First semester classes

[PTlife2015]

Hello everybody! I'm going into my first semester as a pre physical therapy student and I will be registering for my classes this week! I was hoping I could get some feedback from everybody on the classes I am considering taking my first semester.
First year foundations-2 credit hours
General biology 1-4 credit hours
Chemistry 1- 4 credit hours
Chem 1 lab-1 credit hour
Intro to psychology-3 credit hour
Weightlifting-1 credit hour
I'm a first generation college student so I'm not really for sure if this schedule is too hard or not for my first semester. Thank you for helping me!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[southernswimmer]

Looks almost exactly like my 1st semester schedule. Just don't fall into the trap and forget to study. And don't be afraid use your resources such as tutoring/office hours/first gen programs. Good luck!

 

[Kakashi Queen]

I would have to say it depends on what type of student you are, if i was to take those classes my first semester at school i would be lucky to get a C in bio and chem. Now i have matured and this schedule would be fine for me, but no that isnt that difficult of a schedule, just depends if you think you will be able for the task your very first semester in school.

 

[Sunshine~Runner]

That schedule looks perfect and I think you'll find that 15 credits should be very do-able My advice though is to realize early on if one of those science classes is going to cause you a lot of trouble (meaning a grade less than a C+). Its better to drop that class early on so that it doesn't drag your other grades down as well. You can always take it during the summer or at a community college where you can focus all of your attention on getting that good grade. PT is very competitive so you always have to keep that GPA in mind! Good luck with you first semester!

 

[starrsgirl]

Go big or go home. Tell yourself there is no other option other than get amazing grades! Make the sacrifice now and it will save you a lot of time, money and heartache later.

 

[CAphanatic]

It took me ten years away from school to figure out, but the biggest factor to succeed in college is showing up to class everyday, be courteous to your instructors, and even if you aren't, at least act interested and participate. I just wrapped up my first year of college, and I have straight As, and its not because Im the smartest guy in the class, Im not, but I missed one class all year, and that was for a funeral, and I informed my instructors ahead of time. During my Accounting class this semester, I got no higher than a C on any exam, including a D on the final, but I showed up to class, I did all my homework and I got mostly high Bs and a couple As on the take home quizzes and what not, and I pulled an A, comfortably. I had a 101% going into my Japanese final, I coulda took a zero on the final and got an A in the class. The list goes on... Im not saying this to toot my own horn, Im just letting you know that showing up and doing the homework will leave you relatively stress free when it comes to finals week. It is a simple concept that most lazy kids right out of high school don't get.

 

[HughLee]

Your schedule is highly weighted towards the sciences (9 credits of hard sciences and 3 credits of soft sciences). If you are really good in the sciences, this might not be a problem. Sometimes college science courses are a little harder than high school courses, sometimes they are a lot harder. You are also heavily weighted with PT school prerequisites (2 or 3 depending on the program).

CAphanatic has lots of good advice. If you have any problems at all, get help right away! Talk to your instructor, student support services, tutoring, etc. And do this right away.

One potential problem with your schedule is that you are only taking 15 credits. If you need to drop a course, you would not be able to drop one of the 4 credits courses without potentially major problems. If you drop below 12 credits, you are no longer considered to be a full-time student, and this can affect student loans and create other problems that you do not want to deal with