Life changing decision?

[currentlypremed]

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Im a premed student and my first year was terrible. Although I was able to finish with a 3.3 science gpa, my cumulative gpa is lower (3.11) because I got screwed over with a hard fine art's class. I already took 2 semesters of Chemistry and 2 semesters of Bio however I withdrew from Calc I during my first semester because I had a hard time adjusting to college. I won this scholarship from my school for black students which lets me take a free summer course at my school. I am currently taking Calc I and my professor is such a great teacher and I already know I will get an A in the class. Since my school requires Calc I & Cal II, I wanted to take his Calc II class over the summer and possible get another A because his class is soo easy however i'm having a hard time making my decision.

The advantages to taking Calc II is
>I will more than likely get another A in my report card and increase my science gpa to a 3.5
>I will finish my math requirements
>My cumulative gpa will increase

The disadvantages are
>My parents cannot afford it because they are already struggling to pay my tuition and I will more than likely have to take out a 2,000 dollar loan

Do you think its worth it to take out a loan just to get an A? If I dont take it in the summer, I will have to take it next summer because of my schedule and by then, I might be not remember anything. Your advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[TheShaker]

Im a premed student and my first year was terrible. Although I was able to finish with a 3.3 science gpa, my cumulative gpa is lower (3.11) because I got screwed over with a hard fine art's class. I already took 2 semesters of Chemistry and 2 semesters of Bio however I withdrew from Calc I during my first semester because I had a hard time adjusting to college. I won this scholarship from my school for black students which lets me take a free summer course at my school. I am currently taking Calc I and my professor is such a great teacher and I already know I will get an A in the class. Since my school requires Calc I & Cal II, I wanted to take his Calc II class over the summer and possible get another A because his class is soo easy however i'm having a hard time making my decision.

The advantages to taking Calc II is
>I will more than likely get another A in my report card and increase my science gpa to a 3.5
>I will finish my math requirements
>My cumulative gpa will increase

The disadvantages are
>My parents cannot afford it because they are already struggling to pay my tuition and I will more than likely have to take out a 2,000 dollar loan

Do you think its worth it to take out a loan just to get an A? If I dont take it in the summer, I will have to take it next summer because of my schedule and by then, I might be not remember anything. Your advice is greatly appreciated!

You're going to have to take out much more than a 2k loan once you get to medical school. This is kind of a drop in the bucket. Why not take it during the semester if it's too expensive? If you're taking it in the summer solely to get an A then that's a foolish decision because, well, you're paying 2k for an A in a lower division class. Come on now. You'll have to deal with difficult classes at some point, are you going to try and pull the same thing when you get to classes like organic chemistry or biochemistry? Just bite the bullet early and work really hard if you find the material difficult.

Don't underestimate Calc II though. I have taken a look at it and some of my engineering buddies tell me it's a beast compared to Calc I.

 

[currentlypremed]

I cant take it during the year because im taking Orgo class and a year long anatomy class. I feel that adding calculus II to that wouldn't be a great idea.

 

[NYCMS2]

I cant take it during the year because im taking Orgo class and a year long anatomy class. I feel that adding calculus II to that wouldn't be a great idea.

Why are you taking a year long anatomy class? Is it a req for your major? If yes, get another major. If you are taking anatomy to "help" prepare for med school anatomy, it is a waste of time and money.

 

[keyinhand]

If you feel you could definitely get an A with this professor then I would definitely take Calc II from him. Taking out $2000 loan for an A is a no brainer.

 

[BHaus9]

Are you on scholarship for the academic year, or do you go to a school where you pay per term and not per credit? If neither of these is the case, how exactly is there any added expense if you take Calc II this summer rather than later on? As you yourself said, you'll be required to take it eventually.

If it really will cost you $2000 extra, I don't think it's worth it. Taking Calc II in the summer does not guarantee an A, and taking Calc II during the fall/spring does not preclude an A. Even if an A were guaranteed, that price is a little steep.

 

[bassvp]

transfer to a school that doesn't require Calc II.

 

[currentlypremed]

I am currently on a scholarship at Boston College but my financial aid was reduced this year. Its possible for me to take calculus during the year but I have a really tight schedule and taking calc II would be a pain in the ass. I really believe I can get an A because unlike Calculus teachers that teach during the year, he allows us to use a cheat sheet, calculator and has really basic exams. I have gotten 100's on his first two exams for Calc I.

 

[kpcrew]

I am currently on a scholarship at Boston College but my financial aid was reduced this year. Its possible for me to take calculus during the year but I have a really tight schedule and taking calc II would be a pain in the ass. I really believe I can get an A because unlike Calculus teachers that teach during the year, he allows us to use a cheat sheet, calculator and has really basic exams. I have gotten 100's on his first two exams for Calc I.

wtf?
a cheat sheet?
I had a pretty bad first year at Boston College as well. I think that some of the difficulty can be ascribed to the fact that we have to take 5 classes instead of 4, along with labs. The way they do the class selection is ridiculous too, it makes it impossible to get a good schedule. It's probably better to take statistics or something rather than calc 2. People say that Father McGowan's class is tough but the exams also had the cheat sheet and a calculator. They were also open book with straightforward questions. Calc 2 was tough, I don't recommend.

 

[ur2l8]

Calc 2 and calc 1 were the hardest classes I've taken in undergrad. Then again, not a fan of math. Don't underestimate them though you'll probably do fine.

 

[Miss Terious]

Calc 2 and calc 1 were the hardest classes I've taken in undergrad. Then again, not a fan of math. Don't underestimate them though you'll probably do fine.

I disagree! I HATED Calc I but i absolutely loved Calc II. It all really depends on the professor. That being said, you can try taking Calc II at a state university instead of a private one.


Also to the people saying get a new major- at my school all bio/chem/biochem and premed students are required to take two semesters of calc. So maybe it's just his school 😕

 

[NYCMS2]

I disagree! I HATED Calc I but i absolutely loved Calc II. It all really depends on the professor. That being said, you can try taking Calc II at a state university instead of a private one.


Also to the people saying get a new major- at my school all bio/chem/biochem and premed students are required to take two semesters of calc. So maybe it's just his school 😕

How is this possible if there is no such thing as a pre-med major?

I majored in lib arts and I dang sure did not have to take 2 semesters of calc - I did however take one because I liked it, but it was no requirement.

 

[Miss Terious]

How is this possible if there is no such thing as a pre-med major?

I majored in lib arts and I dang sure did not have to take 2 semesters of calc - I did however take one because I liked it, but it was no requirement.

I didn't say premed major lol I meant those on the premed track. I figured it was implied since most schools don't have a premed major.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

If you are set on med school, I think a small loan is not an issue. You want to take whatever reasonable actions you can to maintain a high GPA. And don't worry, a poor showing freshman year is pretty common. An upward trend for three years will redeem the past year. 🙂

 

[ur2l8]

I disagree! I HATED Calc I but i absolutely loved Calc II. It all really depends on the professor. That being said, you can try taking Calc II at a state university instead of a private one.


Also to the people saying get a new major- at my school all bio/chem/biochem and premed students are required to take two semesters of calc. So maybe it's just his school 😕

Yeah we have to take 2 semesters too. I actually withdrew from calc 2. Have to retake senior year and Im applying next cycle o.0

Throw me ochem, bio, genetics, immunology, English, even physics...but calc, no sir.

 

[Alejandro]

I don't think you have much to worry my friend. A couple options: you can choose to wait and see how things pan out, if your calculus class is blocked. At my UG, we had quarters, with derivates first, followed by integrals. Not sure how the blocking is done at your institution.

the other option is to take it at a local community college, and xfer the credits over. Shouldn't be that big of a deal. if anyone asks, you just say that you had to do it because of finacial reasons-which is true.

I will tell you this-I had a couple Cs in college but still turned out fine, in terms of acceptances and even interviews. To get interviews even with my imperfect academic record just goes to show that if you work hard enough, you'll be fine. Everyone has a tough first year.

 

[NYCMS2]

I didn't say premed major lol I meant those on the premed track. I figured it was implied since most schools don't have a premed major.

I still ask what is a premed "track" and who in college tells such a student that they must take 2 semesters of Calc? Spanish majors can be premeds, but they don't have to take even one semester of calc.

oh..lol

 

[BHaus9]

I still ask what is a premed "track" and who in college tells such a student that they must take 2 semesters of Calc? Spanish majors can be premeds, but they don't have to take even one semester of calc.

oh..lol

Actually, my school specifically had both a "pre-professional" major and a "biological sciences, premedical track" major. And I think the broader point that a lot of people seem to be missing is that some medical schools require two semesters of calculus. It doesn't really matter whether your degree program requires it.

 

[NYCMS2]

Actually, my school specifically had both a "pre-professional" major and a "biological sciences, premedical track" major. And I think the broader point that a lot of people seem to be missing is that some medical schools require two semesters of calculus. It doesn't really matter whether your degree program requires it.

A few years ago, the number of schools requiring 2 semesters of calc could be counted on one hand...I recall Harvard and WashU, maybe one other. Has this changed?

And IIRC, there were ways around the second calculus at one of the schools.

 

[BHaus9]

A few years ago, the number of schools requiring 2 semesters of calc could be counted on one hand...I recall Harvard and WashU, maybe one other. Has this changed?

And IIRC, there were ways around the second calculus at one of the schools.

My MSAR subscription expired, so I honestly have no clue, but I thought it was more than just a couple. Either way, if you can get around it, that's fine. As you already started to point out, there are any number of undergraduate majors that don't require calculus and would not disqualify you from medical school. I was just trying to simultaneously dispel the notions a) that you never have to take Calc to go to med school and b) that you always have to take Calc to go to med school.

 

[currentlypremed]

Just thought I would give an update, I took calc II and and it was wayyy harder than Calc I. However, it was a great investment because I got an A in it. But it wasn't as easy as the A I got in Calc I

 

[TipToad]

You got an A in Call II?

Well damn. Nice job. 😀😎