Question about my schedule for next semester

[thisismyacct]

I'm currently signed up for 19 credits this upcoming semester. I'm a sophomore and my current GPA is somewhere from a 2.5-2.7 since final grades aren't in yet and I don't know how much the dual credit classes I took in high school raise my GPA.

The classes I would be taking next semester are:

• Plant biology and lab: 4 credits
• orgo and lab: 3 credit lecture, 2 credit lab
• Intro to nonfiction writing: 3 credits (I heard its an easy class)
• Intro to mass communitcations: 3 credits (I heard its an easy class)
• Intro to museum studies: 3 credits (the name should speak for itself)
• Science career seminar: 1 credit (guaranteed A)

My GPA might drop after this semester due to my poor performance in both of my science classes (microbiology and orgo lecture). I might get a C in orgo, no idea what I'll get in micro but it will definitely be below a B-. My grade in orgo would be higher if it weren't for a misunderstanding I had.

I have poor grades because I'm not good at studying consistently and I procrastinate. Lately I have also had trouble focusing and not getting off task when doing work. Sometimes I'm able to consistently study and stay focused and when I do, I usually do pretty well on tests. My idea is to take so many credits because I think it might force me to study since I don't have any other choice and because 10/19 of those credits would be from "fluff" classes.

Do you guys think this is a good or bad idea?

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[wanderingorion]

Overloading yourself will not push you to study.
Manage your time better, and study consistently. Take a 12-15 hours course-load of classes you can do well in.

2.7 is a very bad sign. You need to get your butt in gear.

 

[thisismyacct]

Overloading yourself will not push you to study.
Manage your time better, and study consistently. Take a 12-15 hours course-load of classes you can do well in.

2.7 is a very bad sign. You need to get your butt in gear.

So don't take the 19 even if 4 of the classes are easy classes?

 

[wanderingorion]

So don't take the 19 even if 4 of the classes are easy classes?

Not for the reason you gave. And especially if you haven't been handling the course-load you've had in the past.

 

[ciestar]

You have a 2.5 gpa, the worst thing you could ever do is take 19 credits like this. You need to buckle down and focus, overloading will NOT do that. Salvage your gpa, that should be your biggest concern. If you lack discipline to study, you better find it since the median GPA for MD schools is >3.7. Your's won't cut it. (And 19 credit semesters are hell no matter how "easy" your classes are.)

I will point out that you did poorly in organic I, don't allow it to happen a second time. Easy or not, that schedule looks like more work than you think.. It has two labs, which are time consuming, plus a composition class. That's many lab reports and papers you'll be writing. As I said, though, WORRY ABOUT OCHEM II FIRST.

 

[Nucleophile1]

So don't take the 19 even if 4 of the classes are easy classes?

Sometimes easy classes can have a lot of busy work which will take time away from your science classes. I would keep it at 12-15 credits and focus on improving your study skills.

 

[Turkishking]

You should take 12-15 credits. 15 is a normal credit load for a full time student. A high GPA with 12 credits is better than one with a low one with 20 credits. However, a 3.9 with 12 credits will lose against a 3.9 with 18 credits. But yet again, the average matriculate has a 3.75c and a 3.68s. I took 13-12 credits my freshman year, and I'm taking 15-18 my sophomore year.

 

[ciestar]

You should take 12-15 credits. 15 is a normal credit load for a full time student. A high GPA with 12 credits is better than one with a low one with 20 credits. However, a 3.9 with 12 credits will lose against a 3.9 with 18 credits. But yet again, the average matriculate has a 3.75c and a 3.68s. I took 13-12 credits my freshman year, and I'm taking 15-18 my sophomore year.

I can say that with extreme confidence that some adcoms will absolutely count multiple 12 credit semesters, so keep that in mind. But OP needs to get their grades up and that is absolutely the way to go.

 

[Peach Newport]

This schedule is a bad. F**king. idea. Like, a really, really bad idea.

OP, listen and listen good, because I'm actually going to tell you what you need to do.

If you want to get into medical school, you need to get As. With your current GPA, you need STRAIGHT As.

First, I gotta say, I'm pretty skeptical of your ability to succeed with that GPA. With those grades in those pre-reqs, I doubt that you have the interest and dedication needed to get into medical school, much less to succeed in a medical school curriculum. But that's not for me to decide. I'm not going to tell you to give up. Instead, I'm going to tell you exactly what to do. If you can't do it, then that's on you.

First, you need As. But it's not really As you need - its strong study habits. If you have a 3.7 GPA, but all your prereqs are Cs and Bs, it won't help you. Building strong study habits takes practice. You should NOT be trying to take easy A classes, and you should DEFINITELY not be taking anywhere near that many classes.

What you should be doing is taking 3 classes.

Yes, three.

Because this is how you hone your study skills (or any skill) - you start small. Beleive me, no adcom is going to care that you only did 3 classes during one semester if you get As in them.

These should be of moderate difficulty: Maybe one re-req (like orgo), and two moderately work-intensive classes. These should not be easy-A classes. You need a schedule where you can get straight As, but only if you work hard for it. At this point, you need to start small. You should not take any classes more difficult than your worst pre-req (obviously). Maybe 2 tough classes is all you can handle to get straight As.

Finish that semester.

Did you get straight As? Great. Next semester, add one more class to a similar workload.

Did you not get straight As? You should probably reconsider your career path. If you can't get straight As in a moderately challenging undergraduate semester, you don't have a chance at passing your first semester of medical school.

 

[efle]

So don't take the 19 even if 4 of the classes are easy classes?

No classes is still easier than easy classes. With a 2.6 GPA you need to be taking the absolute bare minimum and shooting for all As