Courses for next year (freshman)

[hell0]

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Hi, I'm a new member so I don't know 100% of the rules here yet.
So I have to pick my classes for first semester like very soon (June 10) before orientation date. I'm planning to finish most the prerequisites before second semester of Junior year so that I can take the MCAT. I know I'm only a freshman but I don't want to slack off my first year and suffer with all the hard classes at once. This is new to me 😛 so I'm not sure how the college course loads are.

This is what I came up with so far, too easy/ too hard/ or just right?
Oh, and I'm planning to major in Economics at Virginia Tech

- Intro to Business Information (3)
- Freshmen English (3)
- General Chem + Lab (4)
- Calculus (3)
- History/ I'll probably change it to an EMT-B course so I get a certificate by sophomore year (3)
Total: 16 crdts.

Thank you.

 

[Alaunus]

We chooses classes in orientation right because my orientation is 2 days long, with each day being from 8-5 😴

 

[Mornhavon]

.

 

[HH Holmes]

Your schedule looks good for a first semester and looks pretty average for the non-science major. 👍

Good luck.

 

[ladybug1122]

It looks pretty good to me, but you alone know your capabilities. Good luck!

 

[SarahBellum1]

yep, pretty standard.

 

[HH Holmes]

FWIW, I've read a lot of advice on here (so take it with a grain of salt😉) saying that you shouldn't take more than two pre-med requirements at a time. So Chem/Calc this year is good, then whatever you wanna do 2nd and 3rd year when it comes to General Biology, Physics and Organic Chemistry. Although you may want to take Organic sooner rather than later so chemistry is still fresh and retained.

 

[hell0]

The rescue squad does offer 20 spots every year so if I don't get in, I'm planning to take it at the nearest community college which is 10 mins away.
Can you split the course into 2 years? Let say I take the first half of General Bio 2nd semester and take the other half sophomore year or summer. If I can do that then I will take Organic (4 semester hours), Physics (8 semester hours) and Biochem (4 semester hours) my sophomore year. But Idk how my first year will go yet so that probably will change. I hope to be able to take more science classes such as Physiology and Genetics junior year.

Thank you for all your responses, any other comments and suggestions?

P.S Wait so how many semester hours is organic chemistry, because some school said 4, some school said 8, so how many hours should I take?

 

[Alaunus]

FWIW, I've read a lot of advice on here (so take it with a grain of salt😉) saying that you shouldn't take more than two pre-med requirements at a time. So Chem/Calc this year is good, then whatever you wanna do 2nd and 3rd year when it comes to General Biology, Physics and Organic Chemistry. Although you may want to take Organic sooner rather than later so chemistry is still fresh and retained.

Sweet so i can take calc like my third year because i really need to study before i can even TAKE the class

 

[HH Holmes]

Can you split the course into 2 years? Let say I take the first half of General Bio 2nd semester and take the other half sophomore year or summer.

Thank you for all your responses, any other comments and suggestions?

P.S Wait so how many semester hours is organic chemistry, because some school said 4, some school said 8, so how many hours should I take?

Yes, you can "split" them. I mean, if you really want, you can take Gen Bio I first semester and then take Gen Bio II a few semesters later. It really doesn't matter.

Almost every school (actually all of them) I looked into require 8 hours of Organic Chemistry. Some require Biochemistry, but most just recommend it. That is the same for Genetics, Microbiology and Anatomy & Physiology. Most likely you will take the aforementioned three if you are a biology or chemistry major. If you are non-science, then those classes are optional, but would probably look good and add to your BCPM grade.

Don't overload your first semester, or first year... The worst thing you can do is start your first semester off on a bad note. The EMT-B classes can wait (personally, I am taking the course summer of 2012), take them over the summer or when you understand your limits and work habits. College is a new environment than high school. Some people do extraordinarily well in college, while others do not coming out of high school. See where you stand after the first semester or two, then assess.

 

[HH Holmes]

Sweet so i can take calc like my third year because i really need to study before i can even TAKE the class

You can, yeah. I have to say, calculus I (comparable to AP Calculus AB) is not that hard. I'm taking Calculus I again in college, so it will be basically review + some deeper insights into each unit, but it is totally doable. I think classes like calculus and organic chemistry have these stigmas where everyone walks into class thinking they're destined to fail or get a D... Go in with a positive attitude, study your *ss off and figure it out from there. Just like in high school, 100% in a class is not impossible, so I'm sure as hell an A or B in calculus or organic is not impossible either. Be positive.

 

[hell0]

The EMT-B classes can wait (personally, I am taking the course summer of 2012), take them over the summer or when you understand your limits and work habits. College is a new environment than high school. Some people do extraordinarily well in college, while others do not coming out of high school. See where you stand after the first semester or two, then assess.

I think that's a good idea too, I guess i'm just gonna stick with History

 

[HH Holmes]

I think that's a good idea too, I guess i'm just gonna stick with History

I'd totally recommend it (EMT course) if they were at your school (I'd be taking it then, too), but it just seems like a huge hassle for freshman year.

Remember, these are just my recommendations. You know yourself better than anyone on this forum, including myself. Know your strengths and limits, and figure it out from there.

 

[Espadaleader]

Listen. You ware going directly to medical school. You are the first freshman on here that ever posted something smart, not "I'm going to take calc I, gen bio, gen chm, and physics". Great stuff.

 

[UFCOM2016]

I am going to concur with most posters here, this is a pretty balanced course load for a first semester freshmen. I usually advise new college students to start with two science/major oriented courses per semester. If they find that easy, then you can always take more courses during future semesters.

For instance, my first semester was as follows:
1. General Chemistry + Lab
2. Pre-calculus with Trig
3. Two humanities classes for Gen Ed

By my third semester I was taking a heavier course load, but would that have been a good idea first semester? No.

So good job being reasonable in your course selection. It is important to get a feel for college courses during your first year, and just acclimate to a new environment.

 

[hell0]

Yea, I know that transition from high school to college is a dramatic change so I cannot make an assumption that I would be able to handle the courses. At the same time, I also want to have some spare time a seek out clubs/organizations/volunteer to join.

Thank you for all your comments 🙂