So I'm a fifth year humanities major at a big public university. I've finished chem and organic chem and I'm going to start biology. My school's intro bio series (mostly the first two of the three classes) has a reputation for being a tough weed out class because it has 400 students every quarter. I've sat it on it and read the book by Freeman and I honestly don't like the lectures or the book. I work 20hr/week at a pharmacy and do ECs so I guess I don't feel like grinding through the book for information.
My post-bac pre-med friend is having to take the bio series at a nearby community college because the university classes were full. She says good things about her biology class. I sat in at the lecture I think the lecturer there does a better job presenting the material and the class is smaller (30 people). The book they use is Campbell's and it seems easier to read. The cc bio dept. is staffed by PhDs.
I would prefer to go to the cc because I think I would learn more there. After I finish the series, I'm going to graduate and study Spanish and teach English in Madrid for a year or two. When I come back, I'll take upper division bio (immunology, micro, immunology etc...) at a smaller state university and hopefully be in pharmacy school when I'm 26 or 27. My science GPA is 3.3 and I feel like I can't afford to let it slip much lower.
My pre-pharm friend got a 2.2 in the first bio class and a 1.3 in the second class and wants retake the second class at the university in order to move on to the third one. I tell her that she should restart the series with me at the CC and then take the upper division sciences at a university. She's a fourth year psych major and I know she's getting A's in physics and o-chem. What advice do you all have for me and for her? Has anybody had similar experiences? University or cc? Is saying that "I took classes at a community college because I thought I would learn the material better there" a good enough explanation if I'm asked?
My post-bac pre-med friend is having to take the bio series at a nearby community college because the university classes were full. She says good things about her biology class. I sat in at the lecture I think the lecturer there does a better job presenting the material and the class is smaller (30 people). The book they use is Campbell's and it seems easier to read. The cc bio dept. is staffed by PhDs.
I would prefer to go to the cc because I think I would learn more there. After I finish the series, I'm going to graduate and study Spanish and teach English in Madrid for a year or two. When I come back, I'll take upper division bio (immunology, micro, immunology etc...) at a smaller state university and hopefully be in pharmacy school when I'm 26 or 27. My science GPA is 3.3 and I feel like I can't afford to let it slip much lower.
My pre-pharm friend got a 2.2 in the first bio class and a 1.3 in the second class and wants retake the second class at the university in order to move on to the third one. I tell her that she should restart the series with me at the CC and then take the upper division sciences at a university. She's a fourth year psych major and I know she's getting A's in physics and o-chem. What advice do you all have for me and for her? Has anybody had similar experiences? University or cc? Is saying that "I took classes at a community college because I thought I would learn the material better there" a good enough explanation if I'm asked?
