Opinion On This Course Load? (1 Sem.)

[Strutter]

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I am heading into first year university in fall 2009.

One friend (in pharmacy school) said I'm capable of getting into pharmacy after one year of prereq. I was thinking of only taking four courses, then applying in second year, but he said I shouldn't wait a year. I also want a great GPA, have time for 1-2 EC's and volunteer.

If I do apply to pharmacy school within first year of university, this is how my course load would look like:

SEMESTER ONE:
#1 Introduction to Biology I
-With A Biology lab
#2 Introductory Physics
- With a Physics lab
#3 Chemistry - The Structure Of Matter
- With a Chemistry Lab
#4 English - Writing, Reading, Thinking: An Introduction
#5 Calculus For Life Sciences I

Semester two will be the same courses, just the next one (Eg. Phys 100 -> Phys 101).

What are your experiences and opinions with this coarse load? Should I take them and apply to pharmacy within first year or not, and why?

 

[xnfs93hy]

That is a solid schedule. Roll with it.

 

[CScull]

Hmm, if your good with your maths and sciences... I would still go with the two year plan though, that's a lot to do in one year and I don't even know if they'll accept you after only one year of pre-reqs. Have you talked with your counselor about it?

 

[Darklord]

I am taking the same schedule, but without English (I already took it). Plus, I am taking Physics II and Calculus II, instead of the first courses.

I have to keep a 3.5 in order to keep scholarships. Do you guys think we'll be able to put it off?

 

[CScull]

Personally I would be better off shooting myself in the foot than taking a course load like that, but if you think you're up to it...

You can always drop a class if it's too tricky.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I am taking the same schedule, but without English (I already took it). Plus, I am taking Physics II and Calculus II, instead of the first courses.

I have to keep a 3.5 in order to keep scholarships. Do you guys think we'll be able to put it off?

If I didn't suck so much at math, I'd say I could pull it off.

TO OP: If you can do it, roll with your current schedule.

Personally, I think it is a little too much for your FIRST semester in undergrad but if you can handle it, do it.

In short, we can't tell you if you can handle it or not. You have to figure that out on your own. I can tell you it will be a lot of work but it is accomplishable.

 

[El Nino]

I'm a high school student but,

Unless you really, really want to start pharmacy school early then you could attempt taking all those courses in your first semester however, what is the point? If you did undergrad in 4 years (or more) you can still get into pharmacy school. You should be enjoying college, in my opinion.

Based off what medical students have told me you should really take it slow because you do not want to jeopardize your GPA. In addition, you should explore new things because, after college it's all work and no play.

 

[Strutter]

I feel that 5 courses is too much.

Would taking 3 sciences with labs (physics, chemistry, and biology), and calculus be recommend for one semester?

 

[El Nino]

Most Pre meds usually take bio w/lab, chem w/lab and cal first semester. Most don't recommend 3 science courses especially the pre reqs in one semester. Based off what the pre-allopathic forums say, most go with 2 science per semester.

 

[medstar21]

I suppose that only you could know your abilities, but personally, as your first semester in undergrad, I think its too much. Depending on how you studied in HS, and what your HS was like, college could potentially be a big adjustment... It also will probably depend somewhat on the university you are attending.

I agree with what others have said about not rushing things. You said you want to have a good GPA, and there really should be no hurry, so I would say you should take just the two sciences at a time. While I did take 5 courses my freshman year of college, I only took gen chem w/lab as my science, and calc, along with a nutrition class and a university required course in social studies. For my first semester, that was enough for me, but I hate chem.

 

[Strutter]

You're right medstar21.

I should play it safe and not rush things.

Would you guys recommend I take 4 courses or 5 courses per semester?

My courses for first semester SO FAR include:
- Physics
- Biology
- Math

1st semester will probably be the same as 2nd semester, just the higher course (100 -> 101).

 

[CScull]

You're right medstar21.

I should play it safe and not rush things.

Would you guys recommend I take 4 courses or 5 courses per semester?

My courses for first semester SO FAR include:
- Physics
- Biology
- Math

1st semester will probably be the same as 2nd semester, just the higher course (100 -> 101).

🙂

I think you'll really benefit from that, and you'll have more time to just enjoy college rather than stress all the time about school work.

 

[MilkmanAl]

That's at least 18 hours of credit. I'd strongly advise not taking such a heavy load your first semester. Drop one of the classes.

 

[Mister Incisor]

I took the exact same schedule in my first semester of university, and it was doable (ended up with 4 A's and a B in physics). I was very focused that semester, and I felt like it broke me in quite nicely and helped me gain a lot of confidence for later semesters.

At the same time, that was just my personal situation, and I probably wouldn't recommend it. Sometimes it's easier not to rush things. Take your time and do well, that's more important 🙂

 

[Aesculapius]

If this was a semester other than your first, I would say that you should be able to gauge your ability to handle that sort of load. Given that it is your first semester, I would tone it down a little bit. Drop the physics or the calculus and take an easier class that you might enjoy.

 

[AryaStark]

Why are you taking 5 courses? Students typically take 4 every semester and graduate on time. Also, does your school have any requirements that are outside of your major? Honestly, I would NOT take such a heavy course load my first semester of college. That is when you are meeting new friends, getting used to not having your parents there, finally being responsible for your own life. Seriously, from the people i've spoken with, Freshmen year first semester was typically their worst semester throughout their entire college career (myself included) because it was such a dramatic change. Take a breath, no one expects you to be superman.

I am heading into first year university in fall 2009.

One friend (in pharmacy school) said I'm capable of getting into pharmacy after one year of prereq. I was thinking of only taking four courses, then applying in second year, but he said I shouldn't wait a year. I also want a great GPA, have time for 1-2 EC's and volunteer.

If I do apply to pharmacy school within first year of university, this is how my course load would look like:

SEMESTER ONE:
#1 Introduction to Biology I
-With A Biology lab
#2 Introductory Physics
- With a Physics lab
#3 Chemistry - The Structure Of Matter
- With a Chemistry Lab
#4 English - Writing, Reading, Thinking: An Introduction
#5 Calculus For Life Sciences I

Semester two will be the same courses, just the next one (Eg. Phys 100 -> Phys 101).

What are your experiences and opinions with this coarse load? Should I take them and apply to pharmacy within first year or not, and why?

 

[mx41]

take:
chem
english
math
gen ed

make your first semester a transition semester, so u get used to college.

 

[Strutter]

It's interesting to see some perspectives on this.

What would be the pros and cons of taking ONLY these three courses per semester in university? What would the interviewers think if I only took 3 courses per semester for my first year?

The courses are:
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology

 

[MilkmanAl]

Interviewers would think nothing at all of that. It's still 12 hours and a full course load.

 

[greatnt249]

I feel that 5 courses is too much.

Would taking 3 sciences with labs (physics, chemistry, and biology), and calculus be recommend for one semester?

Most definitely NOT recommended, especially for first semester freshman year. Additionally, the notion that you can get into pharmacy school without either a) being in an accelerated program or b) first earning your undergraduate degree is ridiculous. A few points:

1. College is NOT like high school; the sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be.

2. Class size can definitely affect access to your professor; I was lucky enough to go to a school where my profs were nearly always available when I needed to talk to them.

3. In high school, you get a year to cover the information in a class. In college, you cover it in a semester. You might then say, "Oh okay, so I'll cover the same information in half the time." Not quite. Assuming a three-credit class, you'll probably meet three times a week for an hour at a time, rather than every day of the week for an hour at a time for the whole year. In reality, a college class will take ~1/3 of the time to cover an entire year's worth of information you would learn in high school. If the information is new, this can be especially problematic, as you're expected to learn the information at the pace the class is moving.

4. For many, college is the first time they will be living unsupervised by their parents. Unless you're one of those naturally-gifted students who doesn't need anyone looking over their shoulder to put their nose to the grindstone in class, it can take a while to learn how to be responsible with new-found freedom. This is why many don't recommend that you overload yourself in your first semester at college; it's better to find out later on that you could have handled more than it is to dig yourself out of an academic hole because you tried doing too much at once.

 

[FuturaDocta]

Well, it wouldn't be a problem, if you were already a seasoned college student. You haven't taken a full course load yet, not to mention you are also about to go through the transitioning phase where you have to learn new study habits and learn the college ways (whatever that means, you will find out soon enough).

You also have to worry about you GPA. What is the average GPA for a freshman at your school? Find out what that is, then consider if you can maybe hold it out for your first semester. But, I don't see any reason you would have to build up the courses for your first semester. Remember you still have time and you don't want to lose all that money (or risk killing your GPA). It is always better to maintain a good GPA, than try to repair a bad one from the start.

 

[bunnity]

Why are you taking 5 courses? Students typically take 4 every semester and graduate on time.

Just pointing out that this can vary from school to school and class to class. At my undergrad you needed to take 15 credits a semester to graduate in four years, which would be 5 three-credit courses. Most classes were worth 3 credits, even if they met 4 times a week. There were some four-credit classes, so I suppose if you did 4 four-credit courses (so four difficult courses with labs) you could have 16 credits, but that would not have been a good idea.

I just don't want someone to read this and think they can necessarily graduate on time taking four classes a semester- that's a good conversation to have with an advisor about how to stay on track for graduation.

To the OP, I think that sounds like a lot to take on especially your first semester. Remember that in college you have a lot more out-of-class work than high school. At least at my school for every hour you spent in class you were expected to spend 2-3 out of class. So if you spent 3 hours in class a week, they were expecting you to do at least 6 hours of studying/reading/hw for that class outside of class time. I would spread those sciences over two years, and fill in your schedule with some "general education requirements" or just classes that look cool and interesting to you. I can honestly say that every weird, non-major related class I took in college made me a better person, so throw in some intro-level anthropology, art, or philosophy classes to lighten up that schedule.

 

[medicman327]

I'm currently scheduled to take a course load of 10 units. Physiology and Calc II. But I can save money by dropping calc and falling into less than full time status. Question: Should I drop it or take what I've taken in the past..ie 13-14 units by adding one more class.

I'm a non-trad student, have taken 13-14 units a semester...all science/math and have a 4.0 BPCM. I've taken this general load while working at a hospital as an ER scribe for 18-26 hours a week and tutoring on the side for about 10 hours a week. Does this show enough ability to handle load? It averages about to 18 hours/week lecture/lab time, 28-36 hours week work, and 10-15 hours study time...total about 55-65 hours week.

Generally, I'm not the neurotic pre-med student. But I realize I may have miscalculated in not taking my course load into account and need some feedback.

Doing research this semester now and currently average around 45-60 hours total time spent work/school. Is this reasonable? Or do I need to do at least one 17 unit semester?

Thanks for any feedback.