Bio majors: are the 3rd and 4th years of undergrad easier than the first 2 years

[PremedGunner]

Once you get all the prereqs out of the way in the first 2 years of undergrad, what are the last 2 years like? Are they difficult as the first 2 years? Thank you!

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[aSagacious]

For me junior year was the hardest of all four years and senior year was the easiest. Since these are the years where you choose your electives the difficulty is really up to you.

 

[kpcrew]

I thought the upper level courses were a lot easier than the intro courses but I think they went out of their way to make a steep curve for required courses for premeds.

 

[ModernAlchemist]

Once you get all the prereqs out of the way in the first 2 years of undergrad, what are the last 2 years like? Are they difficult as the first 2 years? Thank you!

DON'T LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU IT'S EASIER! Biggest mistake of my life... Junior year met me with some unwelcome B's. After the first two years, you do study better but so does everyone else and when only 10% can get an A in a class, you'd better pick up the pace.

 

[aSagacious]

DON'T LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU IT'S EASIER!

😕 What if it was easier for them?

 

[Longshanks]

What year of undergrad isn't easy?

Upper level bio classes contain more difficult material but tend to be "easier" because they are taught better: it is usually the professor's niche/topic of interest/gets to toot his horn about his research and so generally more enthusiastic and motivated to teach the course rather than the boring intro material. Also these aren't the weed out courses anymore so there usually aren't ridiculous low averages on exams. As a student you should be doing better because this is usually material you're more interested in as you typically elected to take this course rather than it being a required pre-req for your major (though there are some exceptions). So those factors make it seem easier. Whether it is or not in reality just depends on you as an individual and how you do in the course and if you enjoy your school year.

 

[NeuralNetwork]

Easier because more interesting/you choose what you want but harder to get a good grade because you are in class with people who have not been weeded out the first two years. Lesson to learn from this: work hard to get the grade you want, regardless of what year you are in. You will find out how your stress levels compare at the end of each quarter/semester, but just go into it with 100% effort

 

[brandonh4]

Every school is different... Every class is different...

Will it be universally easier? No... The classes tend to be faster paced and with more information to learn. But you probably have learned a lot about yourself during these last two years, and hopefully you know how to study well.

 

[TropicalKitty]

What year of undergrad isn't easy?

Upper level bio classes contain more difficult material but tend to be "easier" because they are taught better: it is usually the professor's niche/topic of interest/gets to toot his horn about his research and so generally more enthusiastic and motivated to teach the course rather than the boring intro material. Also these aren't the weed out courses anymore so there usually aren't ridiculous low averages on exams. As a student you should be doing better because this is usually material your more interested in as you typically elected to take this course rather than it being a required pre-req for your major (though there are some exceptions). So those factors make it seem easier. Whether it is or not in reality just depends on you as an individual and how you do in the course and if you enjoy your school year.

👍

You get to choose the classes that are more interesting. Like I can't stand ecology or phylogeny, but was forced to endure those classes my frosh year. Later on, I could avoid that stuff and focus more on what aspects of science interested me. Plus, you should also have a better understanding of how you study/learn better, which makes your out of class time a bit more efficient/easy.

 

[deleted261193]

i thought the years beyond prereqs (i graduated early, so my schedule is a bit skewed) were way easier. maybe it's because i just didn't really care for physics/organic chem, so i wasn't as motivated to study my ass off in those classes. getting to the higher level bio classes meant *exciting* material to me so even though the material was probably harder, i did better in those classes, and i enjoyed myself more, so i didn't complain as much.

also you get more flexibility (as ppl have said above) since you can pick which electives you want. you can choose to pick impossibly hard ones or you can choose to pick more interesting ones or you can choose to pick the notoriously easy ones. it's up to you.

 

[Scherbatsky]

They were just different, not really easier or harder. At least with the courses I took, the first two years were about learning the basics and upper years were about applying that knowledge to more specific subjects.

As far a work goes, I found the first two years to be a lot of lab reports and assignments, while upper years were more essays and presentations (which I like a lot more)

 

[Godric]

I just entered my third year, first semester. I am looking at 21 credits, 3 upper level bio courses, 1 upper level psych course and a lit, and 2 philo classes. Its looking tough, but hey who knows, maybe this will be fun ?

In general I think third years might be the hardest, and fourth easiest. Though to be honest I do miss sophomore year, ORGO <3 my love .

 

[ShockDoctrine]

there's no such thing as a hard multiple choice test...which is what most upper level science courses are

 

[aSagacious]

there's no such thing as a hard multiple choice test...which is what most upper level science courses are

Ever hear of the MCAT? What about the USMLE step 1?

 

[Zedor]

Ever hear of the MCAT? What about the USMLE step 1?

What are those for?

 

[generator]

In my opinion it does get easier 🙂 you have to build a good foundation

 

[UnclePhil]

there's no such thing as a hard multiple choice test...which is what most upper level science courses are

wait.. what? I've never taken an upper level science course (>400 level) that had multiple choice exams.

 

[KindofBlue]

Of course it's impossible to generalize since every school, every class, and every teacher's different, but I felt it was a bit easier.
Partly because you get to choose what you want (I don't have to learn about some random fungi's life cycle or plant physiology), and also because you know what to expect.
Because bio 101 covered such a broad scope of biology, it was hard to know what I should actually be learning from the different chapters, but when you're concentrating on physiology, genetics, or anatomy one at a time, I think it makes it easier to focus on the subject. And because you know what to expect going in, you feel a lot more comfortable IMO. Of course expect to be surprised by detailed information about the some simple processes you thought you knew from bio 101, but as long as it interests you, you should be fine.

 

[Tots]

DON'T LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU IT'S EASIER! Biggest mistake of my life... Junior year met me with some unwelcome B's. After the first two years, you do study better but so does everyone else and when only 10% can get an A in a class, you'd better pick up the pace.

I go to the same school as this kid(judging by his username) and my junior year classes were easier than my freshman/sophomore year classes.

 

[Quasimodem]

What are those for?

Rather than tell you off or offer a sarcastic response as to why you should know this already, I'm going to explain it to you.

MCAT or Medical College Admission Test is a standardized test that one must take in order to have a chance a medical school admittance. The highest score one can achieve is a 45, and many members on here will say that a score of 35 or above is a great score that will really open doors for you.

There are three sections on this test (Biology, Physics, Verbal Reasoning- all worth 15 points each) there is also an essay portion with the highest score possible is a (T).

The USMLE Step 1 is a test one takes typically at the end of their second year. I am not a med student or even close to it yet, so I do not know as much on this as the MCAT.


Hope this helps mate.

 

[Shibbyboi182]

As a bio-related major (neuro) I saw the following trend in my classes:

First 2 years: pre-req's were gun or be gunned. The material wasn't very enjoyable and most of the professor's didn't give a f*** about us. It was on you (as college should be) to completely control how you did. Competition was stiff simply because we knew going into each class that only 15% or so would get A's

Junior year, core series: the core series was a year long for my major. This was 3 classes, 1 per quarter of heavy neuroscience. This was like a much harder version of the pre-req's. 3 tests over 10 weeks, equal weight. Everyone still gunned and it was the same thing where only a certain small percentage got A's. They also never told us the distribution for tests, just low, high, mean, median. So you had a rough idea how you were doing. They also never told us how they would curve or what the percentage A's, B's, C's. It was pretty unpleasant, especially towards the end of the 2nd class when they were encouraging people to avoid a D and drop.

Junior + summer senior year electives so far: These are the most interesting. Some are really easy, some are hard as hell. It's up to you and LUCK which ones you can get into. The grading is a lot nicer though. Far less C's, far more A's

I hope that helps.

 

[orthomyxo]

Rather than tell you off or offer a sarcastic response as to why you should know this already, I'm going to explain it to you.

MCAT or Medical College Admission Test is a standardized test that one must take in order to have a chance a medical school admittance. The highest score one can achieve is a 45, and many members on here will say that a score of 35 or above is a great score that will really open doors for you.

There are three sections on this test (Biology, Physics, Verbal Reasoning- all worth 15 points each) there is also an essay portion with the highest score possible is a (T).

The USMLE Step 1 is a test one takes typically at the end of their second year. I am not a med student or even close to it yet, so I do not know as much on this as the MCAT.


Hope this helps mate.

Your sarcasm detector. It's broken.

I find it hard to believe that anyone can honestly say that their freshman year was more difficult than any other year, and I would be very surprised if this year (my 3rd year) doesn't turn out to be my most challenging so far.

 

[Quasimodem]

Your sarcasm detector. It's broken.

I find it hard to believe that anyone can honestly say that their freshman year was more difficult than any other year, and I would be very surprised if this year (my 3rd year) doesn't turn out to be my most challenging so far.

Or my helpful meter is over 9000.

So far my second year is going pretty well. It was interesting to adjust to actual college courses

 

[Stumpyman]

I took 16 credits worth of humanities/social sciences non-degree related stuff (Besides a couple) my first semester and felt like it was a big waste. Afterwards I enjoyed the science classes more, and I think by third year even if I'm not taking a heavy course load, It'll still be the most stressful semester, with the MCAT and applications looming.

 

[Bacchus]

What are those for?

I thought your username was Zocor. Too many dyslipidemic pts.

 

[Bacchus]

Your curriculum specializes more in the 3rd and 4th years. I was a biochemistry major but almost lived out of the biology department come those two years in terms of classes. It's 'easier' in that you probably enjoy the material more vs the earlier stages of undergrad.

 

[miui]

Easier in the sense that after two years you are probably where you actually want to be, or at least hopefully. So by then you would have got the hang of what your chosen major demands from you. I agree with what others said in that the classes get more specialized towards the 3rd and 4th years, which was definitely a big plus, even for me as a Biophysics major. By then the classes are rid of so-called "premed majors" and most of the classes are nstead filled with students who actually want to be there, so there is less of the redundant complaining.

Also, maybe it is just me, but towards the end it did seem like the quality of the professors improved.

It gets better with the years.

 

[redcabinet]

Yes much much easier.

 

[Nahla]

there's no such thing as a hard multiple choice test...which is what most upper level science courses are

Yes there is. I'm a nurse, and when I took my licensing exam, 3 out of 4 choices fits the scenario. But you have to choose the BEST one that fits. That's when it's hard.

 

[Longshanks]

Yes there is. I'm a nurse, and when I took my licensing exam, 3 out of 4 choices fits the scenario. But you have to choose the BEST one that fits. That's when it's hard.

Sounds like a poorly designed test, or you're just making yourself believe that 3 out of the 4 choices fit the scenario so you can feel better about said "difficult" multiple choice exam.

 

[Longshanks]

there's no such thing as a hard multiple choice test...which is what most upper level science courses are

Really? Most upper level science courses are all multiple choice? I guess it was all an apparition when Animal Physiology, Chemotherapy Pharmacology, and Immunology were essay exams.

 

[Morsetlis]

DON'T LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU IT'S EASIER! Biggest mistake of my life... Junior year met me with some unwelcome B's. After the first two years, you do study better but so does everyone else and when only 10% can get an A in a class, you'd better pick up the pace.

It's true.

The junior/senior year with all-upper div classes will give you no cushy physics or biology to pad your GPA with. It'll be all upper div, all hard. ESPECIALLY if you take upper-div labs.

However, it's still nothing compared to real med school.

 

[Nahla]

Sounds like a poorly designed test, or you're just making yourself believe that 3 out of the 4 choices fit the scenario so you can feel better about said "difficult" multiple choice exam.

Uh, Wow. I'm not pathetic enough to use that excuse to make myself feel better. When I say fit, I'm talking about distractors , little things like what to do before or first etc or ones that can be implemented to give the pt the BEST outcome. It can be missed if not interpret correctly. I'm not saying the NCLEX is harder than MCAT or USMLE, but merely to the poster who said there's no hard multiple choice.

 

[KnuxNole]

Multiple choice exams can indeed be HARD. That is what 90% of tests are anyway 😛

Unless you're an English or history major...but I had a lit class that had multiple choice only tests.

 

[Genecks]

I agree with Shibby.

I took 400-level classes (undergrads and grads), and the course was difficult because of the amount of material they would slam on students became more intense. I wouldn't say it was as intense as the second semester of organic chemistry.

Nonetheless, the ambiguity put into the 400-level exams (they were multiple choice) made things very difficult. I had one 400-level class that was a blow-off class, but if people didn't get the research done, then the people would get a C or some junk (ace or fail). 400-level classes can be a mix of graduate and undergraduates. And some 400-levels are meant to be blow-offs. While others aren't. I have had opportunities to take blow-off 400-levels for easy As. But I'm wrapping up my degree, atm.

300-level classes weren't so bad, because I got use to studying for them. This is in relation to bio classes. Still, a decent amount of studying was required. But 300-level classes aren't as scary as organic II. I really hate organic chemistry and the way its taught. If levels showed difficulty, I feel that organic II was a 600-level class for me.

Also, the 300-levels I had often weren't taught properly, because we were expected to answer essay questions like graduate students, and we were not prepped to do that. I've spent plenty of time around scientists online and hearing their stories of grad school writing, so I had been prepped way ahead of time (but I disapprove of the exam/quiz formats given when students were not prepped at all for those quizzes/exams).

The biggest annoyance is that the gunners don't seem to go away. There is a limited number of As.

 

[centrigeugle]

ITT: Bunch of people with bad GPA's call everybody who gets an "A" a gunner.

Cry more scrubbies.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

The worst test I ever had to take was a 65 question multiple choice is which I had to defend every answer. It was a summer class and since they were 3 hours long, that's how long he gave us. he also graded harshly with only a 5 point curve. Average was a 68 and I was one of 2 to get a A-.

 

[miui]

Ugh, I remember having a class with the multiple-choice exams where you had to defend the questions. The questions themselves were pretty straight forward and often took little doubt to answer, the part where you had to explain why, not so much. And getting the answer right was often times at most 0.5 a point, the rest 4.5 were depended on getting the explanation right. Highly stressful if you were just guessing and hyena having to defend an answer you weren't not hundred percent sure to begin with.

Otherwise it was probably my most favorite class/professor.

 

[Slack3r]

Once you get all the prereqs out of the way in the first 2 years of undergrad, what are the last 2 years like? Are they difficult as the first 2 years? Thank you!

I had around a 3.1 my first two years, and a 3.7-3.8 my junior and senior years. More because I actually learned to half-ass try rather than slacking off and I matured quite a bit. I took over 20 units spring semester senior year and still had more free time than I knew what to do with.

 

[Goblue89]

DON'T LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU IT'S EASIER! Biggest mistake of my life... Junior year met me with some unwelcome B's. After the first two years, you do study better but so does everyone else and when only 10% can get an A in a class, you'd better pick up the pace.

I second this. Cell/Molecular Bio in junior/senior year were the hardest classes I took during undergrad