Introductory level classes in college

[BeastfromthEast]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hey so will i have to take introductory classes to all the main premed sciences (physics, chem, biology) in college (even though im taking physics in my final semester of high school)? is there any downside to taking those easy classes even if i might be able to skip the intro level class? will it look bad if i take all intro level classes in the beginnning instead of skipping to harder classes? does the rigor of my schedule matter a lot to the med school?

 

[TexasMDtobe]

I would go ahead and take the intro classes in college. Worse comes to worse, you'll be a little bored and start your undergrad career with a 4.0 BCPM. You'll have plenty of time over the next 4 years to take impressive upper level classes and so long as you're taking a full load of courses, rigor won't be an issue. Start with a solid foundation in the basic sciences and scaffold your way up.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

no, waste of time, no, yes.

longer, you don't need to take them and unless you haven't the slightest idea what biology is, they will be an incredible waste of time. either your major will require the non-introductory class, or you will have to take them for prereqs, so taking them does absolutely nothing for you. it won't look bad but it definitely won't help. and rigor definitely matters. if you are taking 12 credits a semester and are pulling a 3.7, how is a medical school going to think you can handle 25 credits a semester and get good grades? it def matters.

 

[BeastfromthEast]

ok, so exactly how easy are intro-level courses?

 

[WhizoMD]

what do you mean by "intro level"? Do you mean intro/survey of chem/physics....or Gen. Chem/Gen Physics? If it's the latter, you should definitely take them (some med schools don't take A.P. credit for pre-reqs), and I wouldn't underestimate them because they tend to be weed out courses at most schools, and will probably be a lot more detailed than your a.p. course. If you meant intro/survey courses I'd recommend you skip them if at all possible, because they'll be a complete waste of time and money. I don't think any schools require science majors to take the non-major intro courses, and even if you aren't a science major, you should be able to take the regular pre-req courses to fulfill the science requirement.

 

[BeastfromthEast]

ok, so whats the difference between intro/survey chem/bio and general bio/chem?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

ok, so exactly how easy are intro-level courses?

Not very lol. Realistically all the pre-medical pre-requisites are lower level/ intro level courses. Chem 1, 2 and bio 1, 2 and physics 1, 2 are all intro level and majorly hard.

Yes you'll need to take all of those classes. Unless that physics class is a Ap class and you score 4 or higher and the medical schools you want to get into allow Ap credit.

But more or less introductory level courses can be considered somewhat harder then upper level courses.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

ok, so whats the difference between intro/survey chem/bio and general bio/chem?

Depends on your college. At my school intro chem is ch100, which is a course for people who have no chem experience. Ch101 is principles of chem 1 and that is the actual pre-requisite for medical school.
Check with your counselor.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

In all reality, I took Ap biology in high school. Then I took biology 1 in college. While Ap biology made bio a lot easier, it was not by any means easier. It required a decent amount of studying to get a A.
DO NOT GO INTO THE CLASS THINKING THIS IS ALL REVIEW AND I'LL GET A GOOD GRADE HALF-ASSING IT! Or else you will be setting yourself for a major disaster.