3 Science classes too much??

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
one semester i decided it would be a good idea to take statistics, comparative anatomy (with lab), ecology (with lab), organic II (with lab) and concert band at the same time, and i have never regretted it more.

if you think you can handle it, if one of the subjects is really easy for you, or if its absolutely necessary (eg, for you to graduate on time you have no choice)... but if it was me, i wouldnt try it. maybe 2 at the same time but not 3. and definetly do not try for 4. :laugh:
 
It depends, have you ever taken 3 sciences before? Have you taken 2 sciences before? Yes? How did it go, do you think you can fit more?

Medical school cares about your load in junior and senior years, not so much for the first two years. It's definitely doable, I've taken 4 sciences and it wasn't so bad, but again it depends on your school and how the exams are, you don't want the exams to be every day, you want to have a few days in between to study... If it's your first semester then don't do it. My first semester I took 2 sciences, just to see how I would do, then my 2nd semester, I took physics 2, orgo 1, and bio, and some other class. If you want to better your GPA then slow down...
 
I was laughed at and told "good luck doing well in them" when I told one of my older friends that I was taking 3 science classes in one semester (Bio, Orgo, Phys). I made it a personal challenge to make A's in all of them. Make it your goal to do well and stick to it.

I don't think it's too much as long as you're prepared mentally for the added stress.
 
Critical Mass said:
Naw, I've done much worse than that and came out okay.
Click to expand...

I'm diggin the new babe, man. much better than your previous one 👍

And to the poster who warned about taking 4 science classes.... that's me next semester... Fortunately, being that I have no existing social life, I don't have to worry about sacraficing one.
 
I'll probably be taking Genetics, Orgo, and Calc II next semester, along with a big pile of music stuff, but in all honesty...my third class (Calc) is just a fun class that I want to take. I really, really enjoy calc and since I already took AP Calc BC, it's just something to keep me busy so I don't totally stress out.

Nerd moment! 🙂

But in all seriousness, I did too much this semester, and it's really begun to burn me out. Just be 100% sure that you can do what you think you can do, or your semester will suck.
 
sully677 said:
Is Bio, Organ, and Calc too much for one semester??
Click to expand...

The answer to this question is very student-dependent. There are many students who can handle taking these three courses in one semester. At many schools Bio would be 5 hours, Organic 5 hours and calculus 3 hours thus adding up to a load of 13 hours.

You would be attending two labs each week which is doable if you are efficient in your mastery of the course lecture materials. Both organic and calculus are fairly problem-heavy which means that you have a sizeable amount of homework outside of the course lecture hours.

You have to decide how much time you NEED for these courses and pair them accordingly. General Chem is a pre-req for Organic Chem but other than that, you can take your courses in any order that makes sense for you from the standpoint of maximum mastery (and highest grades) of the information presented.
 
the stress for me of having 4 classes (i think it was the additional time the labs required that really did it), was just more than i needed as a sophomore. it did also turn out to be my worst semester of college, grade wise. I got.... a 3.2. I know, I know, I should have dropped out of being a pre-med then, cuz, like, my life was so totally over because I got grades like that. I mean, sheesh.:laugh: 😎
 
Med school will be much worse. This is a good time to test yourself.

My second year I took Anat/Phys (4 credits, lab), Calculus, II (5 credits) Analytical Chem (5 credits, two labs), and an independent research lab (2 credits); that doesn't include my non-science classes that semester. It was awesome -- I really mean it. And yes, I got As in them.
 
Would 3 science courses be too much to handle if you are doing research and volunteer work or would it just be a lesson in time management?
 
FSUUndergrad said:
Would 3 science courses be too much to handle if you are doing research and volunteer work or would it just be a lesson in time management?
Click to expand...

I personally think it's a lesson in management and like Quaker said, it should be a good test to see if you can handle the pressure, since we will defintely encounter high pressure in med school.
 
I considered bio, ochem, and physics all at the same time. I decided that trying to schedule three labs around each other was more of a pain than I wanted to deal with. Other than that I don't think it would have been a problem for me - your mileage may vary.
 
Na, I think you'll be fine. Just jump in head first and don't get behind.
 
definitely not
 
That's a perfectly fine course load.

Just don't overextend yourself with extracurrics (e.g. lab work can eat up a lot of time)
 
It's definitely do-able. I took Bio, orgo II, and physics last semester and it went very well. This semester I'm taking bio, gen chem II, physics, and calc III, and it's a bit tougher, but still pretty good. If you just go into the semester knowing that you'll have to work hard, and not over-extend yourself with extracurriculars, you'll be just fine. (And when the semester ends, you'll be really glad you got all those classes out of the way!)
 
No definitely not too much, medschool will be tougher
 
It is cake if you have self discipline. Unless you have a high maintenance girl friend, in which case, you will be in serious trouble.
 
the semesters that i took all science classes are actually the better GPA semesters.
 
I decided late to go to medical school so I took all the pre-reqs in the summer and fall/spring semesters. So gen chem in summer, organic, genetics, cell biology, physics, plus major classes. It was very hard and I struggled. Every interview I had in medical school asked me about my low science gpa compared to my high overall gpa. So be careful and don't do it unless you absolutely have to.
 
are you freaking kidding me??? I thought that was normal...In fact this term I have Biochem, Physics, Parasitology and Physiology...And I work....And I am married with a kid.
 
I ended up taking a 5th year of school and took my pre-reqs in a year as well (I believe someone else did the same thing). I took bio, physics and ochem in the same semester. I ended up doing pretty well, though I suck at physics so that was a challenge.

The hardest part was scheduling it all. Luckily my undergrad is huge and I had a lot of options for sections. After that, I found as long as I was focused and diligent with the work, it was fine. Having all those labs every week was a little difficult as well, but luckily, my orgo lab was every other week, so that helped out. The times when I ran into trouble though were basically when I would let something slide and would then usually pay for it.

It can definitely be done--just make sure you have the commitment and work ethic to see it through.
 
I've always taken at least 4 science classes per semester. Right now, I'm taking 5. If you are a science student...I thought that was the norm. 3, not to reign on your parade, is nothing to get into a huff about. I've even had 4 labs in a term. I know people who have had it much worse than me, so I'm not even complaining.
 
I think it depends on your aptitude. Math and science always come easy to me so classes like physics or calculus was a lot easier than history or english. But I hate biology cuz it's not like you figure out thigs but you just memorize bottomless stuffs.
 
sejin8642 said:
But I hate biology cuz it's not like you figure out thigs but you just memorize bottomless stuffs.
Click to expand...

I wonder why people always say this. I find it completely untrue. If you really study biology, you're not memorizing random names... you're understanding pathways, mechanisms, processes. To really understand bio, you need to understand the reasoning behind it. Knowing that enzyme A catalyzes photophosphorylation isn't biolgy. Understanding how that happens, why it happens, and all the events surrounding it is. How is that bottomless? To me, adding random digits and solving random problems that are related to absolutely no larger concept is bottomless.

Sorry... I'm pretty passionate about biology. 😳
 
Green Pirate said:
I wonder why people always say this. I find it completely untrue. If you really study biology, you're not memorizing random names... you're understanding pathways, mechanisms, processes. To really understand bio, you need to understand the reasoning behind it. Knowing that enzyme A catalyzes photophosphorylation isn't biolgy. Understanding how that happens, why it happens, and all the events surrounding it is. How is that bottomless? To me, adding random digits and solving random problems that are related to absolutely no larger concept is bottomless.

Sorry... I'm pretty passionate about biology. 😳
Click to expand...

Agree about biology, disagree about math/physics. There's beauty in all branches of science, you just need to learn how to see them.

@ OP: 3 science course is about average, really, unless you're a non-science major, then you might want to distribute your science prereq better. Also remember that med school curriculum is science-focused and at a faster pace than u-grad, so taking tough science semesters is a good prep.
 
last semester i took:

physics 2
calculus 2
biochemistry I Lecture & Lab
evolution
genetics
classical english literature

aced them all... you should be more than fine with that course load. Just be a gunner.
 
Green Pirate said:
I'm diggin the new babe, man. much better than your previous one 👍
Click to expand...

I only had the American flag girl up for a couple of days. She wasn't as popular among my friends. The tan thin girl drew a lot of 👍

I hope that people like this one. I'll probably switch over to a slide show after my next exam block.
 
sully677 said:
Is Bio, Organ, and Calc too much for one semester??
Click to expand...

I handled genetics, mamphysiology, organic 2, calculus 2, physics 2 and research in 1 semester... If you don't party Thursday-Sunday like some people I know, you'll be fine....
 
sully677 said:
Is Bio, Organ, and Calc too much for one semester??
Click to expand...

No.

FSUUndergrad said:
Would 3 science courses be too much to handle if you are doing research and volunteer work or would it just be a lesson in time management?
Click to expand...

Lesson in time management.

I am working 20-25 hours a week, pulling 10-15 hours a week in a systematics lab, taking genetics and biochem and some unimportant courses (not 3 science courses, but the time spent working makes up for another 2 science courses + some volunteer work). When the exams for biochem and genetics are on opposing weeks, life is sweet - when they in the same week it kind of sucks.

Anyway, I thought there was no way I would be able to pull this off, I figured even if I had the time at the end of the day to study, I would be too tired. I adapted, became more efficient with my time and am doing well. Last week I was either in class, working, in lab or studying from 8am to 1am - that was really hard and I would not recommend it, but it is doable.
 
sully677 said:
Is Bio, Organ, and Calc too much for one semester??
Click to expand...

I definetly think that it is doable. I have been taking at least 3 sciences for the past 4 semestsrs. It sucks but I changed majors after my freshman year so I had some catching up to do. Anyway, the worst part about taking multiple science classes for me is the labs. I would be able to get an A in every class if I could devote the time I waste in labs to studying every week.
 
Critical Mass said:
I only had the American flag girl up for a couple of days. She wasn't as popular among my friends. The tan thin girl drew a lot of 👍

I hope that people like this one. I'll probably switch over to a slide show after my next exam block.
Click to expand...

You have to respect Brazil...Soccer, the thong, and the Brazilian Wax. Good job, Dude. I admire your priorities.
 
You'll be fine...I've taken five sciences + 2 labs and done well. Just be ready to work hard to get good grades, but it can definitely be done.

Hey Critical, how do you make your avatar so big (and get by the 100x100 limit)...I think mine would look nicer if I could enlarge them. 😀
 
Hurricane95 said:
You'll be fine...I've taken five sciences + 2 labs and done well. Just be ready to work hard to get good grades, but it can definitely be done.

Hey Critical, how do you make your avatar so big (and get by the 100x100 limit)...I think mine would look nicer if I could enlarge them. 😀
Click to expand...

ok your avatar blows criticals out of the water. DAMN. We have an avatar war brewing here.

I think if you're a doner you can use a bigger avatar.
 
kochkine said:
last semester i took:

physics 2
calculus 2
biochemistry I Lecture & Lab
evolution
genetics
classical english literature

aced them all... you should be more than fine with that course load. Just be a gunner.
Click to expand...

Oh my goodness... People like this make me want to throw in the towel and just apply to be a janitor at a hospital rather than a doctor.
 
Hurricane95 said:
Hey Critical, how do you make your avatar so big (and get by the 100x100 limit)...I think mine would look nicer if I could enlarge them. 😀
Click to expand...

Nice, Hurricane.

Donors ($10/year) get bigger avatars. We can also delete our own posts, close our own threads, get our names in bold, and I'm trying to get them to cut the 25 second search rule for us. It's definitely been worth the $$ for me (especially when I got into a pickle and had to remove some posts as my previous identity). Benefactors ($20/year) also don't have ads, BTW.
 
I'm going to chime in and say that calc, org and bio sounds like a normal course load to me. I did calc, org, physics and the associated labs my first semester and most people I know were doing to same course load. You just have to stay on top of your classes and be willing to give up some nights out around midterms.
 
Just make sure you study for the classes and don't slack off and you should be fine. I thought that taking Bio, Orgo, and Calc was a normal courseload though.
 
Currently taking:

Metabolic Biochemistry
Methods in Biochemistry
Quantum Mechanics
Cellular Biology
Statistical Thermodynamics

Let me tell you, its been an interesting year. I also had to take 2 Junior qualifying exams so that I can thesis during my senior year.

3 classes is not too much
 
Wow.

The normal courseload for sciences at my school was 2 science courses/semester (including labs) and 4 courses total. Personally calc (multivar.), physics and orgo were among the most demanding courses that I took, so I have no idea how some of you handled all these classes at the same time. I did pull 3 science courses at once for 2 semesters, but they were upper-level courses and less time-consuming.

Anybody else with me, or is the whole (SDN) world maxing out on science every semester?
 
Firstly, let me say that I believe that many if the above posters are either a) full of ^&*#, or b)taking for granted that science just comes easier to them. I like science, I love he intellectual stimulation, I love knowing how the world works. I am not by any means lazy. I am taking 2 hard courses/semester (science or math, etc.) and I can't imagine doing more. For me, the problem simply is time. It probably takes me longer to go through material than others, so I have to spend more time on it. If I had more time, I would do more science courses. I'm not worried about the difficulty of the subject, just the time it takes to do well in it.
The question you need to ask yourself if your worried about the difficulty of the material or if you simply don't have time. If difficulty is the problem, then you should go for it anyway, because, as everyone favorite saying goes, "med school will be harder." Maybe you'll find that you had potential for knowing the material that you didn't previously realize. If, however, you simply don't have time for the necessary studying, then you're probably just going to go nuts. Hope this helps...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Z
Diversity Essay Topics: Too Much Overlap With Personal Statement?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
M
3 Year Programs
Replies
2
Views
313
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
T
Failure essay too trivial?
Replies
9
Views
993
Goro
Goro
P
Grad level science gpa only 3 credits
Replies
2
Views
492
premedhelp123
P
T
Advocacy Essay too literal?
Replies
2
Views
453
MD_Maker
MD_Maker
Top