Is your Physiology class hard?

[dentalmagnet]

I am taking Physiology and it is pretty hard. I don't have a problem with it and I have taken other hard courses. I was just wondering if this is a notoriously hard course? I always knew it covered a lot of material, but I never thought of this as a hard class.

How was your Physiology class? Any tips for understanding the material. Thanks.

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[Philippines03j]

Definatly one of the harder classes. Many report that they got a B or B- but when they went to dental/medical school they got an A. The tests if I remember correctly took about 3-4 hours. For me the challenge is what made it a fun course. Plus I probably learned more in than class than any of my other classes. As for a tip: Just enjoy the material!

 

[FutureDent020]

Yes, physiology and nuero are typically two of the hardest biology classes. It's a lot of memorizing, yet a lot of abstract thinking as well. If the course is taught properly your success won't be based on how well you memorize, but how hard you study and your overall understanding. Read before class so instead of trying to absorb lectures and catch up, you can really work on understanding the lectures. If you go in blind before class, you will be too busy trying to take notes to understand it. You will be playing catch up for the rest of the semester.

 

[wantVCUdental]

All courses can be easy or hard, just depend on the grading curve and the people you take it with. Since physio is a premed class, i would imagine most of the students are real keen. So, my advice is to study a lot, read/copy the notes over and over again.
good luck

 

[bhind]

The general physio classes are moderate in difficulty. I remember my class had a lab + lecture that was 4 units. The lab was almost more work than studying for the lectures. Depending on your department the difficulty with vary from school to school. Upper division physiology classes can get difficult but they are all concept based. I really enjoyed being a physiology major and learned a lot about integrating concepts from previous bio,chem,ochem classes into my specific upper division physio classes. These classes require you to have a genuine interest in the topic material or else it just seems 😴

 

[enfuego]

My physio class was awesome. It was definitely challenging because of the large amounts of material, but the fact that it was so interesting made it much more bearable. I ended up doing pretty well. It's probably the best class I took in undergrad (although the lab was really tedious). I lucked out with a great professor too - that makes a HUGE difference for any class, IMO.

It really depends on the professor/university and the grading system, though. And all of us, based on our different academic experiences, have a different idea of what's hard and what's easy.

If you don't find physio interesting, you have to somehow force yourself to develop an interest otherwise you're going to find it hard to absorb all the information.

 

[Kneecoal]

hah, i think enfuego and i had the same prof. he was AWESOME. he definitely made it challenging, and started the first day of class saying the average grade for his class was a C+/B-. that scared the pants off of me and made me work hard enough to get an A-. i don't know how your prof runs the class, but i found taking a recorder to lecture useful, to go over the details after lecture and while i was studying. and pay attention to the textbook!

 

[slm266]

Just took my advanced physiology exam yesterday and got a B- :-/
You really have to know how to apply every bit of info you learn, know the ins and outs of every mechanism. All questions had choices A, B, C, A&B, A&C, B&C, ABC, None of the above. You couldn't just know the right answer, but be sure that every other answer was wrong and why. As you study, aim for total comprehension instead of simple recognition of the right answer.

Look for outside sources if you are having a hard time visualizing what is going on. There's always great videos on youtube.

 

[Ryltar]

For me Anatomy and Physiology I/II weren't hard, but Comparative Animal Physiology was hard and Human Physiology was somewhat hard.

 

[FutureDent020]

Do you mean comparative vertebrate/ animal morphology or physiology?

 

[tncekm]

hah, i think enfuego and i had the same prof. he was AWESOME. he definitely made it challenging, and started the first day of class saying the average grade for his class was a C+/B-. that scared the pants off of me and made me work hard enough to get an A-.

I don't understand how people can be concerned about a class averaging C+/B-. That's high! If almost everyone is getting a low B, it should be easy for someone to get an A- or higher.

 

[tncekm]

All questions had choices A, B, C, A&B, A&C, B&C, ABC, None of the above.

You'll see that in dental/medical school, and you'll have a whole lot less time to study. lol

 

[Ryltar]

Do you mean comparative vertebrate/ animal morphology or physiology?

Physiology.

 

[Kneecoal]

I don't understand how people can be concerned about a class averaging C+/B-. That's high! If almost everyone is getting a low B, it should be easy for someone to get an A- or higher.

pshh, what are you doing in here anyway, med student? get outta heaaa 😎

 

[hunterpostbacst]

my school offers a&p course for nursing and it's not bad. Yes, of course, I have to memorize all bones and muscles.....but especially on physio,,,it just covers a bit more than gen. bio..

 

[Tommy43087]

I don't understand how people can be concerned about a class averaging C+/B-. That's high!

He/she is right though....my class averages are MUCH lower

If that scared you, what are your other class averages???? I am jealous

 

[tncekm]

He/she is right though....my class averages are MUCH lower

If that scared you, what are your other class averages???? I am jealous

I remember my ochem class having an average in the 50s, so 50% was the C- level. Half the class still failed. lol

As an aside, don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of gimme courses. But, it can't be expected in every class, especially challenging ones.

 

[FutureDent020]

I remember my ochem class having an average in the 50s, so 50% was the C- level. Half the class still failed. lol

As an aside, don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of gimme courses. But, it can't be expected in every class, especially challenging ones.

These class averages are alarming. Most people who take physiology, organic, and other higher level sciences are supposed to be brighter minds and people who want to practice medicine, dentistry, etc. Are these averages from large state schools and just a result of weeding kids out???

 

[tncekm]

These class averages are alarming. Most people who take physiology, organic, and other higher level sciences are supposed to be brighter minds and people who want to practice medicine, dentistry, etc. Are these averages from large state schools and just a result of weeding kids out???

My ochem class was pretty hardcore. In fact, there were very few A's given.

As for the classes with super high averages, I have no idea what the deal is. If you're going to a top-tier school where everyone is smart, then I guess I can see the averages being higher. There is no need to put every class on a curve because clearly that would put people at more competitive institutions at a disadvantage. But, for the vast majority of schools where there is a pretty normal distribution of students, in temrs of drive, intellect, etc, there is no reason to expect the challenging classes have a high class average. That's just ridiculous.

 

[dentista123]

My ochem class was pretty hardcore. In fact, there were very few A's given.

As for the classes with super high averages, I have no idea what the deal is. If you're going to a top-tier school where everyone is smart, then I guess I can see the averages being higher. There is no need to put every class on a curve because clearly that would put people at more competitive institutions at a disadvantage. But, for the vast majority of schools where there is a pretty normal distribution of students, in temrs of drive, intellect, etc, there is no reason to expect the challenging classes have a high class average. That's just ridiculous.

I agree. It's mainly in the drive of the students. We are all pretty much equally as smart. If you or I were a genius...I think we would know it by now. The difference is in the determination. A lot of kids that end up at top tier schools have had a determination from a young age, it's natural by the time they get to college to keep going. With the exception of Harvarrrrd..I think that across the country we have students of similar intelligence. Maybe Harvard too, I'm not sure.

 

[dentista123]

Biology averages at my school are 60s-70s. In a bio class, I normally get around 5% back on my exam. That's the most though. In chem classes, the curve is enormous and often times the averages are anywhere from 30-60..with 60 being high. A lot of times, people don't break 90

 

[FutureDent020]

My ochem class was pretty hardcore. In fact, there were very few A's given.

As for the classes with super high averages, I have no idea what the deal is. If you're going to a top-tier school where everyone is smart, then I guess I can see the averages being higher. There is no need to put every class on a curve because clearly that would put people at more competitive institutions at a disadvantage. But, for the vast majority of schools where there is a pretty normal distribution of students, in temrs of drive, intellect, etc, there is no reason to expect the challenging classes have a high class average. That's just ridiculous.

I agree. I think a B- or C+ (78-82) is a reasonable class average for the tougher classes. I was thrown off by someone saying an average of 50, but I think they meant a single person. I still think C- (70-73) is a little low. Just my optimistic opinion. I also went to a smaller school, and the majority of my science classes were filled we pre-med students. So I may have a skewed outlook

 

[Kneecoal]

haha you guys thinking those averages are alarming/scary... my school was really big on weeding out kids, averages in ochem were usually in the 50s... they changed the cell bio course after i took it and made it open book - do you think the averages went up? instead, the average for exams went down into the 30s! granted my school is known for professors putting a downward curve in a lot of courses. but i wouldn't suspect the students with lower grades of having less drive... exams can be really tough!

 

[FutureDent020]

haha you guys thinking those averages are alarming/scary... my school was really big on weeding out kids, averages in ochem were usually in the 50s... they changed the cell bio course after i took it and made it open book - do you think the averages went up? instead, the average for exams went down into the 30s! granted my school is known for professors putting a downward curve in a lot of courses. but i wouldn't suspect the students with lower grades of having less drive... exams can be really tough!

It makes sense in terms of weeding out. And yea, I have seen examples of take homes exams really hurting averages.

 

[enfuego]

I don't understand how people can be concerned about a class averaging C+/B-. That's high! If almost everyone is getting a low B, it should be easy for someone to get an A- or higher.

The grading scale is adjusted (not curved). The average in that class is usually around a 70, so the professor set that as the C+/B- cutoff. The cutoff for B+/A- was an 88. People getting A-'s were doing ~18 points higher than average.

When I took the class, the average on our first test was an 81. The prof said it was the highest average he had on any test in the 20 years he'd been teaching that class. 81 is the highest test average I've ever seen in any science class. Even the class's normal average of 70 is high.

He/she is right though....my class averages are MUCH lower
If that scared you, what are your other class averages???? I am jealous

These class averages are alarming. Most people who take physiology, organic, and other higher level sciences are supposed to be brighter minds and people who want to practice medicine, dentistry, etc. Are these averages from large state schools and just a result of weeding kids out???

Most of the pre-med classes at my school are graded on a curve. The professors purposefully design the tests so that the averages are very low. (Ex: my orgo prof aimed for a 65, genchem aims for a 50, etc) I think they do it because they want a roughly normal distribution of scores. The raw scores are curved up, usually to a 75. Then letter grades are assigned based on the curved scores. Majority of the class gets C, C+, B-, B grades. What sucks is that your grade depends 100% on how you do relative to your classmates. The grades don't indicate how much you know - they only indicate if you know more or less than the kids who were in your class.

they changed the cell bio course after i took it and made it open book - do you think the averages went up? instead, the average for exams went down into the 30s!

UGH that was my class! It was a disaster. From what I hear, they never again did open-book tests after that semester.

 

[FutureDent020]

I know schools like Duke and Ivy's do that. Definitely puts some students at a disadvantage and raises student competition. Not a huge fan of the system

 

[tncekm]

I agree. I think a B- or C+ (78-82) is a reasonable class average for the tougher classes. I was thrown off by someone saying an average of 50, but I think they meant a single person. I still think C- (70-73) is a little low. Just my optimistic opinion. I also went to a smaller school, and the majority of my science classes were filled we pre-med students. So I may have a skewed outlook

Oh, that was me about the 50 thing.

The class average in my Ochem class was about 55% or something. The C range was set at 50% (not curved; set in stone from the beginning) and half the class still failed the first semester.

 

[FutureDent020]

Oh, that was me about the 50 thing.

The class average in my Ochem class was about 55% or something. The C range was set at 50% (not curved; set in stone from the beginning) and half the class still failed the first semester.

That's crazy. But I guess weeding out is necessary. Otherwise dreams will be smashed several years later by the MCAT, DAT, or other tests.

Wanted to edit this... I KNOW weeding out is necessary.

 

[Ryltar]

haha you guys thinking those averages are alarming/scary... my school was really big on weeding out kids, averages in ochem were usually in the 50s... they changed the cell bio course after i took it and made it open book - do you think the averages went up? instead, the average for exams went down into the 30s! granted my school is known for professors putting a downward curve in a lot of courses. but i wouldn't suspect the students with lower grades of having less drive... exams can be really tough!

Haha, mine was huge on weeding the stupid kids out of medicine. My o chem I and II averaged a 90% withdrawal rate. II was 95% withdrawal. In o chem II, that was the proudest I've ever been of a B+, the highest grade in a final class of five!

 

[AASDDS1]

i am just starting my science pre-reqs and need to take a class during the winter intercession. i am thinking about taking physiology because
a) it's the only science course offered during that time
b) no pre reqs are required (bio I or II) although they are recommended.

the winter intercession is about 2.5 wks. so my question is, how hard will it be to take physiology, given that it's crammed into such a short time span and that i dont have any bio background?

 

[tncekm]

That's crazy. But I guess weeding out is necessary. Otherwise dreams will be smashed several years later by the MCAT, DAT, or other tests.

Wanted to edit this... I KNOW weeding out is necessary.

Yeah... it was super funny (and somewhat sad) b/c that professor would staple pre-filled drop slips to the tests of people who failed the first (and second) tests with a little note telling them it's in their best interest. hahaha