Is my load too big ?

Started by hornblower
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It looks challenging but reasonable to me. If you are worried, you could replace organic with something easier and take it when you don't have as many time consuming courses (public speaking involves a lot of writing, H & P usually involves a lab which takes a lot of preparation, and Calculus depends on how you handle math).
 
I had the same schedule, except replace calculus with phy II and org I with org II. It was my hardest semester in college, but it was worth getting it done.
 
Depends on the person. It seems like you might enjoy science and math so I say go for it. Besides, it's only 4 topics really, and Public Speaking is sort of enjoyable if you aren't too shy, so really it's the 2 sciences and the math you will mainly focus on.

I LOVED Calculus and Orgo I surprisingly. A&P is okay, mostly boring for me only because I took it after getting my bachelor's in biology already. I still have to take A&P 2 though.

That sounds like a good mix though, one chemistry, one biology, one math, and speaking which is a prereq. for a lot of pharm schools.
 
Stay on top of things, make sure you have study buddies in each class, even if it's just someone to run through flashcards with. For semesters like those I used color-coded study schedules...pretty much meant I was doing work for each class every weekday. This may be the "academically challenging" situation you'll later refer to in interviews!
 
this was my semester earlier this spring, minus the speech.. but speech is that not challenging of a class. So I can tell you it is def doable!! It was challenging, but fun. I would say of all the classes I spent most of the time on Organic, and almost none with Calculus, but the math seemed to be way easier than Organic. Good Luck!
 
hornblower said:
Calculus I
A & P II
Organic I
Public Speaking
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I think if you have to ask the answer is always yes. You know yourself better than we do. What do you think? Everything you've heard about these courses is true. A&P II should be no surprise because you took A&P I. Calc is easy if you're good at math, crazy hard if you aren't. Orgo is different from other chemistry courses because it involves some critical thinking rather than memorization and pattern recognition. If Public Speaking is worrying you (because of how hard it is, not because you don't like speaking in public), you need to choose a less challenging career.
 
My concern is that I'll blow my load and make a mess of my transcript shortly before applying to pharmacy school. To be honest, Organic scares me. I have no idea if my skill set is adequate, having never been down that road. Calc and AP II seem to just be a continuation of the old.

The last time I took 15 credits, two semesters ago, this was the outcome:

AP I, B
BIO II, A
PreCalc, A
Eng Comp II, A

And no, I do not work.
 
fenderbiz said:
Make sure you party occasionally, though. You don't want your load to build up.
Click to expand...

Lol...okay enough of that. Anyways, like others have said you know yourself best and what you can/ cannot handle. Me personally, I know I wouldn't be able to do it because I have to work full time to pay my tuition. Just stay on top of everything and MANAGE your time well. Good luck!!
 
hornblower said:
My concern is that I'll blow my load and make a mess of my transcript shortly before applying to pharmacy school. To be honest, Organic scares me. I have no idea if my skill set is adequate, having never been down that road. Calc and AP II seem to just be a continuation of the old.

The last time I took 15 credits, two semesters ago, this was the outcome:

AP I, B
BIO II, A
PreCalc, A
Eng Comp II, A

And no, I do not work.
Click to expand...

This is a standard "load" for any student in the UC system, except they do it in a quarter, not semester. If you blow your load you're gunna make a lot of ppl sad.
 
The average UC students completes a BA in two years ? 😱

I am assuming a quarter is 1/2 a semester time wise.
 
no.....i wish that just one semester i could have had a courseload like that in undergrad
 
ffpickle said:
no.....i wish that just one semester i could have had a courseload like that in undergrad
Click to expand...

Thats what I am thinking...I usually take btw 16 to 18 hours per semester in undergrad and the OP listed a 12 hour schedule which is too light. It should at least be a 15 hour schedule so you can graduate in 4 years.
 
pr33st said:
At my school, those 4 courses would add up to 15 hours. 4 each for Calc, A&P, and O-Chem, then the 3 for Public Speaking.
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My undergrad has 3 hours for Calc, A&P, OChem and Public Speaking. which equals 12 hours total. However there are labs for A&P and OChem for 1 hour each. The OP didn't mention the lab for those classes so I didn't know he was taking them...Quantitive Analysis was the ONLY class that was 4 hours at my college, but thats taking the lab as well.
 
The labs are usually co-requisites, but maybe not everywhere. The 4 credits includes the lab. Calc is 4 at my school also, as well as Physics (without the lab). What boggles my mind is that organic lab is only 1 credit.
 
At my school AP, Calc and Organic are four credit courses, including lab as co-requisite. So in total, my load is 15 credits large.

I still don't understand what the previous poster meant by UC schools taking 15 credits within a "quarter".

Does that mean you take 30 credits per "semester"? 😱

I'm going by the assumption that 1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2 , and that two halves equal an academic year.
 
Nope, it isnt.
Time management is the key. If you slack off and take it way too lightly then you're putting yourself in trouble, otherwise it's doable. 🙂
 
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