How hard does the prereqs actually get?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

mascue

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2019
Messages
55
Reaction score
11
I'm a freshman in MCB (my school divides biology into MCB and IB), an introductory chem class, statistics, and an English composition class. How hard do prereq classes actually get? I'm hoping to achieve anywhere around 3.7 cumulative with my prereq courses.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Might be best to ask upperclassmen in your university's predent or premed clubs than a bunch of random strangers on the internet who likely do not go to your school... It's honestly really hard to say. Every school is so different in the way they teach and grade courses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
It really depends on the school. A lot of schools grade on a curve so it really depends on the caliber of the program as well. Additionally, a lot of grade inflation and deflation happening at places so it is really almost completely dependent on your school.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
As hard or as easy as your professor
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
At my university, it is a comparable level of difficulty from class to class. The material gets harder, but if you take the class in succession. You should be fine. Also depends on if the classes are curved. If they are, generally, you just need to be above the average to get a B, and that is basically how I have lived my life ever since. "Am I smarter than the people sitting next to me?" That is the question I live by still in my undergraduate career. But if it isn't curved then it probably depends on the professor not such much your classmates.
 
It sounds like you’re a Berkeley student, and if that’s the case then I would say the lower division classes were more challenging, but it usually gets better once you start taking upper division classes. However there were some difficult upper division classes (e.g MCB 102), but it really depends on your major.
 
Constantly comparing yourself to others and not living on your own path is depressing
That just called competitive spirit. All the great have it. Didn't you hear what Lebron said? “My motivation,” James says, “is this ghost I’m chasing. The ghost played in Chicago.”
 
That just called competitive spirit. All the great have it. Didn't you hear what Lebron said? “My motivation,” James says, “is this ghost I’m chasing. The ghost played in Chicago.”

That's the key to becoming a gunner in dental school
 
It's near impossible to answer this question well. There is extreme variation among schools, and even among different professors teaching different sections of the same course.

My opinion on pre-reqs...
O-Chem generally requires the most studying time but is not overly complex if you put in the work. Gen Chem and physics require solid algebra skills and a little memorization. The bios are pure memorization. I found my success directly correlated to my hours of studying and algebra skillz, not my IQ.
 
Top