help with first semester of college

[verdantine]

I really didn't think my HS grades were that bad, but I'm apparently barred from taking gen chem 1 and even precalculus.

so heres how my state school went and did my program for the fall semester of '16:

Anthropology (forced)
Remedial Chemistry w/o lab. But strangely, I still get college credit. Just no lab till next semester.
Freshman Composition
Intro to Psychology (i actually got to choose this.)

for a 12 credit semester

So I have a couple of questions. Should I try to switch out Intro to Psych with General Biology 1? Should I kick and scream and see if they can give me Precalculus? I have no AP credit so I can't strike out any prereqs.

I really don't want to have to take a gap year or anything if I can avoid doing so. The thought of being a nontrad is making me really nervous for some reason. More importantly, how would the next 3 1/2 years look like?

I posted this in hsdn because I'm still in high school.

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[Skydive Fox]

How bad were your grades, what's your intended major, and are you pre-health professions?

You could still easily graduate in 4 years with remedial chemistry and be on your way, so I dunno what you mean about being non-traditional and all.

Depending on your answer above, I would recommend taking BIOL-I your first semester to keep everything on track. Also FYI- you need to average 15 credits per semester to graduate in 4 years, though this can vary if you have AP credit and/or take summer classes.

 

[medwolf33]

Let's think about premed courses. You need:

1. 5 semesters of chemistry (Gen Chem 1 & 2, Organic Chem 1 & 2, and Biochem)
2. 2 semesters of biology
3. 2 semesters of physics
4. Several other classes like statistics, psychology, sociology, English, math, etc.

The subject you need the most coursework in is chemistry. But that's still only 5 semesters. After taking Remedial Chem in your first semester, you can go on to Gen Chem 1 in spring of your first year, then complete organic chemistry in your second year (or perhaps Gen Chem 2 and then Organic 1, depending on your school's curriculum). That leaves Gen Chem 2 (or Organic 2) and Biochem for junior year--so no problem.

As for Bio instead of psychology, I don't see the rush. You'll want a semester of psych anyway, right? You could easily do bio in Spring 2017 and Fall 2017, or even after (though it might be nice to have this done before physics, which I'd normally recommend for around junior year). You'll want to finish precalc and calc before physics, but this could still wait until your second semester (or you could try to do precalculus first semester and psychology second). So to plan a little ahead, how does the following schedule for your second semester sound?

1. Gen Chem 1 with lab
2. Gen Bio 1 with Lab
3. Precalculus
4. Gen ed requirement

I just finished my sophomore year and was a lab TA for Gen Chem 1 lab first semester. Almost all the students were first-years, and many of them really struggled. I've seen many kids struggle with a tough schedule their first semester--far more than I've seen struggle to complete premed requirements by the end of junior year. I know it's frustrating not to have any entrance credit, but you'll catch up soon enough.

 

[verdantine]

Hey folks, chose to come back to this once I've redone my schedule.

How bad were your grades, what's your intended major, and are you pre-health professions?.

Well, I may not be giving myself enough credit. I can't take General Chemistry because of my score on a state test (NY regents), and my precalculus predicament is due to a slipup on the placement test. Other than that, highschool was a bit of a rollercoaster but otherwise okay. 100 in freshman biology, 78 in sophomore chemistry (derp), 85 in junior physics. Throw in some history courses and you got a 90 overall average for the four years. No AP credit though, but some credit-bearing community college courses taken for fun.

Anyway, that's all past me now. I don't have a specific major in mind just yet. I was more focused on aligning my schedule towards fulfilling medical school prereqs, so yes to the last question.

As for Bio instead of psychology, I don't see the rush. You'll want a semester of psych anyway, right? You could easily do bio in Spring 2017 and Fall 2017, or even after (though it might be nice to have this done before physics, which I'd normally recommend for around junior year). You'll want to finish precalc and calc before physics, but this could still wait until your second semester (or you could try to do precalculus first semester and psychology second). So to plan a little ahead, how does the following schedule for your second semester sound?

1. Gen Chem 1 with lab
2. Gen Bio 1 with Lab
3. Precalculus
4. Gen ed requirement

I just finished my sophomore year and was a lab TA for Gen Chem 1 lab first semester. Almost all the students were first-years, and many of them really struggled. I've seen many kids struggle with a tough schedule their first semester--far more than I've seen struggle to complete premed requirements by the end of junior year. I know it's frustrating not to have any entrance credit, but you'll catch up soon enough.

Hmm, very informative. Thank you for that. However, I have indeed swapped out psych for Gen Bio. Felt that it was more pressing than psych, even though I definitely must take it eventually.

After talking to some department chairs, I could've actually taken precalculus this semester. However, my college doesn't let us take more than 16 credits for the first term so I guess I'm stuck with what I've got... since Gen Bio counts for 4.5. Don't know who to talk to about that, if any...

So, I have a new question. I definitely do want to have these requirements on time so I don't have to take a gap year (the fear of doing so caused me to mislabel myself as a nontrad ). Would it be wise to slash out some prereqs on the summer of 2017 to help catch up? I'll most assuredly be taking your recommended schedule, except with Bio 2 and maybe an extra course...but then there is still the issue of the second semester of a general chemistry lab that I would need...as well as calculus.