 in organic. Let me put it bluntly; the professor didn't believe in 4.0's and exams were so demanding that no one completed them, even students were were exceptional in every other regard. No amount of studying would have obtained a 4.0 in that course, because the proessor had already determined that the ONLY way to get a 4.0 was to answer every single question on every single exam 100% correctly. Given essay style answers, a professor can always find something to mark off.

So, again, it depends on the school, the class, the professors, and the students.

BTW, since several people will consider the lack of 4.0 horrendous, we also had classes that curved down as well as up (apparently that is pretty rare) and in 12 years we have had 100% success for our med school applicants (meaning that all students that applied were accepted to at least one med school.) Finally, we also have a >96% grad/pro school attendance. So perhaps the above poster is super human and would have managed the exams that the other chem profs themselves admitted they couldn't have completed in the time period allotted, but comparitively, I was a failure at doing so. I earned a C+, along with ~80% of the class. If additional info helps, I graduated with a 3.4, was accepted to several med schools for the following year, and ended up completing a research fellowship instead, then taking some time to figure out what I wanted to do, and whether human or animal medicine was the right path. Accepted on first application cycle to vet school. I think my college's reputation (though a small school and unkonwn by many) in academica helped alot.

 

[sumstorm]

Actually, that schedule isn't even feasable in some colleges. organic was a pre-req to biochem, and molecular a pre-req for immunology in at least 4 of the colleges I have worked with.

 

[confusedliberal]

Although I'd prefer to remain anonymous, I will say the honors college I am in allows me to skip prereqs.

I wanted to demonstrate my academic abilities in my freshman year, because I am applying this cycle (I plan on matriculating after my 2nd year of college, if I get in somewhere).

 

[tennisball80]

You should take 4 sciences and I will love it when you have lower GPA than me.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Every person is going to be different. Some are not phased by taking more than 2 science classes right away in undergrad. Some, need to be weened into it. Personally, I think it would be best to take two the first semester and then increase the load as you get a feel for what college science courses are like (plus find out from fellow students which courses require more work than others at your school). I do't think you should always limit yourself to just 2 science courses each semester because if you do, you might be shocked once med school starts when you have a lot more science info being dumped on you than you ever had in undergrad. I know for us in dental school during the first two years, depending on which school you attend and which semester it is, we can have between 20 ad 27 credits per semester of science courses. So, I feel it is to your advantage at some point in your undergrad education to have 3 to 4 science courses in a semester, but not the first semester overall.

 

[45408]

Although I'd prefer to remain anonymous, I will say the honors college I am in allows me to skip prereqs.

I wanted to demonstrate my academic abilities in my freshman year, because I am applying this cycle (I plan on matriculating after my 2nd year of college, if I get in somewhere).

What's the rush? Blazing through college is a big mistake, IMO.

And it's okay - you're not anonymous any more. As soon as the first application with "Immunology (upper level)" during freshman year rolls across the adcom's desk, your game is up.

 

[Strutter]

I want to get on the Dean's honor roll.

I have 14 credits so far:
Calculus for Life Science I
Pre-Calculus Algebra
Chem I
Bio I

Apparantly, I need 15 credits to get on it (with a 3.75 CGPA and 3.5 TGPA).

I'm thinking of adding a REALLY easy course (like Philosophy or psychology) or a Calculus course. Adding one course would make it 17.

I'm great at math. And took calculus in high school.

Should I add another course for first semester? What do you guys recommend?

 

[ToldYouSo]

I want to get on the Dean's honor roll.

I have 14 credits so far:
Calculus for Life Science I
Pre-Calculus Algebra
Chem I
Bio I

Apparantly, I need 15 credits to get on it (with a 3.75 CGPA and 3.5 TGPA).

I'm thinking of adding a REALLY easy course (like Philosophy or psychology) or a Calculus course. Adding one course would make it 17.

I'm great at math. And took calculus in high school.

Should I add another course for first semester? What do you guys recommend?

That sounds like a good idea, make sure it's an easy course though.

And for your original question I think suggest only 2 sciences starting out just so you can "adjust" and see whether you can handle more or not, better to be safe then sorry. I'm taking bio and chem my first semester and the lab components are sooooooooo long. Also spreading out your classes gives you a bit of breathing room and helps to ensure you do rly well in them. You don't want to mess up early on any pre-requisite class for w/e health school you want to attend.

 

[tennisball80]

I want to get on the Dean's honor roll.

I have 14 credits so far:
Calculus for Life Science I
Pre-Calculus Algebra
Chem I
Bio I

Apparantly, I need 15 credits to get on it (with a 3.75 CGPA and 3.5 TGPA).

I'm thinking of adding a REALLY easy course (like Philosophy or psychology) or a Calculus course. Adding one course would make it 17.

I'm great at math. And took calculus in high school.

Should I add another course for first semester? What do you guys recommend?

Organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics,