Overwhelming Freshman Year Schedule??

[bsneuroscience]

**This is my first post on this website, so I'm not 100% sure how to navigate within forums, and I couldn't find a SPECIFIC answer to my question, I'd really like some advice on my decisions!

I will be graduating high school in 2 months and will be heading off to a 4-year state uni, it's not a top school, but the coursework is still rigorous. I have taken 6 AP classes (no math ones) and 1 Dual Enrollment class and have received grades ranging from a B+ to an A+ on all of them.

I plan on majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-med track, some of the courses overlap and some don't, but I'm currently focusing on the pre-med prerequisites because I believe most schools don't make you start on your major coursework until sophomore or maybe even junior year (?)

My fall schedule will look something like this:

• Bio 1 w/ Lab
• Chem 1 w/ Lab (I took AP chem this year, and I'd like to take chem my first semester since I have the knowledge fresh in my head)
• English 2 (My dual enrollment class covered the first sequence of English and I have an A+ in this class)
• Calc 1 (I am currently taking Pre-calc and have a B+ in the class)

My spring schedule will look something like this:

• Bio 2 w/ Lab (to complete the sequence)
• Chem 2 w/ Lab (to complete the sequence)
• Sociology (I know this material will be on the MCAT but I don't know if this should be self-studied?? I took AP Psychology my junior year and received an A+ in the class and a 5 on the exam, so I'll be self-studying for this class already)
• Calc 2 (most med schools don't require this but a few that I want to apply to require this, and it's better to have more options laid out, doesn't hurt to learn more math skills either!)

I'd really like some input if this workload is too much?? I know taking a lot of AP's in high school IS NOT the same as taking a lot of college classes. I do plan on doing research and shadow doctors my first year, but I don't think I'll be volunteering or working yet?? Again, thanks for the input in advance, I appreciate it!

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[oldman]

how many credits does that add up to?

I did an engineering major so had a high credit load in general - 13-15 credits/semester was where i averaged out.
when i got to med school the credit load shot up to 30-40 credits/semester. that shows you how much more intense med school gets.

 

[bsneuroscience]

how many credits does that add up to?

I did an engineering major so had a high credit load in general - 13-15 credits/semester was where i averaged out.
when i got to med school the credit load shot up to 30-40 credits/semester. that shows you how much more intense med school gets.

15! my English class is 3 credits, while the rest are 4.

 

[oldman]

15! my English class is 3 credits, while the rest are 4.

That's not bad to start out with. see how it feels and in college there's probably a time frame where you can drop classes without penalty. i did that when i realized i was not going to do well in a particular class that was an elective.

 

[MedicalDoge]

Looks like a balanced schedule to me.

Are you sure some schools require calc 2? I don't think any school I applied to did, and I applied to 30? Maybe this a new development.

 

[Welshman]

This is the standard freshman premed schedule at my and most universities. It’s exactly what I took. Manageable but you’ll probably want to move calculus to the second semester and then take stats1 sophomore fall. I know you said some schools require calc2 but I’d wait on it at the very least because it’s often much harder than calc 1 and you want to be sure you can handle it with your other courses. Better to slowly ramp up than over do it at first

 

[Welshman]

Looks like a balanced schedule to me.

Are you sure some schools require calc 2? I don't think any school I applied to did, and I applied to 30? Maybe this a new development.

I never saw this requirement either, usually they require two math classes which is best down with calc1 and stats1 IMO

 

[oldman]

i remember they required a year of math. then again i did engineering, so i did many more math classes than necessary.

 

[oldman]

I never saw this requirement either, usually they require two math classes which is best down with calc1 and stats1 IMO

probability and stats are both the most useful math classes used as a doctor. i wish i had taken that. if you can get a masters in biostats, you will be able to get a job in academia. you will be a publishing machine.

 

[bsneuroscience]

Looks like a balanced schedule to me.

Are you sure some schools require calc 2? I don't think any school I applied to did, and I applied to 30? Maybe this a new development.

A few did, including Harvard Medical School. I might change my mind and make it statistics, I still need to do research.

 

[bsneuroscience]

Looks like a balanced schedule to me.

Are you sure some schools require calc 2? I don't think any school I applied to did, and I applied to 30? Maybe this a new development.

If you applied to 30 w/o Calc 2, I'll definitely consider just taking Calc 1 & Stats and finish the math requirement freshman year.

 

[Welshman]

A few did, including Harvard Medical School. I might change my mind and make it statistics, I still need to do research.

Only Harvard’s HST program strong advises upper level math courses.

Here’s there website: “

• One year, including one semester each of calculus and statistics (preferably biostatistics)
• An AP score of 4 or 5 on the AB or BC exam can be used to fulfill the one semester of calculus
• AP credits cannot be used to meet the statistics requirement
• HST candidates should take courses that include upper-level mathematics (through differential equations and linear algebra)”

I applied to 37 schools, none had this requirement.

 

[thegrind33]

I had a similar course load and pledged a fraternity and made a 3.93 during my first term as a freshman. In my opionion, my success in UG is based off of my time commitment or how I was able to manage my time. During semesters where I managed my time well I did better than those semesters when I didn't.

 

[Forever Geebs]

Relatively straightforward.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bluemamba7]

I know taking a lot of AP's in high school IS NOT the same as taking a lot of college classes. I do plan on doing research and shadow doctors my first year, but I don't think I'll be volunteering or working yet?? Again, thanks for the input in advance, I appreciate it!

Honestly I would say taking a lot of AP in high school was much harder than taking a lot of college classes

 

[foregoingfun]

@bluemamba7 Would you mind elaborating? I've absolutely killed myself over the last couple of years regarding AP classes and everyone seems to claim the contrary, that AP classes are nothing like the workload in college. If people are just exaggerating I'd appreciate your perspective.

 

[bluemamba7]

@bluemamba7 Would you mind elaborating? I've absolutely killed myself over the last couple of years regarding AP classes and everyone seems to claim the contrary, that AP classes are nothing like the workload in college. If people are just exaggerating I'd appreciate your perspective.

I think it’s cuz in HS you take like 5-6 classes per term. Regardless of whether they’re AP, acc, or regular, that’s a lot more work than 3-4 college courses. That’s just my take on it

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

You should be fine provided you are good at science and math and have decent study skill.
Adjusting from HS to college can take a while for a lot of students. So it’s not a bad idea to ease into it freshman fall semester but your courseload is very do-able

 

[oldman]

Honestly I would say taking a lot of AP in high school was much harder than taking a lot of college classes

I found the opposite. College for me was far more difficult than high School classes. It could have been where I went because I also found college to be more difficult than medical school. I had more work to do in med school but far less stress.

 

[bsneuroscience]

I applied to 37 schools, none had this requirement.[/QUOTE]
I'll probably end up taking Calc 1 and statistics ! Also, my school has the option of regular statistics and biostatistics (bio majors have to take this, I'm a neuroscience major)- which stats class should I take??

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

i remember they required a year of math. then again i did engineering, so i did many more math classes than necessary.

Some do require a year of math, but the second semester is usually covered by a statistics course, a lot of schools (at least in my state) require biology majors to take stats.

 

[Welshman]

I applied to 37 schools, none had this requirement.

I'll probably end up taking Calc 1 and statistics ! Also, my school has the option of regular statistics and biostatistics (bio majors have to take this, I'm a neuroscience major)- which stats class should I take??[/QUOTE]
biostats will be more useful but is often more advanced so it depends on your background in stats. I would look up ratemyprofessor and see which one would be easier and take that. I was never really interested in stats so I just went for the easy A. Keep in mind, med schools reward you for doing well, not for trying.

 

[bsneuroscience]

I had a similar course load and pledged a fraternity and made a 3.93 during my first term as a freshman. In my opionion, my success in UG is based off of my time commitment or how I was able to manage my time. During semesters where I managed my time well I did better than those semesters when I didn't.

Was it difficult to raise your GPA after that? Is it possible in general to get a 4.0 with a B? I know at most schools an A- is about a 3.67 and an A and A+ gets you a 4.0.

 

[Welshman]

Was it difficult to raise your GPA after that? Is it possible in general to get a 4.0 with a B? I know at most schools an A- is about a 3.67 and an A and A+ gets you a 4.0.

There is no real need to raise your GPA higher than a 3.9.... but yes it is impossible to get a 4.0 once you get anything but an A

Edit: Most schools dont have A+

 

[ChymeofPassion]

4 college classes >>>>>>>>>> 7 APs

 

[bsneuroscience]

4 college classes >>>>>>>>>> 7 APs

Haha, yeah, I figured. Most of my AP classes just had packets of busy work, only a few that were actually difficult. Is it normal at some schools to only take 3 college classes a semester??

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

4 college classes >>>>>>>>>> 7 APs

I disagree with this. I think people really hype up the difficulty of undergrad (at least the first 2-3 years especially, I can see the last years being harder, but 4 college classes is not more difficult than 7 APs, considering the amount of homework APs give vs college courses.

I think the course load you've put is doable. Are you worried about increased difficulty in college and acclimation time or just the overall difficulty of those specific courses?

 

[bsneuroscience]

I disagree with this. I think people really hype up the difficulty of undergrad (at least the first 2-3 years especially, I can see the last years being harder, but 4 college classes is not more difficult than 7 APs, considering the amount of homework APs give vs college courses.

I think the course load you've put is doable. Are you worried about increased difficulty in college and acclimation time or just the overall difficulty of those specific courses?

I think I'm more worried about the difficulty of my science classes especially. I don't think I'll have too much trouble with the increased difficulty since I've always taken accelerated courses, and I have a good work ethic along with good time management skills, but I've heard many horror stories about college science/math classes. I've never taken an AP math (my friends have told me it's A LOT of work, and my teacher told me last year calc is difficult in college if you've never taken calc in high school) and my AP chem teacher is a bit whack, but hopefully my knowledge from this year helps me with chem next year.

 

[TurtleyReady4Med]

I did this. It was bad for me and I struggled to get a 3.0. Instead try adding some mandatory classes if your school has them which are known to be a breather in the schedule.

 

[Welshman]

Don't underestimate gen chem, unlike in HS colleges need to weed out freshman without the chops to make it. My class started with ~750 people and only had 300 by the end.

 

[thegrind33]

Was it difficult to raise your GPA after that? Is it possible in general to get a 4.0 with a B? I know at most schools an A- is about a 3.67 and an A and A+ gets you a 4.0.

You want to solidify a solid gpa, I have a lot of hours and made a B in a four hour course last semester and my gpa dropped .02 points. Work really hard in your first two years because you really do not want to have to play catch up.

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

Don't underestimate gen chem, unlike in HS colleges need to weed out freshman without the chops to make it. My class started with ~750 people and only had 300 by the end.

Gen Chem is a weeding out class. But it won't weed out anyone who has a decent shot of getting into medical school in the first place. Because if Gen Chem screws you, you wont do well in Ochem and after that biochem. If you do poorly in all those, you'll do horribly on P/S and maybe even B/S on the MCAT on top of your GPA being ****ed.

Edit: This is my opinion on the topic. Feel free to disagree.

 

[Welshman]

Gen Chem is a weeding out class. But it won't weed out anyone who has a decent shot of getting into medical school in the first place. Because if Gen Chem screws you, you wont do well in Ochem and after that biochem. If you do poorly in all those, you'll do horribly on P/S and maybe even B/S on the MCAT on top of your GPA being ****ed.

Edit: This is my opinion on the topic. Feel free to disagree.

It may not weed you out but you may really struggle with it which is bad as well. Getting a C+ won’t weed you out but it’ll significantly ding your GPA. I got an F on my first exam and i was playing catch up to get a B for the rest of the semester

 

[ChymeofPassion]

To everyone that quoted me, I meant 4 college classes is better, aka more manageable.

At least for me, high school overloaded me with homework and busy work from 7 classes per semester. Colleges classes for me were 3 tests and a final. Sweet and simple.

 

[TurtleyReady4Med]

Also depends on the school. Are you going to a school with weeding out/ grade deflation? Are you in a top 20 school? Is the average grade in premed classes a "B-/C+"? If you are in a school like this it is best to do a light course load.

 

[bsneuroscience]

I did this. It was bad for me and I struggled to get a 3.0. Instead try adding some mandatory classes if your school has them which are known to be a breather in the schedule.

Which part was hard for you? The combination of 2 sciences along with a math? Have you taken AP classes in highschool??

 

[bsneuroscience]

Don't underestimate gen chem, unlike in HS colleges need to weed out freshman without the chops to make it. My class started with ~750 people and only had 300 by the end.

That's crazy! But I know gen chem is 100x harder in college than high school, but I'm glad I'm going in which at least some ap chem knowledge under my belt, chemistry isn't my strong suit but I plan to work super hard in that class because I'll take orgo chem my sophomore year.

 

[bsneuroscience]

You want to solidify a solid gpa, I have a lot of hours and made a B in a four hour course last semester and my gpa dropped .02 points. Work really hard in your first two years because you really do not want to have to play catch up.

Good advice! I'll aim for the highest grades possible every semester!

 

[bsneuroscience]

Gen Chem is a weeding out class. But it won't weed out anyone who has a decent shot of getting into medical school in the first place. Because if Gen Chem screws you, you wont do well in Ochem and after that biochem. If you do poorly in all those, you'll do horribly on P/S and maybe even B/S on the MCAT on top of your GPA being ****ed.

Edit: This is my opinion on the topic. Feel free to disagree.

I've heard a lot about this! I enjoy chemistry, but it's not my absolute strong suit, I take a while to grasp certain concepts in my AP chem class, but I will work super hard to make sure I have a good foundation in gen chem because I know how important it is because it's on the MCAT and other science prereqs.

 

[bsneuroscience]

It may not weed you out but you may really struggle with it which is bad as well. Getting a C+ won’t weed you out but it’ll significantly ding your GPA. I got an F on my first exam and i was playing catch up to get a B for the rest of the semester

That must've been scary to get an F on the first exam, it happened to most of the students in my AP chem class when the first test was on basic stoichiometry. I'll definitely go to office hours to get extra help on the problems.

 

[bsneuroscience]

To everyone that quoted me, I meant 4 college classes is better, aka more manageable.

At least for me, high school overloaded me with homework and busy work from 7 classes per semester. Colleges classes for me were 3 tests and a final. Sweet and simple.

I hope I'm in the same case this fall.

 

[TurtleyReady4Med]

Which part was hard for you? The combination of 2 sciences along with a math? Have you taken AP classes in highschool??

Hey. I ended up taking 11 APs in high school so that wasn’t a problem (all 5s, other than one 4 and one 3). The difference in college is that they can do a year of material in 14 weeks. For example, Chem 1 was equal to normal high school chem and AP for me and chem 2 was all brandy new material. I did 3 science classes, a math, and history freshman year and it really pulled my time apart. Questions, at my school at least, were also applied instead of fact regurgitation so it took a lot more nuance in learning. So there is definitely a learning curve in how to get good grades (which a majority of the class was experiencing with a C- average in some of the classes). Upper class man us dntonthis method of testing were more likely to handle it and land As.

 

[bsneuroscience]

Also depends on the school. Are you going to a school with weeding out/ grade deflation? Are you in a top 20 school? Is the average grade in premed classes a "B-/C+"? If you are in a school like this it is best to do a light course load.

I'm not in a top 20 school, but it's not an "easy" school where classes can be compared to a local community college. I don't know too much about the pre-med classes, but I know a pre-dental student who has similar prerequisites and says the science classes are a bit difficult, especially chemistry.

 

[bsneuroscience]

Hey. I ended up taking 11 APs in high school so that wasn’t a problem (all 5s, other than one 4 and one 3). The difference in college is that they can do a year of material in 14 weeks. For example, Chem 1 was equal to normal high school chem and AP for me and chem 2 was all brandy new material. I did 3 science classes, a math, and history freshman year and it really pulled my time apart. Questions, at my school at least, were also applied instead of fact regurgitation so it took a lot more nuance in learning. So there is definitely a learning curve in how to get good grades (which a majority of the class was experiencing with a C- average in some of the classes). Upper class man us dntonthis method of testing were more likely to handle it and land As.

I didn't even think it was possible to take 5 classes within a semester. I just want to make sure I have all my prereqs done in time because I believe you have to take your MCAT before your junior year (???) if you do it during junior year you have less time to prep for med school applications/LoR's (???). I'm not too sure about the timeline because people have had different experiences, but I'd like to graduate in 4 years, and I wanted to know if it was possible to get all your prereqs done by the end of sophomore year. I was planning on taking physics and orgo chem my sophomore year (2 sequences for fall & spring semester) and I was trying to fit in biochem but 3 science classes in 1 semester sounds insane.

 

[TurtleyReady4Med]

I didn't even think it was possible to take 5 classes within a semester. I just want to make sure I have all my prereqs done in time because I believe you have to take your MCAT before your junior year (???) if you do it during junior year you have less time to prep for med school applications/LoR's (???). I'm not too sure about the timeline because people have had different experiences, but I'd like to graduate in 4 years, and I wanted to know if it was possible to get all your prereqs done by the end of sophomore year. I was planning on taking physics and orgo chem my sophomore year (2 sequences for fall & spring semester) and I was trying to fit in biochem but 3 science classes in 1 semester sounds insane.

Yeah I totally did this. My warning is that it can bite you in the ass. I did it because I wanted to go straight into medicine without a gap year. This schedule forced me to take a gap year to be competitive. Talk to your advisor, upper level pre-meds, and pr med advisors. All of those parties told me it was a bad idea, but I was stubborn. If these people say it is fine at your school then try it.

 

[Welshman]

If you can I would highly recommend skipping gen chem 1 with your AP credit, you won’t remeber any of it for the MCAT anyhow. Take physics and biochem junior year, then MCAT is over the summer. I would also plan for a gap year, 70+% of matriculates take at least one so

 

[bsneuroscience]

Yeah I totally did this. My warning is that it can bite you in the ass. I did it because I wanted to go straight into medicine without a gap year. This schedule forced me to take a gap year to be competitive. Talk to your advisor, upper level pre-meds, and pr med advisors. All of those parties told me it was a bad idea, but I was stubborn. If these people say it is fine at your school then try it.

Sadly, at my school the advisor doesn't meet 1 on 1, but rather in small groups, but I'll have to find some pre-meds to talk to. I've heard success stories about people graduating in 4 years, but others they had trouble. Did you major in biology? Neuroscience has a couple overlaps with the prereqs. I don't really want to take summer classes (not bc I'm lazy) but because some med schools look down upon them because summer classes are supposedly easier and might think I couldn't handle them during the school year, when in reality, I'm just trying to fit in all the classes I need in 2 years. Thanks for the advice, I'll take it into consideration.

 

[bsneuroscience]

If you can I would highly recommend skipping gen chem 1 with your AP credit, you won’t remeber any of it for the MCAT anyhow. Take physics and biochem junior year, then MCAT is over the summer. I would also plan for a gap year, 70+% of matriculates take at least one so

Most of the medical schools I want to apply to don't accept science AP credits, and plus I'm not taking the exam, but I'm taking the ap gov exams to cover my gen eds at my school. I wanted to take physics my sophomore year along with orgo chem (still have to do research on whether this combo is too much), but the biochem class is messing me up. I don't know if I should take it over the summer or not, I don't think taking 3 difficult science classes together is a good idea. But I'll definitely plan for a gap year, just not entirely sure what I want to do within that year.