Hi, i am a rising freshman and just wanted to get an opinion on my schedule

[isthatcheese]

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here it is:

1. principles of physics 1 calc based--- TR: R stands for thursday
2. principles of physics 1 lab---- W
3. Calculus 1 --- MWF
4. Calculus recitation--- T
5. Introduction to engineering and computer programing--- TR
6. Introductory Cell and molecular biology lab R
7. Biology 1 ---MTWF
8. Biology 1 lab--- R
9. adv coll. rhetoric-- M

let me clarify somethings first: the physics class that i am taking is calc based and my school is one that has calc a pre-rec instead of a co-requisite. I got in by bothering the head of the department with constant badgering.

I went to boarding school and i actually took molecular and cell bio sophmore year after ap bio, and my college ended up taking it as dual credit, so i am taking the lab for non-credit. The bio and physics class both are 4 credits each and have corresponding labs.

All in all i am taking 18 credit hours. My worry is that i might not have proper prep for my physics class. I suck at math and was never really advanced in it. I had all As' through honors precalculus but i had to work my butt off. Plus i bought spivak's calculus 3rd addition and i had problems on the first chapter on: adding numbers. Seriously i could not add numbers, (i had to do proofs on how to add) and i never got passed that and stopped trying to teach myself. Does anyone have a recommendation on good supplementary materials for calculus; preferably a book that is not on proof based math, but application based mathematics.

And finally in your opinion how much work per-day will be required to get As'? assuming that i study everyday and keep up with the work. (how much time would you spend/day if you had the same schedule?)

 

[Dreaming big]

here it is:

1. principles of physics 1 calc based--- TR: R stands for thursday
2. principles of physics 1 lab---- W
3. Calculus 1 --- MWF
4. Calculus recitation--- T
5. Introduction to engineering and computer programing--- TR
6. Introductory Cell and molecular biology lab R
7. Biology 1 ---MTWF
8. Biology 1 lab--- R
9. adv coll. rhetoric-- M

let me clarify somethings first: the physics class that i am taking is calc based and my school is one that has calc a pre-rec instead of a co-requisite. I got in by bothering the head of the department with constant badgering.

I went to boarding school and i actually took molecular and cell bio sophmore year after ap bio, and my college ended up taking it as dual credit, so i am taking the lab for non-credit. The bio and physics class both are 4 credits each and have corresponding labs.

All in all i am taking 18 credit hours. My worry is that i might not have proper prep for my physics class. I suck at math and was never really advanced in it. I had all As' through honors precalculus but i had to work my butt off. Plus i bought spivak's calculus 3rd addition and i had problems on the first chapter on: adding numbers. Seriously i could not add numbers, (i had to do proofs on how to add) and i never got passed that and stopped trying to teach myself. Does anyone have a recommendation on good supplementary materials for calculus; preferably a book that is not on proof based math, but application based mathematics.

And finally in your opinion how much work per-day will be required to get As'? assuming that i study everyday and keep up with the work. (how much time would you spend/day if you had the same schedule?)

That is a tough schedule no doubt - but if you put in about 4 hours a day (at least for me, everyone is diff), you should maintain A's

 

[Neurofanatic]

Yea honestly it just depends on you and how much work you have to put into each class in order to keep that A. I you feel like you can have success with that schedule than by all means keep it!

 

[Mediocrates]

It seems a little heavy to me. Maybe throw in a fluff class instead somewhere. Most schools have a P.E. requirement so why not take care of that? It will lighten the load and ease your transition to college.

 

[apumic]

It looks a little lopsided on the science. Mix in some humanities req'ts. The courses you chose are likely to range from pretty easy (bio, physics) to moderately difficult, but you are taking 4 sciency courses and that can be difficult for some people.

 

[moxche]

Don't take calc-based physics unless you know calculus, you really don't want to be playing catch-up with the math the entire time...

 

[SOcash]

If you haven't had a formal class in calculus before this semester, I would stay away from calc-based physics.

 

[mitl]

Here's what I would do, a great gpa is extremely important

Calculus 1 --- MWF
Calculus recitation--- T
Introduction to engineering and computer programing--- TR
Introductory Cell and molecular biology lab R
Biology 1 ---MTWF
Biology 1 lab--- R
adv coll. rhetoric-- M
Add some fluff classes or find research/volunteer positions


I took a very similar course load my freshman semester with 21 credits but later regretted it because you will not have any time to work in a research lab or volunteer work..and these are important aspects of your application

One major blunder that I can see in the making is that your schedule would be fine BUT the two labs might eat up a lot of time both of these labs are going to be fairly easy but there will be lot of work involved lab reports stupid quizzes etc.

All in all i am taking 18 credit hours. My worry is that i might not have proper prep for my physics class. I suck at math and was never really advanced in it.

I took calc based physics but I had already taken AP classes in math and physics and have been really good at both subjects so I would discourage it however, it is possible to manage calc based physics without taking calc you just need to understand some topics in calc but this would require more time that you wont have with your schedule.

Good Luck 🙂

 

[isthatcheese]

in regards to my schedule being lopsided, will it make a substantial difference to hold my humanities' classes during my school's summer term? my school has a summer term that is 11 weeks which is basically a full semester so, i can devote that time to humanities classes' and load up on them. This summer i took Shakespeare, Intro to philosophy, biomedical ethics, and US government.

will doing this and loading up on science classes during fall/spring look bad to admission officers? i am a science guy and i loath the humanities period. They don't interest me and are, in my opinion, ridiculously easy or mediocre in difficulty.

plus i am a computer engineering major and i kind of have to do this anyway in order to graduate in 4 years because organic takes up a whole year and CE major requires nothing above principles of chem 1, and i also have to find time to take 2 semesters of biology, and sprinkle in 1 more bio class in there.

 

[AllDay24]

You're an incoming freshman, not a rising freshman. nbd though.

 

[TTigers70]

That schedule seems a bit rough for your first semester at a brand new school. Even if you have have visited a lot in the past, school is a whole new ballgame when you are actually living it. I would lighten up to explore what the campus has to offer. Make sure to check out the involvement fair if their is one at your school.

I also agree that you should take calc before a calc based physics class.

 

[MiCasaMD]

Wow! I feel so fortunate to be in the company of a "rising" freshman. Soon you will be a "rising" physician. 😉

 

[edmadison]

I am constantly amazed by the new freshman that post here about their schedules. Your number one goal is to get As. This is a new game, don't be a hero. Take 14 credits your first semester and see what you can do. Then ramp it up.

OP: So much more bad things than good can come of a hard schedule. Best case scenario, you nail 18 credits of A, but at what cost? Missing out on all the other things that you can do in college other than study. Don't risk getting a 2.0 or even a 3.0, it will take you several semesters to catch up.

Ed

 

[TarHeelEMT]

here it is:

1. principles of physics 1 calc based--- TR: R stands for thursday
2. principles of physics 1 lab---- W
3. Calculus 1 --- MWF
4. Calculus recitation--- T
5. Introduction to engineering and computer programing--- TR
6. Introductory Cell and molecular biology lab R
7. Biology 1 ---MTWF
8. Biology 1 lab--- R
9. adv coll. rhetoric-- M

let me clarify somethings first: the physics class that i am taking is calc based and my school is one that has calc a pre-rec instead of a co-requisite. I got in by bothering the head of the department with constant badgering.

I went to boarding school and i actually took molecular and cell bio sophmore year after ap bio, and my college ended up taking it as dual credit, so i am taking the lab for non-credit. The bio and physics class both are 4 credits each and have corresponding labs.

All in all i am taking 18 credit hours. My worry is that i might not have proper prep for my physics class. I suck at math and was never really advanced in it. I had all As' through honors precalculus but i had to work my butt off. Plus i bought spivak's calculus 3rd addition and i had problems on the first chapter on: adding numbers. Seriously i could not add numbers, (i had to do proofs on how to add) and i never got passed that and stopped trying to teach myself. Does anyone have a recommendation on good supplementary materials for calculus; preferably a book that is not on proof based math, but application based mathematics.

And finally in your opinion how much work per-day will be required to get As'? assuming that i study everyday and keep up with the work. (how much time would you spend/day if you had the same schedule?)

All that for a first semester freshman? Take the minimum number of hours, fill it with fluff and maybe one "real" class, and enjoy your first semester of college. You don't want to be busting yourself academically during your first semester of college life. If you do, you won't be at your best either academically or socially. Defer the hard stuff until spring.

 

[Fort]

I would drop at least one of those. Lab courses are usually whole classes themselves and require a significant amount of time.

If you have your schedule all planned out on paper(class, work, study, sleep), you can forget it. I can almost guarantee you won't follow a well defined schedule with those classes. Some assignments might take only an hour, some might take 5 or more, you never know.

You're a freshman, drop a couple of those courses and party hardy imo!