Am I making a huge mistake by taking these classes together?

[LACMA]

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Hi all,

Is it a mistake to take calc 3, molecular biology with lab, organic chemistry with lab, and calc based physics (no lab this semester)? On top of having a leadership position, research, and 3 volunteer jobs? I've been doing really well in school and thought I might be up to the challenge, but I'd just like to know your opinions.

 

[goft20]

Yeah..don't burn yourself out..why take cal 3? Drop that class and keep everything else the same..good luck!


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[LACMA]

Is Calc 3 hard? Thanks for the advice.

 

[LACMA]

Yeah..don't burn yourself out..why take cal 3? Drop that class and keep everything else the same..good luck!
Is Calc 3 hared? Thanks for the advice.

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[Contr0lz]

No, Calc 3 (without vector calculus) is as easy as calc 1. It's basically calculus 1 in 3D (or higher). Even with vector calculus, things only get slightly complicated.

 

[487806]

Yeah..don't burn yourself out..why take cal 3? Drop that class and keep everything else the same..good luck!


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Calc 3 isn't the culprit... one of the labs is.

Hi all,

Is it a mistake to take calc 3, molecular biology with lab, organic chemistry with lab, and calc based physics (no lab this semester)? On top of having a leadership position, research, and 3 volunteer jobs? I've been doing really well in school and thought I might be up to the challenge, but I'd just like to know your opinions.

OP, I strongly recommend you to drop one of those labs (or if they're joint, postpone them and replace with an easy gen ed). Labs are always the most time consuming, and two labs just add more stress. With your busy schedule, defer one of them for later.

 

[LACMA]

Calc 3 isn't the culprit... one of the labs is.



OP, I strongly recommend you to drop one of those labs (or if they're joint, postpone them and replace with an easy gen ed). Labs are always the most time consuming, and two labs just add more stress. With your busy schedule, defer one of them for later.

Unfortunately, I can't 🙁 They go together. I need to take these classes to stay on track, you know, for the mcat and stuff? Ughhhhh the struggle. I guess the only class that I can drop would be calc 3, but I like math.... It's really overwhelming to think I have so many classes to take that a bunch of people have recommended I should take before taking the mcat. So much to fit into just 2.5 years! Do I really need the more advanced science courses to do well on the mcat or will the general intro courses do? Thanks for the reply.

 

[487806]

Unfortunately, I can't 🙁 They go together. I need to take these classes to stay on track, you know, for the mcat and stuff? Ughhhhh the struggle. I guess the only class that I can drop would be calc 3, but I like math.... It's really overwhelming to think I have so many classes to take that a bunch of people have recommended I should take before taking the mcat. So much to fit into just 2.5 years! Do I really need the more advanced science courses to do well on the mcat or will the general intro courses do? Thanks for the reply.

Wait wait wait. You just threw a lot of stuff at me 😱

1. Are you a biology major? If so, are you sure you can't postpone molecular bio for later? It won't be of much help for the MCAT.

2. The only prereqs you need are gen chem, ochem, intro bio and intro physics to do well on the MCAT. Maybe sociology/psychology/biochem if you're taking 2015 version

 

[LACMA]

Wait wait wait. You just threw a lot of stuff at me 😱

1. Are you a biology major? If so, are you sure you can't postpone molecular bio for later? It won't be of much help for the MCAT.

2. The only prereqs you need are gen chem, ochem, intro bio and intro physics to do well on the MCAT. Maybe sociology/psychology/biochem if you're taking 2015 version

Sorry 'bout that. Yeah I'm a bio major. But even taking the mcat out of the question, There're are so many GEs and major requirements that I have to do. I feel like even if I spread it out, there's never a time where I'm taking less than 18 units. Whatever, I"m just complaining and should probably get back to studying anyway haha Thanks again.

 

[487806]

Sorry 'bout that. Yeah I'm a bio major. But even taking the mcat out of the question, There're are so many GEs and major requirements that I have to do. I feel like even if I spread it out, there never a time where I'm taking less than 18 units. Whatever, I"m just complaining and should probably get back to studying anyway haha Thanks again.

In that case, keep your schedule as it is, and if calc 3 gets hectic for you in first couple of weeks, drop it.

 

[fmpak93]

Calc 3 is fine until you get to surface integrals and the Green, Stokes, Divergence Theorems *shudders* I rather drop Mol. Bio, but that's because I'm a math guy. Why do they make you take calc-based physics?

 

[LACMA]

Calc 3 is fine until you get to surface integrals and the Green, Stokes, Divergence Theorems *shudders* I rather drop Mol. Bio, but that's because I'm a math guy. Why do they make you take calc-based physics?

They don't, but I'm kind of a math guy too haha. My advisor said it "looks better" and would help me solve physics problems faster?

 

[487806]

They don't, but I'm kind of a math guy too haha. My advisor said it "looks better" and would help me solve physics problems faster?

Wow, your advisor is a smart one. You're lucky.

 

[LACMA]

They don't, but I'm kind of a math guy too haha. My advisor said it "looks better" and would help me solve physics problems faster?

Is calc 3 mostly theorems or problem solving stuff? If I've been doing very well in Calc 1 and 2 is that a good indicator of how I'm going to do in calc 3?

 

[LACMA]

Wow, your advisor is a smart one. You're lucky.

Hahahaha yeah I know right...

 

[fmpak93]

They don't, but I'm kind of a math guy too haha. My advisor said it "looks better" and would help me solve physics problems faster?

Uh by physics problem you mean like undergraduate physics(Quantum, Electromag, Physical Chem) or MCAT physics? A good understanding of derivatives and integrals is useful for many MCAT physics concepts, but you only need Calc 1 knowledge. Calc 3 won't help you at all in my opinion in solving anything FASTER...unless you wanna take a course on electromagnetism or physical chemistry buddy, but it is requirement for those anyways.

 

[LACMA]

Uh by physics problem you mean like undergraduate physics(Quantum, Electromag, Physical Chem) or MCAT physics? A good understanding of derivatives and integrals is useful for many MCAT physics concepts, but you only need Calc 1 knowledge. Calc 3 won't help you at all in my opinion in solving anything FASTER...unless you wanna take a course on electromagnetism or physical chemistry buddy, but it is requirement for those anyways.

I'm considering a math minor. That's why I want to take Calc 3 🙂 And biochem and physical chemistry are some of the requirements too.

 

[fmpak93]

I'm considering a math minor. That's why I want to take Calc 3 🙂 And biochem and physical chemistry are some of the requirements too.

Haha that's awesome. I mean it might help you solve problems faster in the sense you just get good with numbers as you take harder and harder courses. Go for it 🙂

 

[milski]

Is calc 3 mostly theorems or problem solving stuff? If I've been doing very well in Calc 1 and 2 is that a good indicator of how I'm going to do in calc 3?

That would depend on your school. For us, it was mostly calc for multiple variable functions, definitions of planes, lines, etc in 3D, curvature, tangents in 3D plus some miscellaneous topics, like Taylor series. Overall, I found it more pleasant and less messy than the integrals in Calc 2.
The two labs are going to be a big time sink, but if there is nothing that you can do about dropping one of them, you'll have to get through them somehow.

 

[Genore]

Calc 3 was fun...yeah until Green, Stokes, Divergence Theorems. (Barely pulled a C+ on the final because of them...barely kept my A that was otherwise solid. Ick.) Have fun the week or two before finals on those... 😉
You should be able to manage it. I pulled out Orgo, Physics, Developmental (all with labs), and an upper level (grad) statistics/economics class while volunteering, doing research, holding a leadership position, and working as a TA. You become more efficient with time and a bit more forgetful due to lack of sleep (lists help)...just think of it as practice for med school and beyond. 😛
Instead of classes, I might actually cut a volunteer job or two this semester if you get pressed for time. Most places will let you go on leave and that can save you a bunch of time, depending on what they are and how long they last.
Plus, I've been told that adcoms expect a slight drop in grades while taking Orgo, so there's that.

 

[mehc012]

Calc 3 isn't the culprit... one of the labs is.



OP, I strongly recommend you to drop one of those labs (or if they're joint, postpone them and replace with an easy gen ed). Labs are always the most time consuming, and two labs just add more stress. With your busy schedule, defer one of them for later.

What? 2 labs is a normal schedule. 3 labs is pushing it, but 2 should be no problem.

 

[goft20]

It is not about the difficulty of the class..but how packed your schedule is going to be..


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[Conflagration]

Hello, I can answer a few of your questions about Calc 3. I'm a math major myself.

Personally, I think a lot of what determines if you're going to do well in Calc 3 or not is if you are capable of thinking spatially. 3D planes require some visualization ability to understand them, but nothing too crazy. You were taught how to number-crunch in Calc 1 and 2. Calc 3 is all about using the numbers to solve practical issues.

Whether two labs ongoing is normal or not is irrelevant, truth be told. If the OP can avoid it, it would make their life a lot easier. Especially when they have so much going on already.

Is this your first Organic? Organic is almost nothing like General. I find that my friends who liked General hated Organic. I found the lab to be really intensive and the class itself requires a different mindset. However, I took it as a newly minted freshman, so it doesn't have warm and fuzzy feelings from me.

The decision is yours, though. Best of luck!

 

[knv2u]

Hi all,

Is it a mistake to take calc 3, molecular biology with lab, organic chemistry with lab, and calc based physics (no lab this semester)? On top of having a leadership position, research, and 3 volunteer jobs? I've been doing really well in school and thought I might be up to the challenge, but I'd just like to know your opinions.

The problem isn't with your course schedule, but your extracurricular schedule. I find it hard to imagine that you absolutely need 3 volunteer gigs, and if you must cut something, that would be it! One or maybe even two would be just fine.

 

[487806]

What? 2 labs is a normal schedule. 3 labs is pushing it, but 2 should be no problem.

Yeah ok. To each their own I suppose. I won't touch a two-lab schedule with a 10-foot pole. I hate labs and their meaningless lab reports. I'd rather use that time for research and ECs, hence my recommendation of OP to stop wasting time on labs and devote that time to ECs

 

[mehc012]

Yeah ok. To each their own I suppose. I won't touch a two-lab schedule with a 10-foot pole. I hate labs and their meaningless lab reports. I'd rather use that time for research and ECs, hence my recommendation of OP to stop wasting time on labs and devote that time to ECs

Ah. My school didn't separate labs and lecture...if you took the course, you had to take the lab. I'd say that 90% of the science courses had lab, half of the psych courses had fake-lab (which they were adamant on the attendance of), and all of the CS courses had a 'lab period' which you could usually manage to slowly stop going to halfway through the semester if your programs were good.
That being said, most of them were pretty awesome. I took the advanced orgo lab where at the beginning of the semester they gave you 2 reactants (unknown) and the steps to make a product. There were no lab manuals or procedures, and your job was, as a group, to design the experiments and tests needed to solidly demonstrate the exact structure of both reactants, as well as the final product, and describe the mechanism of the reaction. We had access to every instrument in the college, a limited budget for send-out labs and for ordering new chemicals for testing, and weekly meetings where the prof would tell us whether our reasoning was sound, but refused to give us any hints other than "if you do that you will blow things up" or "there is no way you can prove THAT structure from those NMR spectra" or "sure, if that's what you want to do I'll show you how to switch the NMR over to a fluorine probe".

Most of the other classes required designing your own project for the final weeks, which I liked. In my Micro lab, instead of using species known to the prof, she literally gathered a soil sample, used that as our source, and said 'I cannot guarantee there are no pathogens, be careful'. I ended up finding some unnamed species from a rare genus with only 7 previously studied strains. It was pretty neat!
But yeah, downside was that I rarely had a semester with only 1 lab.

 

[Lucca]

Yeah ok. To each their own I suppose. I won't touch a two-lab schedule with a 10-foot pole. I hate labs and their meaningless lab reports. I'd rather use that time for research and ECs, hence my recommendation of OP to stop wasting time on labs and devote that time to ECs

I echo this. Labs are mostly terrible, awful, painful wastes of time.

Calc 3 is pretty easy and I found multi-variable knowledge useful in calc-based E&M and in the molecular bonding/VSEPR units in GenChem/Orgo but only conceptually.

Ah. My school didn't separate labs and lecture...if you took the course, you had to take the lab. I'd say that 90% of the science courses had lab, half of the psych courses had fake-lab (which they were adamant on the attendance of), and all of the CS courses had a 'lab period' which you could usually manage to slowly stop going to halfway through the semester if your programs were good.
That being said, most of them were pretty awesome. I took the advanced orgo lab where at the beginning of the semester they gave you 2 reactants (unknown) and the steps to make a product. There were no lab manuals or procedures, and your job was, as a group, to design the experiments and tests needed to solidly demonstrate the exact structure of both reactants, as well as the final product, and describe the mechanism of the reaction. We had access to every instrument in the college, a limited budget for send-out labs and for ordering new chemicals for testing, and weekly meetings where the prof would tell us whether our reasoning was sound, but refused to give us any hints other than "if you do that you will blow things up" or "there is no way you can prove THAT structure from those NMR spectra" or "sure, if that's what you want to do I'll show you how to switch the NMR over to a fluorine probe".

Most of the other classes required designing your own project for the final weeks, which I liked. In my Micro lab, instead of using species known to the prof, she literally gathered a soil sample, used that as our source, and said 'I cannot guarantee there are no pathogens, be careful'. I ended up finding some unnamed species from a rare genus with only 7 previously studied strains. It was pretty neat!
But yeah, downside was that I rarely had a semester with only 1 lab.

I wish I could have a lab experience like this. It would be tough but at least I wouldn't feel like running into traffic on my way to lab.

 

[487806]

Ah. My school didn't separate labs and lecture...if you took the course, you had to take the lab. I'd say that 90% of the science courses had lab, half of the psych courses had fake-lab (which they were adamant on the attendance of), and all of the CS courses had a 'lab period' which you could usually manage to slowly stop going to halfway through the semester if your programs were good.
That being said, most of them were pretty awesome. I took the advanced orgo lab where at the beginning of the semester they gave you 2 reactants (unknown) and the steps to make a product. There were no lab manuals or procedures, and your job was, as a group, to design the experiments and tests needed to solidly demonstrate the exact structure of both reactants, as well as the final product, and describe the mechanism of the reaction. We had access to every instrument in the college, a limited budget for send-out labs and for ordering new chemicals for testing, and weekly meetings where the prof would tell us whether our reasoning was sound, but refused to give us any hints other than "if you do that you will blow things up" or "there is no way you can prove THAT structure from those NMR spectra" or "sure, if that's what you want to do I'll show you how to switch the NMR over to a fluorine probe".

Most of the other classes required designing your own project for the final weeks, which I liked. In my Micro lab, instead of using species known to the prof, she literally gathered a soil sample, used that as our source, and said 'I cannot guarantee there are no pathogens, be careful'. I ended up finding some unnamed species from a rare genus with only 7 previously studied strains. It was pretty neat!
But yeah, downside was that I rarely had a semester with only 1 lab.

Sounds like you had a lot of fun. I won't touch any of those regardless of how "fun" they seem unless when I'm forced to as part of grad requirements. I'll save all the "fun" stuff for research.

 

[487806]

You should be able to manage it. I pulled out Orgo, Physics, Developmental (all with labs), and an upper level (grad) statistics/economics class while volunteering, doing research, holding a leadership position, and working as a TA. You become more efficient with time and a bit more forgetful due to lack of sleep (lists help)...just think of it as practice for med school and beyond. 😛

Yeah OP, don't follow the quoted unless you're feeling suicidal. There is no need to pressure yourself more than necessary. If you had to explore other classes of interest, just don't take labs. I've been through those and they're ridiculously time-consuming. Just taking an upper-level course is fine and focus on ECs.

Is calc 3 mostly theorems or problem solving stuff? If I've been doing very well in Calc 1 and 2 is that a good indicator of how I'm going to do in calc 3?

Yeah keep calc 3 in that case. You'll do well.

 

[LACMA]

Thanks to all you guys 🙂

 

[BeancheBlanco]

these are all intro science classes. I wouldn't worry about burnout since things will get much more difficult when you get more in-depth into your major.

Calculus 1, 2, 3 are all the same. Just more information to memorize.

 

[snowflakes]

Wait wait wait. You just threw a lot of stuff at me 😱

1. Are you a biology major? If so, are you sure you can't postpone molecular bio for later? It won't be of much help for the MCAT.

2. The only prereqs you need are gen chem, ochem, intro bio and intro physics to do well on the MCAT. Maybe sociology/psychology/biochem if you're taking 2015 version

Actually, I found molecular bio quite useful for the MCAT since the BS section is moving towards that direction.

 

[Genore]

Yeah OP, don't follow the quoted unless you're feeling suicidal. There is no need to pressure yourself more than necessary. If you had to explore other classes of interest, just don't take labs. I've been through those and they're ridiculously time-consuming. Just taking an upper-level course is fine and focus on ECs.

Yeah keep calc 3 in that case. You'll do well.

I never said that it wasn't stressful, just that it was possible. There's a reason I'm only taking 13/16 credits the rest of my time here instead of the 19/18 + extras of sophomore year. 🙂 However, you'd be surprised how efficient with your time you get. I definitely recommend loading up sophomore year instead of making yourself take 18 junior and senior year as the difficulty of classes increases then. I feel like you're way more likely to get a decent GPA and if you don't it won't matter as much if you increase it junior and senior year.

@BeancheBlanco, I don't know how your Calc was taught, but my Calc 1-3 classes were much more application of the information learned than memorization... Especially Calc 3, which was applying Calc 1 material to 3D + evil random theorems at the end. Pretty sure all math classes are way more application than memorization, but perhaps it is somewhat dependent on institution.

 

[487806]

I never said that it wasn't stressful, just that it was possible. There's a reason I'm only taking 13/16 credits the rest of my time here instead of the 19/18 + extras of sophomore year. 🙂 However, you'd be surprised how efficient with your time you get. I definitely recommend loading up sophomore year instead of making yourself take 18 junior and senior year as the difficulty of classes increases then. I feel like you're way more likely to get a decent GPA and if you don't it won't matter as much if you increase it junior and senior year.

It doesn't matter what the credit load is. Two labs itself is a bad idea, unless you love lab reports etc. I can't stand them. They're a waste of time and utterly meaningless. I rather use that time/effort on research and have a meaningful experience (like posters and pubs). But labs? Yeah, not a chance.

In these cases, I can support a 20 credit courseload provided there's a maximum of one lab (if needed) and a bunch of electives that are interesting and you won't probably see them again (social sciences/humanities are the popular ones).

 

[Genore]

It doesn't matter what the credit load is. Two labs itself is a bad idea, unless you love lab reports etc. I can't stand them. They're a waste of time and utterly meaningless. I rather use that time/effort on research and have a meaningful experience (like posters and pubs). But labs? Yeah, not a chance.

In these cases, I can support a 20 credit courseload provided there's a maximum of one lab (if needed) and a bunch of electives that are interesting and you won't probably see them again (social sciences/humanities are the popular ones).

Personally, I'd rather write a couple lab reports than a 20 page philosophy paper...Ugh.
I carried off 3 labs and TA'd another. It's a pain studying for the quizzes, extra tests, the write-ups, but it's doable if you pick the right ones. For labs that are graded separately from the class, you can take a B+ and it will hardly affect your GPA. For the ones connected, if you test well, you can afford to slack a bit in write ups, etc. It's not fun but it is doable. However, honestly, it's not so much the bulk of work required for the measly 1 credit hour, when you have 3+1+research, it's the time suck that gets you. Orgo is great because there's a lot of down time you can spend writing lab reports and studying. In physics, we usually got out early. So...there's that.

 

[487806]

Personally, I'd rather write a couple lab reports than a 20 page philosophy paper...Ugh.
I carried off 3 labs and TA'd another. It's a pain studying for the quizzes, extra tests, the write-ups, but it's doable if you pick the right ones. For labs that are graded separately from the class, you can take a B+ and it will hardly affect your GPA. For the ones connected, if you test well, you can afford to slack a bit in write ups, etc. It's not fun but it is doable. However, honestly, it's not so much the bulk of work required for the measly 1 credit hour, when you have 3+1+research, it's the time suck that gets you. Orgo is great because there's a lot of down time you can spend writing lab reports and studying. In physics, we usually got out early. So...there's that.

I guess to each their own. I just see no value in lab reports and don't recommend it, unless when there are no other alternatives (as in the case of OP).

 

[Cooldynasty]

Hi all,

Is it a mistake to take calc 3, molecular biology with lab, organic chemistry with lab, and calc based physics (no lab this semester)? On top of having a leadership position, research, and 3 volunteer jobs? I've been doing really well in school and thought I might be up to the challenge, but I'd just like to know your opinions.

I honestly don't think that's such a horrible schedule, but maybe that's just me. You said you have been doing really well and it seems that you can handle much more than you are having to deal with now. I had thoughts with like that too so I challenged myself and accepted my own challenge haha. I took O chem, physics, and a bio class (all with lab) along with biostats plus a semester long honors stats project all in one semester. I also had two leadership positions and tutored a minimum of 10 hrs a week. Sounds like hell, but it wasn't as bad as it seems and I don't think it was stressful ! I had an extremely successful semester and I still had time to hang out with my friends. (For those wondering, I go to a university that is notoriously known for grade deflation.) Furthermore I don't think two labs a semester is strange. All my semesters I had a minimum of two labs and so did most of my friends! Two labs per semester=norm at my school, it's not like we have a choice; we'd never finish otherwise! In the end you know yourself best and you know what you are capable of. Don't let anyone discourage you from taking on such a "challenge"and don't let anyone push you to over "challenge" yourself.

 

[Genore]

@Cooldynasty, same for my school. Two is norm unless you came in with AP Bio, Chem, and Physics. In order to get the pre-med reqs done, you pretty much need to do 2-3 labs freshman year (gen bio, gen chem, maybe intro to physics), 1-3 labs sophomore year (physics unless done, orgo, upper bio). We only need 4 bio labs after gen bio for my school (6 total), but I know that's lowish. So, minimum, for premeds, you have 12 labs spread out over 8 semesters...not really sure how you would get away with not taking two at a time at least half of the time, @Agent B.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Hi all,

Is it a mistake to take calc 3, molecular biology with lab, organic chemistry with lab, and calc based physics (no lab this semester)? On top of having a leadership position, research, and 3 volunteer jobs? I've been doing really well in school and thought I might be up to the challenge, but I'd just like to know your opinions.

Why don't you drop your volunteer jobs? School comes first

 

[Genore]

@TexasSurgeon, exactly what I said... 🙂 At least cutting them down by 1 or 2 can help free up time without seriously affecting your app.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

@TexasSurgeon, exactly what I said... 🙂 At least cutting them down by 1 or 2 can help free up time without seriously affecting your app.

Yeah I think it's the best option. These volunteer jobs are seriously time suckers

 

[hink]

Yeah..don't burn yourself out..why take cal 3? Drop that class and keep everything else the same..good luck!

As a current sophomore undergrad, really - don't burn yourself out. My schedule is ridiculous, and I'm realizing that now:

• 1st semester biology w/ lab
• 2nd semester physics
• 2nd semester chemistry w/ lab
  
• electrophysiology w/ lab
• psychological statistics
• neuroscience/cognitive science 200

I burnt out the week before spring break (which caused me to fail all of my exams that week. And I mean failed.)

You might think you can handle so many classes at once, even the conflicting ones. When class A tells you to think in terms of A, and class B tells you to think in terms of B, it will catch up to you.

Good luck.

 

[QuantumJ]

Calc 3 is easier than Calc 1. In calc 1, you've never seen this stuff before and it's strange at first. Calc 3 you just do what you did in calc 1 a few extra times. Bonus for having so many applications.

Yes OP you're semester looks intense. I routinely did 18 hr semesters but not all 18 of science and math classes.