Schedule difficulty -- possible to get As in all of these classes?

[Chelslen]

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Summer schedule (its an 8 week period):

• Biochemistry
• Genetics

Fall schedule:

• Honors Biology I and lab
• Honors Organic Chemistry I
• Physics I (algebra-based) and lab
• Intro to Cell Biology
• an undergrad research course -- i get 3 hours credit, but perform 15 hours of research per week.

Do either of these look particularly difficult? I'm mostly concerned with summer.

I don't know how hard biochem and genetics are supposed to be, and if thats too much to take crammed into an 8 week period. I can hold off on one of them if you guys think it might be a bit difficult to achieve As in both -- because I REALLY need As in everything.

I don't know how many classes people usually take in the summer. I figured 2 would be okay -- but I've recently met some people only taking one science class in the summer, so I thought I'd ask for your opinion.

Possible to get all As?

Also, I know sometimes taking med school prereqs during the summer isn't so great... I know biochem isn't a "requirement" but its often "recommended" for pre-med courses... is there any possibility this could be frowned upon if i take it during the summer instead of in a regular semester? I can't afford to screw up any more, even in the slightest possibility. If theres any chance of that, I'll take it in the fall instead of cell biology, or even a semester after that.

Much appreciated!

 

[ESzczesniak]

Absolutely. There is nothing about any schedule that makes it impossible to get all A's. Just do your work and know you're class material.

 

[Tapepsi]

Well...it's possible. Just be prepared to work your butt off.

Also it doesn't matter when you take biochem.

 

[Chelslen]

Well...it's possible. Just be prepared to work your butt off.

Also it doesn't matter when you take biochem.

which part seems most difficult? the summer or fall?

also, i should mention i'm a rising junior, so if I'm going to take prereqs before the MCAT, adjusting the fall schedule isn't really possible aside from the cellular biology course and the research course.

and thanks for the biochem info!

 

[Tapepsi]

which part seems most difficult? the summer or fall?

also, i should mention i'm a rising junior, so if I'm going to take prereqs before the MCAT, adjusting the fall schedule isn't really possible aside from the cellular biology course and the research course.

and thanks for the biochem info!

See the problem is, the difficulty of classes vary depending on the school and the professor. At my school genetics and biochemistry (each on their own) = hell. While the fact that they are upper level courses automatically makes them more difficult, the bad professors at my school are what make them even worse. That's not to say that you will have the same experience. While I rarely recommend doing this, it might be helpful to look on ratemyprofessors.com and find the teachers that are teaching the classes. It can at least give you an idea as to what you can expect (although be warned that there will always be ppl on there who complain about a bad teacher but never did any work).

I think it's good to take cell bio and your research class as cell bio helps for the biology section on the MCAT and the research will help strengthen your application. Physics and o. chem are not the best combination and both require a decent amount of work, but people get A's in both all of the time so don't let it overwhelm you.

So just do the best you can and that's all you can do. Good luck! 👍

Edit: Out of curiousity: did you take any of those classes previously and are repeating them? I was just surprised to see biology as one that you didn't take yet. Keep in mind that M.D. schools will still look at your first grade (and sometimes don't even look at the second) so if you could lighten your load by dropping a class that you already took (and passed), I'd do it.

 

[Chelslen]

Thanks for your input. I have heard biochem is rough here, but I'm trying to take as many science courses as I can manage this year to help my BCMP GPA.

And yes, I am repeating a class, but not biology.
I'm repeating organic I because I got a C in that class the first time around.
I haven't taken organic II yet, so I want to retake it to show that I can do a lot better than that, and then to be more prepared for organic II. Because I'm retaking it I'm semi-familiar with the material already, so it should be a little easier. In addition, I have 10 weeks until fall semester starts, so I'm reading one chapter of the book every weekend this summer, because we covered 10 chapters total in organic I. I WILL make an A this time.

I know biology looks weird - to be honest I was completely naive about applying to med school because our Pre-Med advisor here tells you NOTHING, and I learned just a few weeks ago by searching around here that lots of med-schools don't accept AP credit for prereqs.

Well, good thing I found that now. Now I have to take bio I, bio II, physics I, and physics II. Its probably for the better in the end.. I haven't had those classes since high school and this will definitely help me prepare better for MCAT. Plus, they're lower level courses so if I can manage As, that should help my GPA.

 

[NickNaylor]

Of course it's possible. The question is are you willing to work hard enough to make it happen. Repeat throughout life.

 

[Chelslen]

I suppose I titled my post a little incorrectly. I realize its technically possible. Its more like I wanted an opinion on how difficult it would be from those who have taken these courses before.

 

[raltima07]

Ive taken those, and like a poster has said, its school specific. If you are a good student and know how to get good grades, you will get good grades. If not, study smarter not harder.

 

[Donald Juan]

I suppose I titled my post a little incorrectly. I realize its technically possible. Its more like I wanted an opinion on how difficult it would be from those who have taken these courses before.

I haven't taken that exact schedule, but I can give you general advice on how to handle a huge course load. It's really not too bad, you just have to devote every free hour to the cause. Of course, you probably don't have many free hours because in addition to research you probably tutor, shadow, and volunteer at the migrant farm workers clinic, etc.

Eventually, you get used to not having a life. You'll hardly notice that you studied every night until you fell asleep....mostly because you won't know what else there is to do. You might consider taking a day off when you get caught up, but you'll quickly find yourself bored and unable to function as a normal member of society. MCAT studying is good for days off.

 

[LoftyIdealist]

I find it interesting that you are able to take biochemistry and genetics before organic chemistry I/II and general/cell/molecular biology, which are direct and indirect prerequisites for both courses at my university. But perhaps your university has a different approach for teaching these courses.

 

[n3xa]

Depending on what your research entails, you can use your downtime in lab to study.

A lot of the rxns I did in undergrad took awhile, so I would set them up, study for an hour, get up and take a TLC... lather, rinse, repeat.

Looking back, I would say try and force yourself to get some exercise sometime in between studying.

 

[Chelslen]

I find it interesting that you are able to take biochemistry and genetics before organic chemistry I/II and general/cell/molecular biology, which are direct and indirect prerequisites for both courses at my university. But perhaps your university has a different approach for teaching these courses.

Here, organic I is a prerequisite (not organic II), and I've already taken organic I... I'm just retaking.
and basic biology I already have credit for from APs.. so that doesn't hinder me signing up for biochem or genetics.
but I'm taking biology as well because I'm afraid med schools wont accept my AP credit, so just to play it safe.

 

[schwabejr]

That summer could be really rough. What are the lab requirements like for those classes?
I wouldnt recommend doubling up on two sciences for an 8 week "semester". But again, talk to some people at your school to find out if its manageable.

As for the fall semester, those classes are more that doable for A's. The real question is what your EC's look like.

My worst semester I took 20 hours with 14hours of science classes and 6hours of honors classes (some overlap) It was HELL to do all that between research and my fraternity but I had to manage my time so well I ended up with a 3.98 for the semester (B in a 1hr genetics lab)

If your EC's are generally reasonable just attack the semester with the right attitude and you'll be just fine.

 

[samvillian]

You better hope the exam dates don't match up.

 

[estradiol9]

Summer schedule (its an 8 week period):

• Biochemistry
• Genetics

Fall schedule:

• Honors Biology I and lab
• Honors Organic Chemistry I
• Physics I (algebra-based) and lab
• Intro to Cell Biology
• an undergrad research course -- i get 3 hours credit, but perform 15 hours of research per week.

Do either of these look particularly difficult? I'm mostly concerned with summer.

I don't know how hard biochem and genetics are supposed to be, and if thats too much to take crammed into an 8 week period. I can hold off on one of them if you guys think it might be a bit difficult to achieve As in both -- because I REALLY need As in everything.

I don't know how many classes people usually take in the summer. I figured 2 would be okay -- but I've recently met some people only taking one science class in the summer, so I thought I'd ask for your opinion.

Possible to get all As?

Also, I know sometimes taking med school prereqs during the summer isn't so great... I know biochem isn't a "requirement" but its often "recommended" for pre-med courses... is there any possibility this could be frowned upon if i take it during the summer instead of in a regular semester? I can't afford to screw up any more, even in the slightest possibility. If theres any chance of that, I'll take it in the fall instead of cell biology, or even a semester after that.

Much appreciated!

Well I can't speak about your summer classes but I'm taking a history course, genetics, and biochem this summer.

Your fall sounds like one of my recent semesters. I managed a 4.0. I had another general requirement though instead of research. I think it's attainable. I had to sacrifice a bit on the social life though. Couldn't be drunk Thurs-Sun like I was my freshman year. Oh well.

 

[Chelslen]

You better hope the exam dates don't match up.

True, but worst case scenario I would find out the intended test dates on the first day of class when given the syllabus - and if out of chance they DO match up, I could just switch one of those classes to something else during the first couple of days, before drop/add is over. Reason I want to take these 2 ASAP is just because they're prerequisites for a lot of the classes I need to take for my bio major. There are still SOME I can take without these prereqs... But they need to be done sometime this year, and ... You see what my fall and spring semesters will look like.

Guess I'll try it