Easy A or really learn something?

[ChippyChad]

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Hello guys, this is the question that I always wanted to ask. I am going to take Calculus and A&P next semester. I have 2 options now: taking them with some easy professor get a nice/fat A make my transcript look good, or taking them with "hardcore" professor, take a chance to getting B and actually learn something. Which one you guys prefer?

P.S. those "hardcore" professors are having great reputation around school, and they really know their subject well.

Thank you for your time!

 

[RelayJax]

I had professors that I felt were *easy*, because they made the subject so accessible and understandable, yet I learned a lot from both classes. Just because a professor is easy doesn't mean you don't learn.

However, you NEED anatomy in pharmacy school, so you NEED to know it. If the professor really doesn't teach I wouldn't risk it.

 

[crazybob]

Hello guys, this is the question that I always wanted to ask. I am going to take Calculus and A&P next semester. I have 2 options now: taking them with some easy professor get a nice/fat A make my transcript look good, or taking them with "hardcore" professor, take a chance to getting B and actually learn something. Which one you guys prefer?

P.S. those "hardcore" professors are having great reputation around school, and they really know their subject well.

Thank you for your time!

I had professors that I felt were *easy*, because they made the subject so accessible and understandable, yet I learned a lot from both classes. Just because a professor is easy doesn't mean you don't learn.

However, you NEED anatomy in pharmacy school, so you NEED to know it. If the professor really doesn't teach I wouldn't risk it.

It really depends on how you learn best from these different professors. Sometimes you can have a hardcore professor who will be difficult the entire semester and you may be struggling just to understand what's important. With easy professors, you might just end up memorizing things for a test and then forgetting later on, which is what some of my classmates have done at some state schools. But there are other who took more advanced classes, were in honors colleges, and learned their stuff well. I'd say it really depends on what you want to get out of the courses.

 

[diastole]

I'd go with learning your stuff. I don't know if you have taken the PCAT yet but if you haven't, knowing your material will translate into higher scores which should more than balance out a potential B. And the A&P is useful for pharmacy school. I haven't gotten to the hard math portion of the courses yet so I can't tell you how much calculus will help you.

 

[AntiviralsRule]

I totally agree. I took Calc I with a very tough prof, got an A-, and felt I learned a lot. Then I took Calc II with a super-easy prof, got an A, and felt I learned just as much. Learning should be about you more than about the professor. You just need to focus on the material and push yourself to learn.

I had professors that I felt were *easy*, because they made the subject so accessible and understandable, yet I learned a lot from both classes. Just because a professor is easy doesn't mean you don't learn.

However, you NEED anatomy in pharmacy school, so you NEED to know it. If the professor really doesn't teach I wouldn't risk it.

 

[Pharm2love]

When you really learn something, the easy A should be very near.

 

[phathead]

I know, personally, I would love to have a pharmacist dispensing my medication who decided to take the easy way out and not learn anything about anatomy and physiology early on.

But that I could just be me.

 

[Moni526]

I feel like both of those classes could be easy A's if the professor is good because you will actually learn the materials. WOrk hard and learn the stuff, because A&P is SO important for pharmacy! (Once you're in pharm school, barely any of the calculus is used, but you obviously need it for the PCAT!)

 

[confettiflyer]

Take the A, you'll revisit anatomy/physio in a different form later on, don't beat yourself up over it now.

Don't listen to these self-righteous posters who argue otherwise. The reality is, what you know doesn't get you into pharm school, it's your transcript. Your knowledge of physio will come into play later on, no doubt, but if you can't even get into pharm school, it's moot point. You'll just be that smart guy who knows a lot but drives a cab.

 

[phathead]

Take the A, you'll revisit anatomy/physio in a different form later on, don't beat yourself up over it now.

Don't listen to these self-righteous posters who argue otherwise. The reality is, what you know doesn't get you into pharm school, it's your transcript. Your knowledge of physio will come into play later on, no doubt, but if you can't even get into pharm school, it's moot point. You'll just be that smart guy who knows a lot but drives a cab.

but what if this leads to a recurring theme? Taking all the 'easy' classes and not really learning anything to pad your transcripts. Then you get into pharmacy school, realize you really don't know **** and you can't handle the actual course load.

I was taught from an early age not to take the easy way. Difficulty is what builds character in a person and makes them stronger as a whole. I don't have any respect for people who look for an easy way out of a common situation.

 

[MrMeowphers]

Take the A, you'll revisit anatomy/physio in a different form later on, don't beat yourself up over it now.

Don't listen to these self-righteous posters who argue otherwise. The reality is, what you know doesn't get you into pharm school, it's your transcript. Your knowledge of physio will come into play later on, no doubt, but if you can't even get into pharm school, it's moot point. You'll just be that smart guy who knows a lot but drives a cab.

I agree 100%. Grades are what get you to school. No one on admissions will care whether your A&P professor was a hard-core professor. They probably would have never heard of him unless they were doing similar research.

Admissions boards have so many applicants to review, they basically will look at your GPA/PCAT first. If you pass the cut-offs, then they'll read your personal statement and LOR's. They DO NOT look at professor names (BECAUSE IT'S NOT ON THE TRANSCRIPTS!)

 

[MrMeowphers]

but what if this leads to a recurring theme? Taking all the 'easy' classes and not really learning anything to pad your transcripts. Then you get into pharmacy school, realize you really don't know **** and you can't handle the actual course load.

I was taught from an early age not to take the easy way. Difficulty is what builds character in a person and makes them stronger as a whole. I don't have any respect for people who look for an easy way out of a common situation.

You should have also learned that sometimes you have to play-the-game if you want to get in. And personally, I respect people for just being good people, regardless if they took the "easy-way" out. That statement of yours sounds like the kind of junk Pre-Med's and people in Medical School say to people who are doing other professions (I've heard that kind of statement a lot when I was in grad. school).

 

[phathead]

You should have also learned that sometimes you have to play-the-game if you want to get in. And personally, I respect people for just being good people, regardless if they took the "easy-way" out. That statement of yours sounds like the kind of junk Pre-Med's and people in Medical School say to people who are doing other professions (I've heard that kind of statement a lot when I was in grad. school).

I'm sorry, but thats my belief. I won't cater myself to whatever fits the admission committed views. I will learn as much as I can as well as I can, and I will not do so in any other manner.

Maybe its because I've been busting my ass for the last ten years to get where I'm at and I have become bitter at people arriving at the same point by taking the easy route.

Plus I like a challenge. If someone says a professors only given out five As in that particular class, well I'll do everything in my power to make sure I'm number six.

 

[Prepharm1214]

but what if this leads to a recurring theme? Taking all the 'easy' classes and not really learning anything to pad your transcripts. Then you get into pharmacy school, realize you really don't know **** and you can't handle the actual course load.

I was taught from an early age not to take the easy way. Difficulty is what builds character in a person and makes them stronger as a whole. I don't have any respect for people who look for an easy way out of a common situation.

Confetti is right in this case. Ad coms don't know what schools teachers are harder, nor does it even say what teacher you had on your transcript. Just because a teacher is easier doesn't mean you are not learning anything either. The harder teachers are 'harder' because they tend to test on more minute details, well guess what, 2 years later in patho you are probably not going to remember those small details and will have to relearn them anyway.

I never had a choice in undergrad between which teachers to take because all pre-pharms had the same teacher, but given the choice I would always take an easier teacher especially from pharmacy applicant perspective.

 

[phathead]

Confetti is right in this case. Ad coms don't know what schools teachers are harder, nor does it even say what teacher you had on your transcript. Just because a teacher is easier doesn't mean you are not learning anything either. The harder teachers are 'harder' because they tend to test on more minute details, well guess what, 2 years later in patho you are probably not going to remember those small details and will have to relearn them anyway.

I never had a choice in undergrad between which teachers to take because all pre-pharms had the same teacher, but given the choice I would always take an easier teacher especially from pharmacy applicant perspective.

I understand that part. Part of what irks me is that I am a TA in a couple sections of Finance 321 at my school and I have at least two assignments PER SECTION that are complete copies from the answer sheet. Three of these people are 'scholars' in the department. Things like that irk me.

 

[Kaxa2000]

Take the easy professor...but try and teach it to yourself as if it was a hard class....therefore you get the best of both worlds....you actually learn the material and you get the easy A on the transcript.

 

[DocAcclamation]

Get the easy A if you do the homewrk you'll end up actually learning a thing or 2, Like sports dont take points off the board, in other words boost you GPA as much as possible.👍

 

[Jerking]

Calculus is Calculus... either you get it or you don't.

 

[KMIMSM]

Take the A, you'll revisit anatomy/physio in a different form later on, don't beat yourself up over it now.

Don't listen to these self-righteous posters who argue otherwise. The reality is, what you know doesn't get you into pharm school, it's your transcript. Your knowledge of physio will come into play later on, no doubt, but if you can't even get into pharm school, it's moot point. You'll just be that smart guy who knows a lot but drives a cab.

this mentality is right on, but it's also what drives people to cheat or study the easy way..ie (use old papers/exams/homework etc)

There's so much pressure to get into professional schools that sometimes I question whether a pharmacist really knows his stuff.

I myself am a "crammer" in college. I cram to get the A, then forget it all. I never committed much to long term memory because there's so little time and the next exam is coming up.

I depend on "review everything after school ends" to help keep me on track. Because once you see all the little details, you will get the big picture.

As far as Calculus, trust me, you should go with the A.
I don't think you need to know the hardcore stuff in Calculus. Getting an A will mean you know enough for pharm school and will put you above the other applicants when it comes to admission.

 

[Artful Dodger]

Take the easy professor...but try and teach it to yourself as if it was a hard class....therefore you get the best of both worlds....you actually learn the material and you get the easy A on the transcript.

Co-Sign.

I think if you can brush some of it now, you'll be ok during pharmacy school. I mean, it would be nice to have it all together during your pre-pharmacy years, but I guess do what you think you can handle. No one is going to choose for you. Just remember, the PCAT loves to test A&P stuff...but by that time, im assuming you'll buy some wonderful study guides to refresh your memory.

As for Calculus, go with the easy one. You only need to know the basics i.e. derivatives and integration. The rest is for engineers and mathematicians or whatever.

Good luck!

 

[evilolive]

As a matter of controversy, I'll have to throw in my two cents. Pharmacy school is rigorous and you have to understand that you have to balance getting in versus what you learned prior. It all boils down to how smart do you think you are versus how good are you at time management. Classes in undergrad all differ in varying difficulty, and I attended a well respected institution that was fair in grading but still made itself challenging. Working hard ensured you'd get a B or a C, but getting an A often took the sparkling knowledge facility that only the gunners used to harvest so easily. If you learned a lot (and when I mean by a lot, i mean the synthesis and processing of information efficiently so it can be APPLIED) in undergrad that makes it easier for you to pick up topics such as therapeutics, pharmacokinetics, and the material on the PCAT seem like an easy review, that's what you want. Of course there's no way of knowing that until you get here, so this speculation all seems like a moot point.

 

[twester]

Take the section that fits into your schedule the best. Physiology is probably the undergrad class that I used most in pharmacy school. You'll learn it from either professor and then probably revisit it again in pharmacy school.

 

[confettiflyer]

phathead -- My advice applies specifically to this situation, I agree bad habits are bad habits and can carry onto pharm school. For the purposes of admission, which is the hurdle at the moment, the best thing to do is take the easy A.

Being IN pharm school IS different because stuff just builds and builds (for the most part). You need to understand biochemical pathways/immunological responses/etc... to understand current and future treatments. So yeah, I advocate learning as much as you can for the sake of future success. Plus, you usually don't have a choice who teaches.

But again, I'm a realist...the problem at hand for the OP is winning over the adcom. "Difficulty" of a course is rated using the reputation of the university. If you're lucky enough to go to a top 50/top 100 school, take the easy A and it'll carry with the air of "academic rigor."

Schools take this into account which explains certain "remedial/review" courses your P-1 year. Total snoozefest for me. I'm comfortable enough with the process to recommend to the OP to take the easy way out, knowing it will be revisited with a "pharm school" slant his/her P-1 year....at that point, he'll learn what he needs to learn for his upper years.

 

[justjack]

take the letter grade first, that's what lasts the longest. even though the tough professors who pushed me to learn were great, i forgot 75% of what i had "learned" since you don't really review after the class is over.

so take the easy grade, BUT push yourself to learn the material to EARN your grade. it'll make the ride to pharmacy school easier.