Am I in a weeder course?

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I'm in cell bio I and we just got the grade distribution.

It goes something like this:

30 students

Average: 44%

Mode: 32%

Top 5 grades (%): 94, 80, 70, 60, 57

Bottom 5 grades (%): 31, 30, 29, 26, 25

I can't help but wonder. If it's tough now, what will O-chem be like?

Props to the 94 damn

All classes are weeder classes.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by victoriah

I'm in cell bio I and we just got the grade distribution.

It goes something like this:

30 students

Average: 44%

Mode: 32%

Top 5 grades (%): 94, 80, 70, 60, 57

Bottom 5 grades (%): 31, 30, 29, 26, 25

I can't help but wonder. If it's tough now, what will O-chem be like?

I'm gonna guess that the OP got 94%.

Originally Posted by Barcu

All classes are weeder classes.

Good luck.

You must be an engineering major!

Originally Posted by enTropeeeeeeeee

I'm gonna guess that the OP got 94%.

I wish.

Originally Posted by victoriah

You must be an engineering major!

Nope, just a boring, ol' bio major.

But from freshman year to senior, the amount of students in all of my science courses dropped significantly.

Originally Posted by victoriah

I wish.

Typically ppl post the distribution on SDN and wait for the opportunity to respond, YES I GOT the 94%!!!

depends on the school what the weed out classes are

Originally Posted by enTropeeeeeeeee

Typically ppl post the distribution on SDN and wait for the opportunity to respond, YES I GOT the 94%!!!

I know, and it's dumb.

interesting that yall get to take it before ochem.. .we gotta wait til o chem II

Originally Posted by enTropeeeeeeeee

I'm gonna guess that the OP got 94%.

Nah, that was me, bro.

Originally Posted by Frazier

Nah, that was me, bro.

So how do you get >95% yield if your prof purposely taints the reagents, and consequently creating an artificial max yield of 35%?

EDIT: I guess you're just that good lol.

Originally Posted by enTropeeeeeeeee

So how do you get >95% yield if your prof purposely taints the reagents, and consequently creating an artificial max yield of 35%?

EDIT: I guess you're just that good lol.

Tell the professor he screwed up?

Originally Posted by enTropeeeeeeeee

So how do you get >95% yield if your prof purposely taints the reagents, and consequently creating an artificial max yield of 35%?

If I as an AChem prof, and the actual yield is 95% I would add a filler so the yield would become 35% and not tell the class. And then I know if anyone got 95% yield they are lying.

Sounds like you're just in a class full of morons. General bio up to the more difficult bio classes are far and away mostly rote memorization. If you can't memorize, problem-solving classes are going to destroy you.

Originally Posted by Wermz

Props to the 94 damn

Probably someone retaking the class or s'ing the professor's d.

Originally Posted by 0kazak1

If I as an AChem prof, and the actual yield is 95% I would add a filler so the yield would become 35% and not tell the class. And then I know if anyone got 95% yield they are lying.

The student will blame it on an incorrectly recorded number or a miscalculation. Step your game up, son.

Originally Posted by circulus vitios

Probably someone retaking the class or s'ing the professor's d.

Or perhaps the student studied. Your theory is probably correct though.

Where I go, the general consensus is that Cell Bio is the official weed out course. But I am sure it varies from school to school.

Originally Posted by omgyou8myrice

Sounds like you're just in a class full of morons. General bio up to the more difficult bio classes are far and away mostly rote memorization. If you can't memorize, problem-solving classes are going to destroy you.

Into Bio here was not just rote memorization. It was a complete weed out course with super intense tests. It must vary between schools. I suppose that's what happens when over half the freshman class is "pre-med". The number drops quickly after Bio/Gen Chem. Cell bio isn't bad here, but genetics is awful.

Originally Posted by victoriah

I'm in cell bio I and we just got the grade distribution.

It goes something like this:

30 students

Average: 44%

Mode: 32%

Top 5 grades (%): 94, 80, 70, 60, 57

Bottom 5 grades (%): 31, 30, 29, 26, 25

I can't help but wonder. If it's tough now, what will O-chem be like?

If this class is curved, then no. Every class I've had since sophomore year hasn't had an average above a 60%, most being around 50% (not counting general ed of course). However, they were all curved and it ended up not mattering what "raw" score you got. For example, a 59% in my fluid dynamics class is an A+ right now.

Originally Posted by omgyou8myrice

Sounds like you're just in a class full of morons. General bio up to the more difficult bio classes are far and away mostly rote memorization. If you can't memorize, problem-solving classes are going to destroy you.

Every major has a significant amount of rote memorization... particularly psychology/social sciences (yes, I saw your MD apps) .

Regardless, classes like molecular biology, genetics, and immunology are challenging, and require a significant amount of problem solving. Especially once you start interpreting experimental results, or are asked to design an experiment to test a hypothesis.

Some people who have only done the pre-reqs, and not majored in biology, need to stfu about what they don't know or have never experienced .

Being 50% above the class average probably provides a decent ego boost for a day or two, I don't care who you are

Originally Posted by LuciusVorenus

If this class is curved, then no. Every class I've had since sophomore year hasn't had an average above a 60%, most being around 50% (not counting general ed of course). However, they were all curved and it ended up not mattering what "raw" score you got. For example, a 59% in my fluid dynamics class is an A+ right now.

Why do some schools see fit to bash students self confidence throughout the semester and then curve at the end. It just seems pointless. Thankfully I go to a school where such practices are an anomaly( if you chose your classes wisely)

Originally Posted by Chops369

Originally Posted by enTropeeeeeeeee

So how do you get >95% yield if your prof purposely taints the reagents, and consequently creating an artificial max yield of 35%?

EDIT: I guess you're just that good lol.

Originally Posted by Kaustikos

Tell the professor he screwed up?

^^^This.

Or make note that I likely found a new mechanism for the synthesis.

From that grade distribution, it's definitely a weed out course. At my school, cell bio is actually ridiculously easy. Microbio is probably one of the hardest courses, along with the o chems. It varies so much from school to school and even prof to prof.

Originally Posted by Iapyx

Why do some schools see fit to bash students self confidence throughout the semester and then curve at the end. It just seems pointless. Thankfully I go to a school where such practices are an anomaly( if you chose your classes wisely)

It puts you in ranking with the other students, challenges the people who truly excel (like our OP's friend with the 94), and constantly encourages you to try harder. I actually enjoy a class that gives a challenge rather than a class where I don't feel like I need to study since I know the tests are going to be easy.

Originally Posted by BenjaminT

It puts you in ranking with the other students, challenges the people who truly excel (like our OP's friend with the 94), and constantly encourages you to try harder. I actually enjoy a class that gives a challenge rather than a class where I don't feel like I need to study since I know the tests are going to be easy.

Won't be saying that after you get a C.

so what did you get OP? come on, you can tell us

notice, typical pre med question.

the best kind of premed is the one that doesn't go around calling themselves premed

That blows. Cell Bio was a weeder at my school but usually the majority had already been weeded out by Organic 1.

Unless the professor is willing to prove that his students are stupid, I would typically expect them to curve so that the average is not an F.

Originally Posted by getdown

the best kind of premed is the one that doesn't go around calling themselves premed

love this

Originally Posted by CaduceusRex

love this

I was never aware as a pre-med that calling myself pre-med was such a bad thing to do. I always responded, "Yeah, I'm pre-med Bio" or "I'm pre-med, bro" if anyone asked. Whenever I responded "Biology", questions always followed e.g., "Oh, are you doing research?" or "Oh, are you pre-med?" Two birds with one stone. Now get lost.

i listen to the wise, so i took my pre-med status off.

on the other hand the best type of med student is one that doesnt go around flaunting his med student status.

Originally Posted by addo

i listen to the wise, so i took my pre-med status off.

on the other hand the best type of med student is one that doesnt go around flaunting his med student status.

+1

I don't know how many times I have seen a derivative of "Oh, med school...", "oh, gross lab...", "oh, USMLE..." as a facebook status.

ish is played out and so is the usage of "oh".

Originally Posted by getdown

the best kind of premed is the one that doesn't go around calling themselves premed

+1

Pre-meds that stay in the metaphorical pre-med closet.

I guess I don't even know why you are worried. How is the professor going to fail like 27/30 students?

I feel a curve........

Originally Posted by Iapyx

Why do some schools see fit to bash students self confidence throughout the semester and then curve at the end. It just seems pointless. Thankfully I go to a school where such practices are an anomaly( if you chose your classes wisely)

It's because tests that create a normal distribution of scores with the mean somewhere between about 40%-60% do a much better job of figuring out who knows the material than a test that creates a distribution that doesn't need to be curved (i.e. 20% in the 90%-100% range, 20% in the 80%-90% range, etc.).

Originally Posted by Chops369

LOL wat....how the hell did my picture change to elmo??!

TBH this is OP asking for confirmation that cell bio is hard :P

Originally Posted by rHinO1

Every major has a significant amount of rote memorization... particularly psychology/social sciences (yes, I saw your MD apps) .

Regardless, classes like molecular biology, genetics, and immunology are challenging, and require a significant amount of problem solving. Especially once you start interpreting experimental results, or are asked to design an experiment to test a hypothesis.

Some people who have only done the pre-reqs, and not majored in biology, need to stfu about what they don't know or have never experienced .

I'm actually a chem major, the psychology/soc. science was a mistake on the app. Psych is a joke of a major.

And I would really be curious to see a test question from this class. General biology is just that - general biology. How can that even be remotely difficult? Make some notes / print off the notes provided, read them 10x over, take the test and regurgitate what you just memorized. That was my exact plan of attack in immunology, where we had to memorize countless proteins, molecules, etc etc, and it effectively earned me a solid A. Our class average was a high D. It just goes to show that most people aren't very good at memorizing large amounts of information. Doesn't mean the class is actually hard.

Originally Posted by Frazier

+1

I don't know how many times I have seen a derivative of "Oh, med school...", "oh, gross lab...", "oh, USMLE..." as a facebook status.

ish is played out and so is the usage of "oh".

"oh studying....again", "oh im missing out on my 20s" "oh my SO is not supportive"

and oh yea, oh is played out.

Originally Posted by omgyou8myrice

I'm actually a chem major, the psychology/soc. science was a mistake on the app. Psych is a joke of a major.

And I would really be curious to see a test question from this class. General biology is just that - general biology. How can that even be remotely difficult? Make some notes / print off the notes provided, read them 10x over, take the test and regurgitate what you just memorized. That was my exact plan of attack in immunology, where we had to memorize countless proteins, molecules, etc etc, and it effectively earned me a solid A. Our class average was a high D. It just goes to show that most people aren't very good at memorizing large amounts of information. Doesn't mean the class is actually hard.

No, ricer, I'm afraid that, in fact, would mean that the class is/was actually "hard". Perhaps it didn't require innovative though processes or much logical reasoning -- but the level of difficulty is shown by the average. Whether it was "hard" because students needed to memorize a bunch of crap or because the teacher sucked [etc.] is besides the point.

You should embrace that fact, if you spout about how impossible the course was -- then hit us with your "I earned a solid A", the efficacy of your subtle bragging will be that much more potent.

Originally Posted by omgyou8myrice

I'm actually a chem major, the psychology/soc. science was a mistake on the app. Psych is a joke of a major.

And I would really be curious to see a test question from this class. General biology is just that - general biology. How can that even be remotely difficult? Make some notes / print off the notes provided, read them 10x over, take the test and regurgitate what you just memorized. That was my exact plan of attack in immunology, where we had to memorize countless proteins, molecules, etc etc, and it effectively earned me a solid A. Our class average was a high D. It just goes to show that most people aren't very good at memorizing large amounts of information. Doesn't mean the class is actually hard.

What do pre-med people call themselves after Sophomore year?

meh if the class is curved then ur performance is effected by ur whole class. a true weed out course is where the top 5% of students get an A, next 5% get a minus, now thats hard, so even if u had a 95, and there are 5% more people who did better than u, guess wut lol.

Originally Posted by MeowMeowCAT

What do pre-med people call themselves after Sophomore year?

Non-science major premeds.

Originally Posted by getdown

the best kind of premed is the one that doesn't go around calling themselves premed

I have to agree. I've never understood the need to designate oneself as "pre-med." When asked what my major is, my response is something along the lines of, "I'm a physics major with plans to attend medical school." It is implied that I'm also fulfilling the premedical requirements.