uPenn undergrads!

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Masterus

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What are some classes to take that are not a lot of work and is easy to do well? I want to take more classes so I can raise my gpa after last semester.

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math 122, math 123, bio 151, bio 431

a anthropology class where you got to NJ to dig. I didn't take it but friends have taken it.

There aren't that many since classes at Penn are pretty killer.
 
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im not penn undergrad
 
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Good luck on your course to find easy classes
 
Some super easy courses for ya: Biol 251, Chem 221, BE 301, BE 350, Math 241, Phys 170 & 171 :smuggrin:

If you want to take easy courses, just transfer into Wharton. I hate premeds that take easy classes.

You just got into Penn. Challenge yourself. Take intellectual risks. It might not be the most "textbook" smart thing to do for getting into med schools, but at least you can go to sleep proud that you've pushed yourself and worked your ass off to accomplish the lofty goal of med school.

516btt.jpg
 
im not penn undergrad
 
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Some super easy courses for ya: Biol 251, Chem 221, BE 301, BE 350, Math 241, Phys 170 & 171 :smuggrin:

If you want to take easy courses, just transfer into Wharton. I hate premeds that take easy classes.

You just got into Penn. Challenge yourself. Take intellectual risks. It might not be the most "textbook" smart thing to do for getting into med schools, but at least you can go to sleep proud that you've pushed yourself and worked your ass off to accomplish the lofty goal of med school.

516btt.jpg

I liked BE 301. BE 350 was horrendous! But yeah, it's possible to get good grades at Penn taking hard classes. The trick is to not overburden yourself. I took 6 units most semesters. If I could do it all over again, I would limit the number of classes I took and not major in bioengineering!
 
Start with MATH 103 and crawl your way up to 104 and then 115...such a boost. otherwise, the high-school teaching related courses in math/bio are super easy, but don't go toward any majors, but there just aren't "easy" classes thatll go into your sGPA, picked the wrong school :(
 
im not penn undergrad
 
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Some super easy courses for ya: Biol 251, Chem 221, BE 301, BE 350, Math 241, Phys 170 & 171 :smuggrin:

If you want to take easy courses, just transfer into Wharton. I hate premeds that take easy classes.

You just got into Penn. Challenge yourself. Take intellectual risks. It might not be the most "textbook" smart thing to do for getting into med schools, but at least you can go to sleep proud that you've pushed yourself and worked your ass off to accomplish the lofty goal of med school.

516btt.jpg


that cartoon is hilarious
 
Some super easy courses for ya: Biol 251, Chem 221, BE 301, BE 350, Math 241, Phys 170 & 171 :smuggrin:

If you want to take easy courses, just transfer into Wharton. I hate premeds that take easy classes.

You just got into Penn. Challenge yourself. Take intellectual risks. It might not be the most "textbook" smart thing to do for getting into med schools, but at least you can go to sleep proud that you've pushed yourself and worked your ass off to accomplish the lofty goal of med school.

516btt.jpg

Totally agree. The OP wants to be a little weasel pre-med and protect his pathetic gpa and waste his brain on brainless classes - what a joke. He is a student a great university and totally wasting the experience - precisely the kind of student that should be rejected from med school for being nothing but a grade *****.
 
1. Get into Penn.
2. Take easiest classes to avoid challenge.
3. Realize you're wasting your time at the school you worked hard to attend.
4. ?????
5. Profit?
 
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Totally agree. The OP wants to be a little weasel pre-med and protect his pathetic gpa and waste his brain on brainless classes - what a joke. He is a student a great university and totally wasting the experience - precisely the kind of student that should be rejected from med school for being nothing but a grade *****.
Yes, it sucks that he's trying to avoid some challenging classes, but it's hard, if not impossible, to get out of Penn without taking at least some intellectually intriguing and challenging classes. Plus he's got to suffer through the pre-med classes and the curve in those (C+ department mandated average, baby.) It's easy to need a little GPA padding. Throw the kid a bone.

Honestly, the best advice I could give to someone who wants to go to med school is to avoid Ivy League schools and others of that ilk so you can have a competitively high GPA. Hard work won't always get you the A's you need when you're in a competitive program where everyone else is on your level. Sure, no one wants to be a grade ***** but looking at SDN, that's obviously what it takes.
 
Yes, it sucks that he's trying to avoid some challenging classes, but it's hard, if not impossible, to get out of Penn without taking at least some intellectually intriguing and challenging classes. Plus he's got to suffer through the pre-med classes and the curve in those (C+ department mandated average, baby.) It's easy to need a little GPA padding. Throw the kid a bone.

Honestly, the best advice I could give to someone who wants to go to med school is to avoid Ivy League schools and others of that ilk so you can have a competitively high GPA. Hard work won't always get you the A's you need when you're in a competitive program where everyone else is on your level. Sure, no one wants to be a grade ***** but looking at SDN, that's obviously what it takes.

I agree with your first part but I would not avoid ivy league universities simply because I was premed. Coming to Penn was one of the best decisions I made (even though my GPA is horrendous!). The opportunities--ie many professors, research, groups, community service, etc. are amazing. I have grown so much and have also met some of my best friends. It's nice when everyone (almost everyone, I would say) is so intellectually motivated. You get to have awesome conversations outside the classroom. Even most of the grade ****** are interesting in learning--not only getting good grades.

What I advise to incoming premed freshmen is to choose classes wisely. Mix in harder science classes with humanities courses so that you are not overwhelmed. Try not to take too many courses or over commit yourself. This is hard at Penn because even the worst of us are overachievers. But, I think at the end of the day, you will be more satisfied going to Penn than your "easier" university. Also, it is totally possible to get good grades this way--I realized this trick my last two years.

And, I don't think there is anything wrong with some GPA padding. The Math 122, 499, Bio 151 classes are ABCS courses, which are academically based community service courses. They throw you into West Philly classrooms asking you to teach. You develop lesson plans, learn how to deal with different populations, etc. It is quite challenging to assimilate into those environments. And, I think as a doctor who will be dealing with different patient populations, it is a great learning experience. The thing with these courses is that there are no curves so you can get As pretty easily. But that does not mean that they are any less intellectually challenging. Heck, I would say they were more stimulating and I learned more from them than BE 350, which is fluid dynamics for bioengineers.

So in short: be smart with your schedules, don't over commit, have fun...I just graduated and am finishing up a masters. Will be done in the fall. It really was the best time of my life. Coming here is a once in a lifetime experience and enjoy it smartly.
 
I agree with your first part but I would not avoid ivy league universities simply because I was premed. Coming to Penn was one of the best decisions I made (even though my GPA is horrendous!). The opportunities--ie many professors, research, groups, community service, etc. are amazing. I have grown so much and have also met some of my best friends. It's nice when everyone (almost everyone, I would say) is so intellectually motivated. You get to have awesome conversations outside the classroom. Even most of the grade ****** are interesting in learning--not only getting good grades.

What I advise to incoming premed freshmen is to choose classes wisely. Mix in harder science classes with humanities courses so that you are not overwhelmed. Try not to take too many courses or over commit yourself. This is hard at Penn because even the worst of us are overachievers. But, I think at the end of the day, you will be more satisfied going to Penn than your "easier" university. Also, it is totally possible to get good grades this way--I realized this trick my last two years.

And, I don't think there is anything wrong with some GPA padding. The Math 122, 499, Bio 151 classes are ABCS courses, which are academically based community service courses. They throw you into West Philly classrooms asking you to teach. You develop lesson plans, learn how to deal with different populations, etc. It is quite challenging to assimilate into those environments. And, I think as a doctor who will be dealing with different patient populations, it is a great learning experience. The thing with these courses is that there are no curves so you can get As pretty easily. But that does not mean that they are any less intellectually challenging. Heck, I would say they were more stimulating and I learned more from them than BE 350, which is fluid dynamics for bioengineers.

So in short: be smart with your schedules, don't over commit, have fun...I just graduated and am finishing up a masters. Will be done in the fall. It really was the best time of my life. Coming here is a once in a lifetime experience and enjoy it smartly.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have gone anywhere else for a kingdom and a horse. Everything you just said, I have also said in the past. I even went back to post-bac and GA'd. Penn was the best decision I could have made for myself, in terms of opportunities educational/intellectual, social, and occupational. But I stand by the fact that if your end goal is just to get into med school, go where the grades are easier to come by. It's cynical, but I think there's a point there.
 
For the love of G-d take astro 001. Easiest class I ever took that was also pretty interesting!
 
Don't get me wrong lacrosse. I am still a bio major, but I am not going to load up on 3 or 4 sciences a semester. Phys 170 and 171 are pointless classes for non-physics major and I already took 150 and 151. I am just looking for classes that I can take in a 5 course load that are half math/science already. Also, I would much rather plan for the future and get into a good school by padding my GPA than having to pad my GPA doing a post-bacc and wasting more time and money. Thanks to those who actually gave real suggestions. Any more classes? Doesn't have to be science/math related.]

By the way, I am a rising sophomore, not an incoming freshman. sorry for the confusion. I also find penn course review not to always be reliable because certain people can be better at certain subjects than others so it could be deceivingly easier. For example, I will never take philosophy class again because my philosophy class last semester was torture even though it got good ratings on course review.
 
hsoc 351 (i think): the doctor-patient relationship. 3 papers. easy grading. guest speakers. really interesting and pertinent course. prolly my favorite class. it's offered every fall on tues. classes end early often.

sat in on this course but im not penn undergrad
 
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has anyone taken biol 446 vs stat 111?

I haven't taken either but I have heard that both are easy. Friends who have taken Biol 446 call it a joke. I think course review also says its pretty easy.

There are some humanities related bio courses being offered next fall. One is Biol 477. These classes tend to be pretty easy grade wise and will also be pretty interesting, I think.
 
Thanks. Ya, I'm just so excited to be done with gen chem because that class sucked balls. I've heard upper level science classes are better so I'm pretty siked to get through my core classes.
 
I took BIOL 446 - pretty easy if you have the knack for it, but plenty of work. However, I am definitely in the "premeds who guard their precious little GPAs with 'easy' classes make me queasy" camp...
 

Did you or didn't you take geol with Omar? He says that all the time...to everyone

EDIT: OP, I took stat 111 and it was not bad at all in terms of difficulty and amount of work. Just a weekly hw, midterm, and final.
 
Did you or didn't you take geol with Omar? He says that all the time...to everyone

EDIT: OP, I took stat 111 and it was not bad at all in terms of difficulty and amount of work. Just a weekly hw, midterm, and final.
I took it about 7 years ago. I thought about it after I posted and vaguely remember him saying that a few times. What I do remember is Shatte's and Sabini's (RIP) off the wall quotes in my psych classes. "Mauve? What the **** is mauve?"
 
Why is everyone so against the OP for wanting to take "easy" classes?

I bet some of the easiest classes at Penn are harder than most classes at other schools so cut him some slack...

Yeah, the OP should take hard classes, get Bs/Cs and maybe get into medical school with a low GPA... that's totally the right thing to do.
 
Why is everyone so against the OP for wanting to take "easy" classes?

I bet some of the easiest classes at Penn are harder than most classes at other schools so cut him some slack...

Yeah, the OP should take hard classes, get Bs/Cs and maybe get into medical school with a low GPA... that's totally the right thing to do.
How do you know that easy classes at Penn are hard compared to other schools? I know from experience, doesn't matter what school you go to, there are always "useless" easy classes you can take.
 
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