ecology? easy?

[tautomer]

Hey all:

Ok, I haven't posted on here in a while but I'm in a bind. I'm a college junior entering spring semester. I got a BCPM of 3.213 and an overall of 3.481 at the moment

I am signed up to take 9 hours worth of science classes next semester:

4 in physics, 3 in cell bio, and 2 in research.

I know I can get an A in the research, and from what I've heard cell bio is definitely doable too. Obviously, I need to do well in physics: at least an A- to bring up my BCPM to at least a 3.3.

So here's what I was thinking, I was thinking of adding ANOTHER science course on top of this: ecology (3 hour credit). This way, it would give me a buffer, just in case I get a B+ in physics, which would still allow me to get above a 3.3 BCPM, or even better, do well in ALL of them and get it up to like a 3.38. My concern is that ecology is a difficult course.

How is second semester physics? How is ecology? The rest of my schedule isn't bad at all, so it would just be these science courses.

Keep in mind I got the MCAT to study for in the spring as well.

I hate myself for not doing better my freshman year. I wish I could go back in time....

Thanks in advance.

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[tigress]

It totally depends on your school. At my undergrad, ecology was a class that required tons of time because you had to memorize all sorts of weird stuff about jellyfish and algae and things. It wasn't hard, just time-consuming. I think you should ask some people in your school how hard the ecology class is, and then decide if you think you can do it. But don't try for too much. Med schools will look at your GPA, but they'll also look to see if you improved substantially over the years. So if you just have a normal/hard schedule and get good grades, that will look good for you. It would look bad if you tried too much and ended up bombing something.

 

[masterMood]

www.ratemyprofessors.com

find your school and see what the students think of ecology (under biology). That might help you see how hard the class was. Also ask kids who already took the class.

 

[Noeljan]

Ecology was the most painful class I have ever taken. I am never happy with a B, but I was very happy with my B in ecology. I would not call it difficult by any means, but rather painful if you do not like learning/memorizing things like that for 20 page short/long answer tests. I am grateful for the people in the field, but it was not my cup of tea.

 

[UCLAstudent]

I found ecology to be a huge pain in the butt. I like memorizing, but not minutia about ocean gyres and monsoons.

 

[Karina]

Ecology was no piece of cake. It was a fun class, though. I loved learning about predator-prey relationships and stuff. Tons of statistics. I made the mistake of taking the lab We went to the beach a few times to study succession and then we went to the everglades and saw some cool stuff. It was a pain though. I had lab every monday and we had to collect samples, so we had to go on every single pond and/or lake on campus...with water up to my chest, taking fish from the water and measuring them and then releasing back. And then I only had like 15 min to change before my next class. It was fun, but a lot work... Got an A- int the lec and A in the class...so it's totally doable. I was taking Orgo I and the lab, and a biopsychology class that semester.

Karina

 

[llort]

tautomer, why are you asking a bunch random internet people how difficult a class at your university is, when there is no way we would know the answer?
just ask someone (a live person) at your school who has taken the ecology class, they could tell you better.