Do I have to load up on sciences each semester in order to make it

[Kaxa2000]

Last semester I took cal 2, orgo 1 w/ lab, and physics 1 w/ lab and I have to say I never want to do something like that again. I ended up having to drop physics during the middle of the semester with a WF, and it was still kind of hard to catch up in my other classes + labsthumbdown), but I eventually made it through. The most I can handle is, at the most, 2 out of three of those classes at a time. I decided to try this courseload out because I know this is what pharm schools want, but I now realize that I cannot handle that much coursework. Am I not cut out for pharm school b/c of this? Would taking at least 2 sciences at a time plus maybe some lighter coursework still be a good app if I get A's? I was thinking about Physics 1 again, Orgo II w/ lab, & economics for next semester.

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[rxliteguy]

Last semester I took cal 2, orgo 1 w/ lab, and physics 1 w/ lab and I have to say I never want to do something like that again. I ended up having to drop physics during the middle of the semester with a WF, and it was still kind of hard to catch up in my other classes + labsthumbdown), but I eventually made it through. The most I can handle is, at the most, 2 out of three of those classes at a time. I decided to try this courseload out because I know this is what pharm schools want, but I now realize that I cannot handle that much coursework. Am I not cut out for pharm school b/c of this? Would taking at least 2 sciences at a time plus maybe some lighter coursework still be a good app if I get A's? I was thinking about Physics 1 again, Orgo II w/ lab, & economics for next semester.

taking any other classes with Organic Chemistry is tough. I know from experience.
are you working also? If so, I can see why. But if not, pharmacy school will be much harder. So learn to prioritize your time and be more efficient. Come up with better studying techniques. Good luck.

 

[JeremyE30]

Sounds like an average semester to me. You're going to need to step up your game if you want to cut it in pharmacy school.

 

[Short Round]

Great, now I'm a little nervous about my upcoming semester...

Org Chem 1
Calc 1
Stats
Bio 2
3 credit pluarlism/diversity class

 

[PrePharmD]

Great, now I'm a little nervous about my upcoming semester...

Org Chem 1
Calc 1
Stats
Bio 2
3 credit pluarlism/diversity class

I wouldn't worry about it, this semester sounds very doable. Although I haven't taken it, I've heard from a few different people that calc 2 is much more difficult than calc 1 so you should be fine. Good luck!

 

[WannabePharm88]

I wouldn't worry about it, this semester sounds very doable. Although I haven't taken it, I've heard from a few different people that calc 2 is much more difficult than calc 1 so you should be fine. Good luck!

Org I
Cal I
Far East Religion
Intro to American Popular Music
Intro to Theather Arts (On-line)

Org I is my second time taking it, so I guess it's doable, I will be working 6 hr/week on campus.

 

[Snake Doctor]

If you know you are having trouble, don't overload! You need a solid foundation in ochem, esp. going into pharm. I don't know about your school, but at my school ochem I is a pre-req for molec. bio, esp. since the prof. is a big fan of ochem. If you never had physics before, why rush... especially if circuits and magnetism are going to be covered.

With that said, I'm going with Biochem, Orgo 3 (quarter system), and genetics along with another upper div. course... in a quarter system. Avoid putting yourself in these situations when possible.

 

[WhiteSnows]

You have too many science classes for 1 semester. Cut them by half an save for other semester. The rule is "better to have A with fewer classes than a B for more classes"

 

[Storm90]

My 3rd semester of school I took Orgo1, Inorganic1, Cell Bio1, Genetics and Physiology and TA'd an intro Bio lab (read: 6 labs/week). Overall GPA: hideous! Readjusted my priorities, got refocused, and slowly built up my confidence. Two years later, I took Parasitology, Enviro Microbiology, Invertebrates, Intermediate French, Astronomy, and I upgraded 2 intro courses (Chem & Bio), and again TA'd an intro Bio lab. Overall GPA this time: 3.57 (big improvement). It all depends on your focus and what you feel you are capable of.

 

[Kaxa2000]

Ok, so I'm getting mixed responses here. Jeremy(pharm student) says that I should be able to handle such a courseload to make it, but 5minutes (a pharmacy student also) says that I don't have to handle such a courseload to make it. Maybe it depends on the pharm school? I'm hoping what 5minutes says is true(although I know its better to take more) b/c I'm confident I can get A's with only 2 sciences at a time, but I just can't see myself learning the material with such a quality I need to get A's with 3 sciences. It just seems like there is not enough hours in the day to study at that pace to me...maybe if our school had a quarter system it might be possible to me, although I don't think its impossible because alot of people are capable of handling it. If pharm school will be tougher than taking 3 sciences in undergrad then maybe it's not for me.

Also to prepharmD, I dont know why people say this but Cal 1 (to me) was way more difficult(probably the toughest class taken so far) than Cal 2. In cal 1, while your trying to do the problems you also have to learn the language of Cal(unless you already took it in high school)...by the time you hit Cal 2 you already understand most of the language of Cal(limits, int, der, etc.) so it's just a matter of doing the problems and applying them to new concepts not covered in cal 1..thats how I always see it...and thats maybe why I always seem to do better in the second half of courses than the first...and no I'm not a math person.

Thanks for everyone's responses.

 

[FresnoPharmD]

You don't have to get an A in everything. My greatest semester in undergrad so far was when I took 21 units and managed to hold a 3.6 (basically 50% As and 50% Bs). If you're sure you can get A's with the lighter courseload, go for it...personally if I have more time on my hands, I just tend to get lazier and I end up doing about as well as I would if I had more work to do.

 

[Kaxa2000]

What classes did you take during your 21 credit semester Fresno? If I take a lighter courseload and get A's will I even be prepared for pharmacy school? So if someone took a heavier courseload(3 sciences) and made all B's....would that look worse than someone who took only 2 sciences and made all A's? I was thinking an avg of 12 hours a semester plus taking some classes out in the summer. I don't want to make it into pharm school and then not even be ready to take on the 20+ hours or however many it is each semester.

 

[FresnoPharmD]

What classes did you take during your 21 credit semester Fresno? If I take a lighter courseload and get A's will I even be prepared for pharmacy school? So if someone took a heavier courseload(3 sciences) and made all B's....would that look worse than someone who took only 2 sciences and made all A's? I was thinking an avg of 12 hours a semester plus taking some classes out in the summer. I don't want to make it into pharm school and then not even be ready to take on the 20+ hours or however many it is each semester.

There is no right or wrong way to do things. But I would say at least one semester, you should challenge yourself to take a pretty heavy load (17 or more units) and see how you handle it. You shouldn't necessarily resign yourself to all B's if you have a harder load, but if it happens, it happens. You should pull a few A's and a few B's depending on what you're taking. Overall you want your GPA around 3.5 or above to be a competitive pharm school applicant IMO. Of course, some people are higher, some people are lower, but I think that's a good target. Whatever load you can take to maintain that is what I would do. It should be a pretty decent load though so the pharm schools can look at it and know that you can handle their workload.

For what it's worth, that semester I had organic II lecture, microbiology, evolution, genetics, and two four-unit upper division GEs. Org. and micro were very tough but the rest were very manageable. Try to mix it up with some classes that aren't as rigorous but will still add to your workload.

 

[WhiteSnows]

Don't take many science classes like that for 1 semester. Here are some reasons you can consider:

1) You will have very hard time to remember all the information nessessary for Pcat, and pharmacy school.

2) Your chance of getting C for more than 2 classes are pretty high. Then, you screw your GPA and that is it!

3) Getting into pharmacy school is much more competitive now, you want to have a higher GPA than anyone else to stand out. Pharmacy schools do not have time to think "oh this guy took many science classes for 1 semester, and that is good", untill or after interview.

4) Do you want to have a relaxing time to study and enjoy your life? Break the classes in half.

5) That is what I did, an I got 3.9 the first time I applied to pharmacy school. I am no genius.

 

[GlamDoc]

..

 

[jackal head]

...personally if I have more time on my hands, I just tend to get lazier and I end up doing about as well as I would if I had more work to do.

I have to agree with this, you gotta keep yourself busy.

 

[allthaticanbe]

Wow then you guys should not go to UofToronto then because we have to take so many science credits that an average semester has about four or five science courses and thanks to a stupid lab course I have

My last semester was

Inorganic Chemistry with Lab (weekly for four hours)
Analytical Chemistry with Lab (weekly for four hours)
Biochemistry
Biochemical Lab (weekly for five hours)
Organic Chemistry of Biological Compounds

Second semester
Advance Inorganic
Bioinorganic
Biochemistry 2
Molecular Biology
Biochemical Lab
And a chemical biology seminar

None of this courses are electives, this is what my program tells me to take.

 

[allthaticanbe]

Sorry forgot about OP questions....IF I CAN DO IT ANYBODY CAN!!

 

[inquirer89]

I think it depends on the person for course load. I know that it would be a tough challenge for me to take 3 hard science courses and I'm not willing to take a chance, so last semester I took Orgo I and Calc I (which is a 5 credit course at my school). But I also took a relatively tough liberal arts class- macroeconomics. Just find the right balance and don't worry too much about how heavy a semester is. The difference between taking two sciences and three is pretty large, but definitely don't take less than two obviously. I believe I can handle 3 sciences, but I'll worry about that once I get to pharmacy school.

 

[tootoo30]

Last semester I took....

Organic I w/Lab
Biology II w/Lab
Calculus I

This semester I'm taking...

Organic II w/Lab
Microbiology
Physics I w/Lab

Good Lord, here I go again LOL

I found it very managable you just have to manage your time. For me short term studying is better so I usually study right before a test. I also make my own test out of class notes to quiz myself. Talking to some of the pharmacy students I often wonder if I can handle six science classes at one time though

 

[1908PharmD]

It is not necessary, but, wouldnt you rather just get them all over with as quickly as possible? I know if i could do it all over again. i would def have tried my best to overhaul as many courses as possible instead of spreading them around.