Sophomore year course recommendation

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Hopefulpremed123

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Hey all,

So I am just starting my sophomore year in college and I had a quick question regarding my courses. So currently I am taking Organic Chemistry 1, physics 1, statistics and History. These build up to 16.5 units total(semester). So would you guys recommend I drop history( with no W of course-I have like a week left to decide) to focus on the other three? If I drop history my unit load will come down to 13.5 units, btw is this too little considering what classes I am taking? What do you guys recommend ?

Thank you!



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Is the history class a gen ed, is it required to take to obtain your degree? If not, take a sociology or psychology class,which would be more helpful for your career path. Anywho you should aim for 15 or more credits every semester. I think your course load is perfectly fine the way it is, 16.5 credits is doable and your course work looks balanced.
 
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Ok ya true man I'm just really scared tbh :/ the history is a chill GE, but has a LOT of busy work. But teacher is solid(easy grader).


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GPA is more important than a balanced course load. That being said, if you take 13.5 credits, you will have more time for EC's and more time to devote towards studying.
 
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I think you should consider how you did freshman year, and how you are doing so far in your classes. If you have a solid math background, physics shouldn't be to rough, nor should statistics. Organic is tough, but doable, and like you said with history, the professor is an easy grader. I don't think you would be taking too much on with 16.5 credits.

Another thing you should consider is that with a very light load, it can be easy to slack off.

If it were me I would go for the 16.5 credits. I took physics, Organic, Human A&P, Psychology, and 1 credit Honors seminar fall of sophomore year, which added up to 16 credits. It kept me on my toes, but I still did well, and I think you could do well with 16.5 credits, as long as you are on top of things.
 
Well my first smester I took 16 units(calc 1/gen Chem / English/film) I got all A's and a B in gen Chem 1 :(.

Second semester, I took 15 units but I did ( gen chem2, molecular/cell biology, calculus 2) and got all A's.

The B in gen Chem 1 was honestly due to nerves coming from high school, and being extremely stressed out about premed.


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Good job on the A in Gen Chem!

So you have knowledge of what a course load similar to 16.5 is like. If you think "I have 16.5 credits, so I need to have a good study schedule," I think you can nail it.
I would definitely keep history, as it looks like an easy A, as you have an idea of the work necessary to get an A.
One of my semesters freshman year, I had 17 credits, with history, 2 GE classes, Gen Chem, Honors seminar, and Cell Bio, and I did well. So taking 16.5 credits is doable, with the right mindset.
 
Thanks man :). I'm actually worried about the amount of work required for organic Chem and physics tbh. I'm just scared I will know the material when I'm studying it but like 3 days later I might forget it :(


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Does your school offer tutors and office hours?
I took organic and physics together, and I did have trouble with physics first semester (my first B+). However, I was unable to get a tutor for that course, and second semester I got the grade I wanted. Organic was kinda fun for me, and I used office hours a bunch for that course. If you try to understand the material, i.e., understand it well enough to teach it to someone else, and utilize help (like Khan academy, office hours, and tutors), you should rock those courses.

Repetition is the key to making sure you don't forget the material. For example, you could be waiting in traffic or in line for lunch, and you could be thinking of functional groups or how a knoevenagel reaction works. Also have your study mates quiz you. I have found this extremely helpful, as my friends catch things that I skip over.

If your school has a learning center, I would ask them for tips to help you learn things in the best manner possible and remember things that you learned.
 
GPA triumphs over everything. A 4.0 with a 13.5 looks better than 3.5 16.5 credits. At the end of the day it's up to you.
True, it is up to OP to decide what he should do. Granted, we don't know OP's academic capabilities, but he has had similar credit loads. Hence, it seems possible that he can do 16.5 hours and get 3.9 or 4.0. GPA is extremely important, but a perfect or super high GPA is not everything.

My concern is that should OP take 13.5 credits, he might not feel the stimulus to work hard that he might have with 16.5.
 
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I can imagine that if you have to take history to fulfill a "graduation requirement" it would be an easy class that would boost your GPA


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I look at your coursework, and year by year trends.

Hey Goro.
So does that include summers? Ex for a semester system: summer, fall and spring or just spring/fall? If you do all three or the latter, what's a good amount would you personally suggest or say you would like seeing?

Thanks


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It's a lot of busy work tho: reading 30 pages a week and writing 2 page essays weekly!


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yes - this is a fair point and something I myself would consider. my GE's have definitely been more "work" than my science classes!
 
yes - this is a fair point and something I myself would consider. my GE's have definitely been more "work" than my science classes!

And I'm doing orgo 1 physics 1 and stats so in scared because I don't know how much time these classes will require!

I only have two GE's left to finish , one sociology which I will do next semester along with Orgo 2, physics 2 and evolutionary bio.

And one humanities , so I'm debating if I should take it this sem or save it!



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What do you reccomend @Goro? Would 13.5 unit's of organic Chem 1, physics 1, and stats look bad for one semester ?


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