Any advice for a Sophmore in College?

[DefenderofBacon]

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Hello all! It is my first time posting on the forums so bear with me!

As the title says, I am currently at Sophomore in college. I transferred from a community college and I currently have around 68 credits. I am currently working toward a Major in Biology with a minor in Psychology. Right now, I am enrolled in General Chemistry 1, Abnormal Psychology, a general Psych class, and Biostatistics. I also have a 3.9 GPA, and I am working on joining a Biology Honors Society and a pre-professional club. This summer, my old pediatrician offered me a shadow position, in which I plan to get 100+ hours out of. Along with that, I am going to work tons of community service over the summer in various places.

My original plan for college was to go for a Psychology Major and to clinical psychology after that. I honestly only recently had the desire to pursue medicine. Over the summer, I went on a medical mission trip to Honduras. It was easily the greatest 10 days of my life. Watching the doctors help the children and being able to participate in that was a great experience. So my current plan is to go to medical school and specialize in psychiatry.

I think the thing I am most afraid of is my upcoming Chemistry classes. In high school, I received an A in Chemistry but only because I took advantage of the extra credit opportunities. I feel that if I am struggling in the general chemistry, what will org and bio be like? I plan on studying tons for these classes and I am hoping to make the best out of it.

So that's just a little bit about me. If anyone would like to chat or give me any advice while I go down this arduous path, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

 

[carrots28]

Khan academy is a good resource for learning science concepts. I use it in even in medical school. When you get to orgo, I recommend the book Orgo as a second language. This book saved me for orgo.

 

[DefenderofBacon]

Alright thank you! I'll make sure to remember that book for when I get to orgo.

 

[MMBHeartsPeds]

Khan academy is a good resource for learning science concepts. I use it in even in medical school. When you get to orgo, I recommend the book Orgo as a second language. This book saved me for orgo.

I am also a sophomore pre-med student, and am about to take Orgo 1 beginning this Tuesday. I just ordered the book on Amazon after you mentioned it and I read the outstanding reviews. Thanks for the suggestion! And best of luck to you this year, DefenderofBacon!

 

[jtd2081]

To me, orgo was much different than gen chem. I didn't really struggle with either, but just know that they are quite difference. Doing bad in one class doesn't mean you will do bad in another class. Just hunker down and study.
If I could go back and give myself some advice it would be to get to know some of your profs. You'll need letters in the future and the more longstanding your relationship is the better. Go to office hours and get to know them as a person. Ask about their life. Be more than a student to them and they will repay you with a strong letter. College is all about time management and studying effectively. Hit your stride and you will do great. Good luck.

 

[Dandine]

With chem, focus on making sure you know your assigned problems inside and out (and then if you have time do more for practice). Orgo, and for that matter physics, follow similar paths of studying. You do have to know relevant facts and concepts but for sure you will have to do problems on tests so do them early. If you need help in anything consult chem tutoring (it may be free through your university) or office hours.

If you've taken Psych 101, think of Bio like studying for that only with different concepts: know the concepts and know how to apply them (problems may be given to help with that). It's hard because of the "newness" of material but if you break down the concepts into ways you can remember, it's manageable.

Those are my opinion about sudying for these classes; a lot of it will depend on how you study best and how your particular professors test you. Don't hesitate to talk to anyone who either teaches that class or did well in that class to get an idea of what resources work best for studying, and adjust as you go if you find other resources work better.

Other than that, seems good so far. Welcome to SDN and best of luck to you!

 

[DefenderofBacon]

I took Bio 101 and 102 in community college. I have been researching more on the ACS form of testing (since this is what my final exam will be) and it seems EXTREMELY difficult. I saw that you could only get like 50 right and still receive and A but it looks very daunting. I am definitely going to devote most of my study time to Chem.

jtd2081, I have heard that orgo is a lot harder than general chem, and that biochem is a lot easier than orgo. The reasons were that biochem is more memorizing (my strong suit) and orgo was more problems. What are your thoughts on that?

Good luck to you too, HeartsPeds!

 

[jtd2081]

I still stick to my guns and say they are different. I wouldn't say harder. I have known people who thought gen chem was hard and orgo was easy, and visa versa. It really is just a different type of chemistry. Much more 3D molecular structures and spatial reasoning in orgo vs gen chem which is more calculation based in my experience. You have to take the class regardless so just don't scare yourself away! As for biochem, I thought it was the most difficult, but the one I enjoyed the most. Through my education there was always a sort of disconnect between biology and chemistry. As the name entails, this sort of merges the two subjects and makes a lot more sense of things like how enzymes work and their kinetics. Let me know if you have any questions about anything else and I would be happy to answer whatever I can!

 

[Blanky]

Just an opinion, but take the psychology major and minor in bio if you enjoy it. You may find the classes more enjoyable which should yield a higher GPA. Also go into chemistry with an open mind. I took chemistry in high school and got a D (bad student) and then always feared taking it. Now chem 1/2 and orgo 1/2 have been my favorite courses and I feel like I will enjoy biochem this semester just as much.

 

[iforget2]

I would also recommend visiting sdn often. My freshman year before discovering sdn I didn't know I needed volunteering, research, the median grades for matriculants, etc. However, after discovering sdn I began to understand what makes an application competitive and was able to get into med school as a result of it. You'll find tons of helpful tips when it comes to the mcat and the whole application process.

 

[DefenderofBacon]

Yeah, I was thinking of changing majors to psychology. I like both subjects so interest isn't really an issue. I might just double major honestly. Thank you guys for all the advice! I will make sure to investigate the forums further for more information.

 

[jtd2081]

Yeah, I was thinking of changing majors to psychology. I like both subjects so interest isn't really an issue. I might just double major honestly. Thank you guys for all the advice! I will make sure to investigate the forums further for more information.

If you double major do it for yourself. Don't do it to impress anyone.

 

[docalicious]

Hello all! It is my first time posting on the forums so bear with me!

As the title says, I am currently at Sophomore in college. I transferred from a community college and I currently have around 68 credits. I am currently working toward a Major in Biology with a minor in Psychology. Right now, I am enrolled in General Chemistry 1, Abnormal Psychology, a general Psych class, and Biostatistics. I also have a 3.9 GPA, and I am working on joining a Biology Honors Society and a pre-professional club. This summer, my old pediatrician offered me a shadow position, in which I plan to get 100+ hours out of. Along with that, I am going to work tons of community service over the summer in various places.

My original plan for college was to go for a Psychology Major and to clinical psychology after that. I honestly only recently had the desire to pursue medicine. Over the summer, I went on a medical mission trip to Honduras. It was easily the greatest 10 days of my life. Watching the doctors help the children and being able to participate in that was a great experience. So my current plan is to go to medical school and specialize in psychiatry.

I think the thing I am most afraid of is my upcoming Chemistry classes. In high school, I received an A in Chemistry but only because I took advantage of the extra credit opportunities. I feel that if I am struggling in the general chemistry, what will org and bio be like? I plan on studying tons for these classes and I am hoping to make the best out of it.

So that's just a little bit about me. If anyone would like to chat or give me any advice while I go down this arduous path, it would be much appreciated.

Here's what I read: you were recently excited about psych, and now you are excited about md route, but you are worried about getting through chem-related coursework. Given these facts, I would consider doing the following: meet/network with the instructor/other students about inorganic chem, listen to their advice, take inorganic chem, see how you do. The grade you receive plus the time that passes will go a long ways towards answering your questions, both about sustained interest level for md route and your ability to handle coursework.

Thanks for reading!