How many lab classes should I take?

[Tigerlily7]

So I have to sign up for my Freshman classes next week and was wondering how many lab classes I should take? I was considering taking Introductory Biology: Organismal Biology w/ lab, Principles of Chem 1 w/ lab, and Physics for Science majors w/ lab, along with Spanish 1 but I'm wondering if that's too many lab classes to juggle in one semester without killing my GPA.
I've taken classes at a community college full time (3 classes) for the last two years of high school (yay for dual credit!) and am currently taking microbiology with lab and general chem with lab with no problems, along with Sociology.
So what do you think about lab classes and how many do you recommend taking? I'll check with my adviser when I meet with her to see what she recommends but wanted to see what you all think so I can figure out my classes before then. Thanks!

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[Rainheart]

Personally, I only every took 2 labs at once. Labs tend to last long (ours were generally about 3 hours once a week) and for only 1 credit, it took a lot of work. But that was me.

 

[Tigerlily7]

Personally, I only every took 2 labs at once. Labs tend to last long (ours were generally about 3 hours once a week) and for only 1 credit, it took a lot of work. But that was me.

Yeah, I was looking at how I could schedule them in and saw how long they were on top of my other class and lectures, which is why I wanted to ask and see!

 

[EngrSC]

Yeah, I was looking at how I could schedule them in and saw how long they were on top of my other class and lectures, which is why I wanted to ask and see!

Labs eat time, that's for sure! When I was in UG and going to school full time I never took more than 2 labs per semester.

 

[LetItSnow]

Yeah, I was looking at how I could schedule them in and saw how long they were on top of my other class and lectures, which is why I wanted to ask and see!

I always felt like labs were an inordinate time sink (as compared to their credit value). You might spend just as much time in lab a week as you do lecture, have to spend hours writing up a lab report (if it's a demanding type of lab report) ... all for, what, 1/4th the credit of the lecture portion of the class? Grrrrr.

Anyway, rant aside, if I were in your shoes, I would divide my time up a bit more. I don't know your background, but since you're pre-vet ... I would take only two lab classes and I'd use the time left over for building experience for your application.

But, flip-side, if you can manage three lab classes, you can blast through the pre-reqs faster. Dunno. I still think I'd go a bit slower. 🙂

 

[puppyloomp]

I'm not sure exactly how your school schedules stuff but at least at my school that would be a ridiculous amount of labs to take and even for upper level science majors they recommend 2 a week just because otherwise you'll be in class for like 9 or so hours on the days you take labs which might not sound bad when you just think about it but it is. I know some people who've taken 3/4 labs in one semester and they were miserable. I'd recommend taking maybe 2 of them this semester and then doing others in the semesters where you'll have more non-lab classes

 

[Tigerlily7]

I always felt like labs were an inordinate time sink (as compared to their credit value). You might spend just as much time in lab a week as you do lecture, have to spend hours writing up a lab report (if it's a demanding type of lab report) ... all for, what, 1/4th the credit of the lecture portion of the class? Grrrrr.

Anyway, rant aside, if I were in your shoes, I would divide my time up a bit more. I don't know your background, but since you're pre-vet ... I would take only two lab classes and I'd use the time left over for building experience for your application.

But, flip-side, if you can manage three lab classes, you can blast through the pre-reqs faster. Dunno. I still think I'd go a bit slower. 🙂

Alright, i think I'll just take two labs for my first semester and see how it goes! Don't want to kill my GPA trying to give each lab its due amount!

 

[moosenanny]

If you are taking gen chem and lab in community college now, why are you planning on taking Chemistry 1 again? Wouldn't that be redundant?

 

[Tigerlily7]

If you are taking gen chem and lab in community college now, why are you planning on taking Chemistry 1 again? Wouldn't that be redundant?

The silly 4 year college doesn't want to count it because it is a quarter system here and a semester system there and there class covers more and is considered higher level than the one I will be transferring with. It's closer to their intro to chem then there other chem I guess. Still have to work with my adviser on more equivalency things between what I'm transferring and their classes. One bad thing about transferring community college classes to a 4-year.

 

[MarxistPreVet]

If you are taking gen chem and lab in community college now, why are you planning on taking Chemistry 1 again? Wouldn't that be redundant?

At the CC I transferred from, Gen Chem is an upper-level high school equivalent course. College Chem 1 is the college-level intro chem course.

There is a LOT of overlap between the two courses, but I had to take both.

 

[moosenanny]

At the CC I transferred from, Gen Chem is an upper-level high school equivalent course. College Chem 1 is the college-level intro chem course.

There is a LOT of overlap between the two courses, but I had to take both.

Gottcha 😉 Just wanted to make sure the OP wasn't taking an extra chemistry class. Because who would want to suffer through more chemistry than the bare minimum 😛

 

[that redhead]

My advice depends on your situation (although I think two labs per semester isn't a bad rule of thumb) - you say you're registering for freshman year classes but say you've already got CC credits. If this is your first semester of undergraduate at a four year university, it might be a good idea to take it easy on yourself during the transition period and take only one lab first semester. Especially if you're doing a traditional four year program/degree seeking and not just trying to get your pre-reqs done.

However if you've already got college experience under your belt, I think two labs is managable. I don't think three labs per semester is a good idea for anyone if you can help it.

 

[dvmdreamer]

However if you've already got college experience under your belt, I think two labs is managable. I don't think three labs per semester is a good idea for anyone if you can help it.

Haha I'm just the opposite from everyone else it seems- I'd rather take labs than lectures. Fall semester I took 8/18 credit hours in lab, and spring I took 6/18 credit hours. For my learning style, it works out to be less time studying AND I retain more when I do something hands on. I don't have to go back and study and rewrite notes like I do for lectures. I just put the time in to prep properly and do whatever write ups while its fresh in my mind, and the material is there for good. I got an A in every lab I ever took- including biochem and biotechnology labs. I took so many intentionally to BOOST my GPA. 😀

But I agree with others- in your first semester at a new school, its best to take it easy. Although I will say, I started at a community college as well and had better lab techniques when I transfered to a university than most who were at the university all along. I think it had something to do with community colleges using professors to instruct labs rather than relying on TAs like universities do.

I'm curious how you took microbiology before biology 1 though?

 

[that redhead]

I'm curious how you took microbiology before biology 1 though?

I never took an intro bio class at university and I took microbio 🙂

 

[Tigerlily7]

I'm curious how you took microbiology before biology 1 though?

I've taken Biology one at the community college. I've been doing a dual credit program for my last two years of high school now so I'll have my AA and all my general credits out of the way.

 

[Emiloo4]

I found chem and physics to be the biggest time sucks. So I'd personally take bio and chem. but that's JMO.