How much of my life will I have to sacrifice when taking chem & physics @ same

[alexfoleyc]

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How much of my life will I have to sacrifice when taking chem & physics along with the labs @ the same time? See, for my 3rd semester of college I HAVE to take these two at the same time, or else I will be left behind. I have 17 credits for which is a spanish class, psych class, a 300 level stats class required for my major, and these two science classes. How bad am I screwed? Do you think I should drop one class so it is 14 credits? But that will mean that I will have to take more credits in my junior yr while taking o-chem and studying for the MCAT (which I heard is a mess).

 

[funkymunkytoes]

I took orgo + orgo lab, physics + physics lab, cell bio + cell bio lab, volunteered, and did research in the same semester. It wasn't the best semester of my college career, but I still had time for fun.

 

[vickpick]

thats not bad at all...
psych and span are easy..
chem - if organic... u can still pull an A if u study - I decided not to study and still got a B.
physics - easy A since it seems like ur a math major.. but u need to nail the concepts to get that A- not as hard as it seems actually

 

[witness23]

not much. you may find it a little bit challenging if your previous work load or the work load of your peers do not compare. sometimes challenges bring out the best in everyone in other activities. like drinking

 

[Jli]

I took orgo + orgo lab, physics + physics lab, cell bio + cell bio lab, volunteered, and did research in the same semester. It wasn't the best semester of my college career, but I still had time for fun.

😱 omg man, thats really crazy, you deserve a 👍. how was your grade if you dont mind me asking? =x

 

[cpants]

It will be a good test for you. First semester of med school will be a bigger time commitment than that.

 

[Slow]

lalala

 

[acegsm]

It also depends on the level of the Spanish course. SPA 101 & 102 are CAKE classes. 201 & 202 were doable, but 303 might have been harder than my biology and chemistry classes combined. I guess it just depends on the school/course level.

 

[DrJonesss]

I've had 17-18 credits every semester since I've been at uni. The worst was probably having organic and microbio (with labs) at the same time, along with some psych/humanities on the side. It's a great test, and a great way to figure out how you study. Nothing like memorizing every word on 100+ pages of slides, plus diagrams...oh micro, i don't miss you. But now I have the confidence that when med school coursework starts to pile on, I can handle it.

Honestly, it's very doable. Physics isn't really that bad, either. And I always have time for a life, going out at least 2-3 times per week, plus people are always stopping by to chill at our place. It's all about balance.

Pile it on now, make it easier for yourself when you'll be studying for MCATs or applying, because school will be the last thing on your mind.

 

[JJMrK]

Golden rule of SDN:

OP: Posts a class schedule
1st response: You can do that, it's easy.
2nd: That's nothing; one time I took all those classes plus 3 more while saving dead African babies on the weekends.
3rd: OP, if you can't handle that load you don't deserve to go to medical school.

and so on.

 

[nick_carraway]

Golden rule of SDN:

OP: Posts a class schedule
1st response: You can do that, it's easy.
2nd: That's nothing; one time I took all those classes plus 3 more while saving dead African babies on the weekends.
3rd: OP, if you can't handle that load you don't deserve to go to medical school.

and so on.

At least we're consistent.

But, anyway. The answer to the OP's question is ALL OF IT.

Carry on.

 

[byurazorhog]

The point is to get good grades for those all important science pre-reqs. If you've not been used to that work load and so end up bombing in chem and phys. then take fewer classes. Don't listen to other people who might have a different learning style. The first goal is to get in med school, worry about the work load in med school later. If taking all those courses now would still net you A's and even more time later on to study for the MCAT then by all means do it.

My suggestion would be to sit in all of them the first 2 weeks or so to have a feel of how you'll be able to handle it. Sometimes, it's our self-defeating psychology that messes with us as opposed to the actual workload itself. I suppose you could always drop one of these classes (early enough to not get a W on your transcript!) later.

 

[dmexs]

I would say start off, with that semester work your schedule out. Most schools have drop without penalty deadlines right? Get all the syllabus, find your major study breaks between classes.

I'm about finishing off a nasty semester right now and I wish you the best. 🙂 As for having time for fun, there will still be time for fun, but there will also be times when you'll just have to say no and buckle down.

EDIT: So I guess I second what byurazorhog suggests.

 

[doc1354]

the most important factor to consider here is how intelligent you are. it is impossible for anyone here to provide a meaningful answer since all of us would have to study different amounts due to our own strengths and weaknesses. the courses also vary from school to school and instructor to instructor. in my opinion, the best way to get an answer would be to ask people at your school about the courses and then think about yourself and how your abilities to handle them.

this post also suggests a large amount of neuroticism on your part. maybe you should spread the work out but if you can't, worrying about it will not get you anywhere. get off this forum until you are ready to apply, enjoy college and just do your best. avoid the pre-med craze at all costs.

rant done.

 

[doc1354]

the most important factor to consider here is how intelligent you are. it is impossible for anyone here to provide a meaningful answer since all of us would have to study different amounts due to our own strengths and weaknesses. the courses also vary from school to school and instructor to instructor. in my opinion, the best way to get an answer would be to ask people at your school about the courses and then think about yourself and how your abilities to handle them.

this post also suggests a large amount of neuroticism on your part. maybe you should spread the work out but if you can't, worrying about it will not get you anywhere. get off this forum until you are ready to apply, enjoy college and just do your best. avoid the pre-med craze at all costs.

rant done.

 

[Slowpoke]

Golden rule of SDN:

OP: Posts a class schedule
1st response: You can do that, it's easy.
2nd: That's nothing; one time I took all those classes plus 3 more while saving dead African babies on the weekends.
3rd: OP, if you can't handle that load you don't deserve to go to medical school.

and so on.

🙂

 

[WaterBird]

the courses also vary from school to school and instructor to instructor. in my opinion, the best way to get an answer would be to ask people at your school about the courses and then think about yourself and how your abilities to handle them.

I agree with this. A lot of the comments on this thread, and others, to the tune of "X class is easy, Y class is hard" I read and think "not at my school...the opposite is true!"

1) Sounds like you don't have much of a choice, so why bother posting? You'll survive and the extent to which your social life suffers will depend on the instructor, your work ethic, your school, etc
2) Talk to people at your school about these classes. The advice of random internet strangers at different universities is useless on this kind of specific question. Even "300 level" which people throw around means different things at different schools (and even in different depts within the same school sometimes).

 

[littlealex]

If you actually study hard on your free time, it's not that bad at all. It's pretty much what a typical engineering student's course load looks like anyway. Just know that it's a challenge and work hard to meet it. You'll have plenty of time to relax and hang out. It's probably less than 20-30 hours a week of studying.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

😱 omg man, thats really crazy, you deserve a 👍. how was your grade if you dont mind me asking? =x

Is thatyour sister in your avatar??