Official Harvard Extension 2012 Thread

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I really wanted to drill practice problems last night so I didn't attend - I'm going to Ralph's section tonight though if anyone is interested. He's pretty much fantastic.

Did Doug say anything Earth shattering? Anyone hear a good hint or two?

I think I'll be ducking out of Chem early tonight to attend Ralph's section as well.
 
Quick question for everyone who have already completed and succeeded in Physics E-1A -- how do you best prepare for the math in that class? I accessed the syllabus and just wanted to know if going over the the "math review" section from the Physics syllabus would be sufficient prior to starting Physics this coming Fall.

Thanks!
 
Also, for everyone who will be relocating this summer to start in the Fall, please feel free to shed some light into your individual experiences in terms of apartment hunting, locations, etc.

I think the more resources and information we can share will help alleviate the stress that comes with this whole transition process 🙂
 
I think I'll be ducking out of Chem early tonight to attend Ralph's section as well.

I'm gonna try to make it to Ralph's section right before my bio lab practical. Ralph better make it worth it haha.

Didn't go to Doug's review last night either. Coming down with a massive cold couldn't have happened at a worse time.. I feel completely unprepared for all three finals, don't even know which one I am dreading more. Can totally relate to that cartoon Jennet posted..

Good luck everyone!:luck:
 
Quick question for everyone who have already completed and succeeded in Physics E-1A -- how do you best prepare for the math in that class? I accessed the syllabus and just wanted to know if going over the the "math review" section from the Physics syllabus would be sufficient prior to starting Physics this coming Fall.

Thanks!

Understand your trig - how angles are related in a triangle, what composes the sin/cosine/tangent, etc.

If you understand that you'll be a-ok.
 
I'm gonna try to make it to Ralph's section right before my bio lab practical. Ralph better make it worth it haha.

Didn't go to Doug's review last night either. Coming down with a massive cold couldn't have happened at a worse time.. I feel completely unprepared for all three finals, don't even know which one I am dreading more. Can totally relate to that cartoon Jennet posted..

Good luck everyone!:luck:

You're gonna be fine. Hard work all semester will pay it's dividends now.

I hear ya though on bad things happening at worse times - my building lost power yesterday. It's still out. No internet = crippling for studying.
 
That's tough. You know that Grossman Library in Sever Hall gives you access to computers, free printing, etc, right?
 
That's tough. You know that Grossman Library in Sever Hall gives you access to computers, free printing, etc, right?

Yea, I just hate studying out of my element (As crazy as it sounds). I like to set up a war room. Coffee, good music, lighting perfect, no distractions. . .

Yes. I'm crazy.
 
Yea, I just hate studying out of my element (As crazy as it sounds). I like to set up a war room. Coffee, good music, lighting perfect, no distractions. . .

Yes. I'm crazy.

Ugh, I cannot study at home. I get too comfortable. Shoes are off, headphones on, then I end up watching re-runs of Doctor Diaries. That being said, I assure you everyone has some weird study tick. I need good light, 1 medium skinny latte, 1 large sparkling water (usually the Poland Springs with orange), my Ipod set to almost inaudible classical music, and my all my tools laid out - highlighters, colored flags, pen, pencil, protractor, calculator. This is the order in which things must be done or else no studying is to occur! It doesn't seem weird...until I think about it...

A very heartfelt good luck to everyone on the Physics exam!! Finding a funny meme for lolz.
 
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Good luck tonight everyone!! Let's show Rueckner what we're made of!!!!
 
Looking for some advice.

I took Gen Chem I and II over 5 years ago as a freshman in college and I did decent. I'm less worried about the grades I got than I am with the fact that I remember almost nothing.

I'm planning on starting this fall at Harvard Ext with Physics and Bio.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what the best way is to go about reviewing the material in Gen Chem I and II that I will need to know for the MCATs and Organic Chem.

Should I just retake the courses? Should I review all the course material for Gen Chem separately or should I review the material as I'm studying for MCATs?

Thanks again for your input!

Also, if I decide to review the course material separately, I will be looking to buy Gen Chem books/syllabi/midterms/finals from anyone who still has all of these.
 
Looking for some advice.

I took Gen Chem I and II over 5 years ago as a freshman in college and I did decent. I'm less worried about the grades I got than I am with the fact that I remember almost nothing.

I'm planning on starting this fall at Harvard Ext with Physics and Bio.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what the best way is to go about reviewing the material in Gen Chem I and II that I will need to know for the MCATs and Organic Chem.

Should I just retake the courses? Should I review all the course material for Gen Chem separately or should I review the material as I'm studying for MCATs?

Thanks again for your input!

Also, if I decide to review the course material separately, I will be looking to buy Gen Chem books/syllabi/midterms/finals from anyone who still has all of these.

My advice, which is probably going against the grain, is to retake, just for the sake of having a class with Tucci.

He is an absolutely unbelievable professor. You will learn to love chemistry.
 
Looking for some advice.

I took Gen Chem I and II over 5 years ago as a freshman in college and I did decent. I'm less worried about the grades I got than I am with the fact that I remember almost nothing.

I'm planning on starting this fall at Harvard Ext with Physics and Bio.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what the best way is to go about reviewing the material in Gen Chem I and II that I will need to know for the MCATs and Organic Chem.

Should I just retake the courses? Should I review all the course material for Gen Chem separately or should I review the material as I'm studying for MCATs?

Thanks again for your input!

Also, if I decide to review the course material separately, I will be looking to buy Gen Chem books/syllabi/midterms/finals from anyone who still has all of these.

As far as reviewing Gen Chem for the MCAT, the best way is getting some MCAT study materials and reviewing from there.

If you want to review what you need to know for OChem, then you should look over the lecture notes from Chem E-1a and E-1b, which are available on the course website. In particular, you should pay attention to Lewis structures, hybridization, molecular shape and bond angles, periodic table trends, and you should be very comfortable dealing with the nonmetals. You should be comfortable dealing with acids, bases, and pKa in terms of theory, not calculation, though to be honest, most of what you learn in Gen Chem regarding this won't apply. You almost never have to deal with any metals in OChem, and when you do, it's very straightforward.

OChem is basically quantum mechanics applied to chemistry, but without the math.

I took Gen Chem I and Physics I in UG, so I've retaken those by taking the intensive two-semester versions during the summer. If you've taken at least one semester, you should be able to do well even in the intensive course. Unless you did poorly the first time around. Then don't do it.
 
courage-wolf-meme-generator-learn-physics-let-the-weak-cower-before-your-force-c5aee2.jpg


Off to the gym. I've reached my saturation point for physics.

Good luck kiddos. See you on the other side.
 
Great thanks for the feedback!

@MedWonk do you know if the two-semester version counts as 8 credits/2 courses?

@johnnyscans it would be ideal if Tucci taught this two-semester version during the summer 🙂
 
Looking for some advice.

I took Gen Chem I and II over 5 years ago as a freshman in college and I did decent. I'm less worried about the grades I got than I am with the fact that I remember almost nothing.

I'm planning on starting this fall at Harvard Ext with Physics and Bio.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what the best way is to go about reviewing the material in Gen Chem I and II that I will need to know for the MCATs and Organic Chem.

Should I just retake the courses? Should I review all the course material for Gen Chem separately or should I review the material as I'm studying for MCATs?

Thanks again for your input!

Also, if I decide to review the course material separately, I will be looking to buy Gen Chem books/syllabi/midterms/finals from anyone who still has all of these.

I'm in the exact same situation. Did well in Gen Chem in like 2005/06. My plan is to take Bio and Physics this year and the Gen Chem over the summer, then Organic Chem and some upper division biology the following year. I feel like since I took it when I was a freshman and it clicked for me then (and trust me, grades were absolutely NOT my priority at the time), I should be okay taking it over the summer now that I'm older and wiser. Guess we'll see how it goes!
 
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My plan is to take Bio and Physics this year and the Gen Chem over the summer, then Organic Chem and some upper division biology the following year. I feel like since I took it when I was a freshman and it clicked for me then (and trust me, grades were absolutely NOT my priority at the time), I should be okay taking it over the summer now that I'm older and wiser. Guess we'll see how it goes!

That is my exact plan right now so I may be seeing you in a lot of my classes!

I'm thinking of adding an upper div bio class for Spring 2013 in addition to bio and physics. It looks like the prereq for Molecular Biology and Cell Biology is just BIOS E-1A. I hope that combination doesn't kill me though.

Some of the prereqs for other upper div bio classes look daunting. Here's what Immunology says "Prerequisites: background in biology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology is helpful."
 
Great thanks for the feedback!

@MedWonk do you know if the two-semester version counts as 8 credits/2 courses?

@johnnyscans it would be ideal if Tucci taught this two-semester version during the summer 🙂

Yes, both the year long course and intensive summer course count as 8 credits/2 semesters' worth.

Also, Tucci is teaching Gen Chem this summer. If you're planning on taking the summer course, you have until May 21st to register and pay up. After that you can still register, but you'll have to pay the late registration fee of 200 or 250 dollars.
 
That is my exact plan right now so I may be seeing you in a lot of my classes!

I'm thinking of adding an upper div bio class for Spring 2013 in addition to bio and physics. It looks like the prereq for Molecular Biology and Cell Biology is just BIOS E-1A. I hope that combination doesn't kill me though.

Some of the prereqs for other upper div bio classes look daunting. Here's what Immunology says "Prerequisites: background in biology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology is helpful."

Sounds like it! We'll have to get a study group together 🙂

I'm hoping to take some more upper divison biology courses after Fall 2012 as well, but based on what everyone has said every year about these classes, I think I should definitely test the waters first and see what I can handle. I can use all the 4-credit classes I can get to help me with this science GPA.

I took biology in college too (with not-so-great results - unlike chemistry), but barely remember even the little bit that I did learn. So of course, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to take genetics at UT this spring and figured I'd just buy an old biology textbook to reference as needed. I was drowning at first - she was using biochemical pathways to explain genetics (never taken biochem), forever talking about molecular biology and protein function (I never really was all that clear on what a protein was). It all seemed so abstract, and I had no idea what she was talking about. But it turned out great. I learned SO much and got an A while half the class dropped. I think we'll be fine as long as we take it seriously, recognize our weaknesses, and ask for help when we need it!

MedWonk - hopefully Tucci will teach summer 2013 too! Although I've heard that HES has great chemistry teachers all around.
 
One down, two to go.

Thought tonight's was extremely fair. I'm petrified about my exam tomorrow though. 🙁
 
One down, two to go.

Thought tonight's was extremely fair. I'm petrified about my exam tomorrow though. 🙁

I'm guessing he's going to create a monster set of questions that integrates a lot of what we've learned over the year that has to do with HIV. It's almost too perfect a set up not to ask that sort of question. You could integrate everything from basic biochem, cell biology, and genetics to cancer, immunology, and evolution, plus whatever we learned about viruses. It's the perfect mother lode of questions.
 
I'm guessing he's going to create a monster set of questions that integrates a lot of what we've learned over the year that has to do with HIV. It's almost too perfect a set up not to ask that sort of question. You could integrate everything from basic biochem, cell biology, and genetics to cancer, immunology, and evolution, plus whatever we learned about viruses. It's the perfect mother lode of questions.

I have cell bio tomorrow 🙁

May peace be with you for Anderson's exam though. That man writes brutal tests.
 
I drew flashbacks from the coriolis/coanda effect problem when i saw the polaroid/selective absorption problem.

The multiple choice was pretty tricky, some of them. But the free response was money in the bank
 
I drew flashbacks from the coriolis/coanda effect problem when i saw the polaroid/selective absorption problem.

The multiple choice was pretty tricky, some of them. But the free response was money in the bank

Totally agree - first test I felt like I aced the long problems and had more trouble with the free response. It was fair, comprehensive, and I had an overall good time. We'll see what Tucci has to offer tomorrow.
 
Totally agree - first test I felt like I aced the long problems and had more trouble with the free response. It was fair, comprehensive, and I had an overall good time. We'll see what Tucci has to offer tomorrow.

I know for certain I screwed up the last part of the space shuttle tether question and I may have fat fingered the last part of the RC circuit question, but the rest should be money in the bank. I'm super glad I went to Ralph's section on Mon night - he covered that double slit stuff PERFECTLY. 2 free questions right there.

I agree. MC were a little bit on the tougher side, but nothing was truly impossible.
 
I'm taking a study break and curious to see what everyone is doing this summer. I've decided to back out of my full-time job for fall due to some advice from my mentor; that leaves me with a lot of free time. I'm not entirely sure I want to take a summer class. I'm going to try and find part-time work, and I have a shadow opportunity lined up, but I really don't know what to do with myself.

The normal check marks are volunteer, shadow, and research right? Anyone doing a summer internship at a school or abroad? Wish I would've applied to some of those sooner!
 
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I'm taking a study break and curious to see what everyone is doing this summer. I've decided to back out of my full-time job for fall due to some advice from my mentor; that leaves me with a lot of free time. I'm not entirely sure I want to take a summer class. I'm going to try and find part-time work, and I have a shadow opportunity lined up, but I really don't know what to do with myself.

The normal check marks are volunteer, shadow, and research right? Anyone doing a summer internship at a school or abroad? Wish I would've applied to some of those sooner!

My summer
-One of the PIs of a lab we work extremely closely with is on consult for ICU and dialysis for Nephrology at two different periods so I'll be getting some good shadowing in. Should be exciting to see a bunch of different areas of the same field.

-Volunteer in the ED. Maybe pick up an extra day or two here and there.

-Research: close to wrapping up a project that we can hopefully submit for publication. I'm hoping that I can learn how to perfuse mice, but we shall see.

-I'm taking molecular biology and biochemistry. I've talked to Fixsen and he highly recommended biochem.

My advice (you're getting it whether or not you want it): find stuff you enjoy doing. In the not so distant future you are going to be extremely busy for an extremely long period of time. As long as you're not just sitting around playing video games (which I plan on doing over the next week or two after tomorrow night), anything you choose should be ok.

Is there one area of ECs that you're really lacking in? I'd love to do a few daytime non-medical volunteering gigs if that's something you might be interested in.

I'd edit your checkmarks a little bit though
-clinical exposure
-volunteering
-leadership
-research

It seems that those four can really help your application if they're strong, and can do some damage (save research) if they're absent.
 
As long as you're not just sitting around playing video games (which I plan on doing over the next week or two after tomorrow night), anything you choose should be ok.

Sounds like great timing for Diablo III
 
Sounds like great timing for Diablo III

I wish. I've got to finish Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Revelations and my second play-through of Mass Effect 3.

Oh nerd life. . .
 
Hah! Diablo. Spent too many hours running my pindleskin bot on battle.net farming grandfathers and windforces. Diablo 2 died once bnet patched it.

Man these chem practice exams are pretty beast. Looks like they're really gonna make us work for that grade.
 
My summer
-One of the PIs of a lab we work extremely closely with is on consult for ICU and dialysis for Nephrology at two different periods so I'll be getting some good shadowing in. Should be exciting to see a bunch of different areas of the same field.

-Volunteer in the ED. Maybe pick up an extra day or two here and there.

-Research: close to wrapping up a project that we can hopefully submit for publication. I'm hoping that I can learn how to perfuse mice, but we shall see.

-I'm taking molecular biology and biochemistry. I've talked to Fixsen and he highly recommended biochem.

My advice (you're getting it whether or not you want it): find stuff you enjoy doing. In the not so distant future you are going to be extremely busy for an extremely long period of time. As long as you're not just sitting around playing video games (which I plan on doing over the next week or two after tomorrow night), anything you choose should be ok.

Is there one area of ECs that you're really lacking in? I'd love to do a few daytime non-medical volunteering gigs if that's something you might be interested in.

I'd edit your checkmarks a little bit though
-clinical exposure
-volunteering
-leadership
-research

It seems that those four can really help your application if they're strong, and can do some damage (save research) if they're absent.

It seems like I have my ducks in a row with what you've listed. I think I'm doing enough, but maybe it feels like too little with the huge 40 hour void I'm about to create.

So far:
- I'm a project leader with Boston Cares; high recommendations for this group if you're looking for non-clinical. They are just great.
- Leadership from marathon team captain to student mentor
- Shadowing my friend in clinic this summer
- Volunteering in the ED though I'm looking into the Family Van and other more "hands on" clinical experiences
- Hopefully volunteering in the lab of my hero at Harvard; he extended an offer earlier in the spring when I emailed him gushing like a 14 year old Beebs fan.
- Getting my training certification for Crossfit so I can train part-time? Been considering this for a few years.

I think I could find new clinical experiences to bide my time as well as something to pay the bills (maybe a fat loan). Not sure about taking two summer classes 🙂eek: holy cow btw). I could certainly use them.

As for video games, I'm going to try to finish Amnesia this time. I want to compile a reaction video of me basically freaking out every single minute of that game. This is of course if I ever get through Skyrim.
 
My summer
-One of the PIs of a lab we work extremely closely with is on consult for ICU and dialysis for Nephrology at two different periods so I'll be getting some good shadowing in. Should be exciting to see a bunch of different areas of the same field.

-Volunteer in the ED. Maybe pick up an extra day or two here and there.

-Research: close to wrapping up a project that we can hopefully submit for publication. I'm hoping that I can learn how to perfuse mice, but we shall see.

-I'm taking molecular biology and biochemistry. I've talked to Fixsen and he highly recommended biochem.

My advice (you're getting it whether or not you want it): find stuff you enjoy doing. In the not so distant future you are going to be extremely busy for an extremely long period of time. As long as you're not just sitting around playing video games (which I plan on doing over the next week or two after tomorrow night), anything you choose should be ok.

Is there one area of ECs that you're really lacking in? I'd love to do a few daytime non-medical volunteering gigs if that's something you might be interested in.

I'd edit your checkmarks a little bit though
-clinical exposure
-volunteering
-leadership
-research

It seems that those four can really help your application if they're strong, and can do some damage (save research) if they're absent.

I would add teaching experience to that list. I'd put it on the same tier as research. It can help you if you got it, but it won't hurt you if you don't. In either case, anecdotal hearsay is that Adcoms look quite favorably upon significant teaching experience.
 
I'm taking a study break and curious to see what everyone is doing this summer. I've decided to back out of my full-time job for fall due to some advice from my mentor; that leaves me with a lot of free time. I'm not entirely sure I want to take a summer class. I'm going to try and find part-time work, and I have a shadow opportunity lined up, but I really don't know what to do with myself.

The normal check marks are volunteer, shadow, and research right? Anyone doing a summer internship at a school or abroad? Wish I would've applied to some of those sooner!

I'm gonna be volunteering and studying for the mcat. No summer classes for me.
 
I'm taking a study break and curious to see what everyone is doing this summer. I've decided to back out of my full-time job for fall due to some advice from my mentor; that leaves me with a lot of free time. I'm not entirely sure I want to take a summer class. I'm going to try and find part-time work, and I have a shadow opportunity lined up, but I really don't know what to do with myself.

The normal check marks are volunteer, shadow, and research right? Anyone doing a summer internship at a school or abroad? Wish I would've applied to some of those sooner!

Physics. And more physics. And volunteering someplace at BWH. And bothering professors for a TF job.
 
It seems like I have my ducks in a row with what you've listed. I think I'm doing enough, but maybe it feels like too little with the huge 40 hour void I'm about to create.

So far:
- I'm a project leader with Boston Cares; high recommendations for this group if you're looking for non-clinical. They are just great.
- Leadership from marathon team captain to student mentor
- Shadowing my friend in clinic this summer
- Volunteering in the ED though I'm looking into the Family Van and other more "hands on" clinical experiences
- Hopefully volunteering in the lab of my hero at Harvard; he extended an offer earlier in the spring when I emailed him gushing like a 14 year old Beebs fan.
- Getting my training certification for Crossfit so I can train part-time? Been considering this for a few years.

I think I could find new clinical experiences to bide my time as well as something to pay the bills (maybe a fat loan). Not sure about taking two summer classes 🙂eek: holy cow btw). I could certainly use them.

As for video games, I'm going to try to finish Amnesia this time. I want to compile a reaction video of me basically freaking out every single minute of that game. This is of course if I ever get through Skyrim.
I love the Amnesia videos. Mmmm Skyrim. . . that game almost killed me last year during finals haha. Let me know what you find in terms of volunteer or clinical experience. Orrrrr, maybe we could work together to get some type of meaningful volunteer experience set up. Let me know. The main problem is my schedule is super busy. Adding another commitment may just push me over the edge. Something monthly though would be great.

I love everything you've said except. . . crossfit. . .:grrr: :shakes fist:

I would add teaching experience to that list. I'd put it on the same tier as research. It can help you if you got it, but it won't hurt you if you don't. In either case, anecdotal hearsay is that Adcoms look quite favorably upon significant teaching experience.
Ahh yep, good catch. I've been begging Ruckner for a TF job since last semester . . . hopefully he has room for one come the fall. I've heard teaching is an excellent gap/interview year activity.
 
Practice Exam A: 😱

Sweet mercy. I almost lost consciousness on #4.
 
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Good luck gen chemers. Hopefully we dont get something like practice exam C or else i'm screwed.
 
Practice Exam A: 😱

Sweet mercy. I almost lost consciousness on #4.

You guys should calm down. The practice exams are notoriously more difficult than the actual final. It'll give you great practice for the final and you should be able to nail it. I basically **** the bed on those practice exams and then pulled out a 146/150 on the final, so I think you guys will be fine.

Those practice exams are basically the exams that Justin makes as tough as possible, then Tucci/Matchacheep tones it down so that people can pass it. Or at least that's what happened when I took it over the summer.

In either case, good luck. I'm going to go cry while I do my orgo practice exams.
 
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DONE!
Allagash white, Pink Floyd and relaxation. Not a bad night.
 
It hasn't hit me yet...it really hasn't...

I'm emotionally dead to the world and running on fumes today at work, but I did unlock a personal achievement in purchasing beverages for my TF's. And then, I ordered chicken and waffles...with a side of bacon and pancakes. I regret nothing. It was delicious.

At this point, I'm happy to have survived and I'm ready to do even better next year. I also learned that after a year of diligent effort, you can sit down to a final, wild eyed with all the work you've put in, and completely forget how to titrate. I stared at the question, focused hard, and then realized I had absolutely forgotten what to do. It came back eventually, but gave me a panic attack in hour 2.

But seriously, congrats everyone. This program is whipping me into shape!
 
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I'm wondering if somebody could clarify whether there are any perks to being in HCP other than sponsorship. I'm not talking about the Diploma program, just HCP. Do any perks listed on the website apply to non-Diploma HCP students throughout the program? I feel like this has been covered before in past posts, and I hate to ask you to spoon-feed me info, but it's just a bit confusing. Thanks.
 
I'm wondering if somebody could clarify whether there are any perks to being in HCP other than sponsorship. I'm not talking about the Diploma program, just HCP. Do any perks listed on the website apply to non-Diploma HCP students throughout the program? I feel like this has been covered before in past posts, and I hate to ask you to spoon-feed me info, but it's just a bit confusing. Thanks.

Advising from Fixsen and Co. (which includes emails about jobs and opportunities)
Membership in HEPS

Those are the two big ones. Jennett probably knows better than I do.
 
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