Starting college in few weeks. This is my first semester schedule. How much time

[alexfoleyc]

---

Members do not see this ad.

How much time should I spend everyday for each of these classes in order to attain an A? And do you have any specific advice? It is a fresh start, dont want to screw up!

Biology 101
Biology Lab- I am really worried about this session, because I had really bad news about this particular lab instructor. I heard that no matter how much you study, read the book verbatim, study notes verbatim, and take notes, the instructor will screw you up. I heard her test are impossible. 50% being the overall class average. I cant switch classes because it is conflicting with other classes.
Precalculus
Writing Seminar
Healthcare Ethnics
Univ. Seminar: Promoting Psychosocial health -I took this because they said we will be participating research, which is good since you get research experience. What else do you think we will be doing? there are only 14 students in this class.
Theology: Religion and Law --I swear, I feel bored already! LOL Well, my university requires you to take 2 religion classes. Out of about 18 religious classes, I find this slightly interesting compared to others.


I could take chemistry, because chem is full this whole year!! I will be taking chem 101 and 102 during the summer in two sessions;it will be insane though! See the problem is that my univ is factory for premeds, so the science class fill up like crazy. I might be tranferring to a different school with less premeds after a yr though. FYI: I am a psych major(B.S.),17 credit hours.

 

[alexfoleyc]

CORRECTION: I "couldn't" take chem.........

 

[Retsage]

Step 1: Relax.
Step 2: Adapt.

It's impossible to know how much time you'll need. What you need, what I need, and what someone else will need to learn the same information is hugely variable. Just chill and go with the flow as the time arrives.

 

[lisasimpson87]

yea i agree with the above poster...nobody can tell you how much time you need to put in to do well in a class. what i CAN tell you is to do what i did- study your ass off first semester freshman year, put in way more time than you think is required, and do really well. this way the following semesters you can tone it down to how much is really required to do well (assuming you're not interested in learning for the sake of learning)- the other strategy is to figure out how much work is required as you go along, but this way theres a chance that you'll drastically undershoot how much time you need to put in and end up screwing yourself with a low GPA freshman fall, which is tough to bounce back from if you're taking sequence classes that build off each other (e.g. taking calc I, doing poorly, not learning the material, then taking calc II and trying to get by without having a solid calc I foundation)...hope that helps! and RELAX

 

[dtepper]

totally agree with retsage... relax, go at your own pace and use the first semester as a learning experience... You'll have plenty of other semesters to bring up your gpa if it goes in the wrong direction. Good luck! and don't forget to have fun!!!!, because, while (depending on the school) it might not get a large amount harder, it definitely won't get easier when MCATs roll around! Saying it a second time for emphasis: Have fun!

Edit: To clarify: By have fun I don't mean I would recommend going out drinking every night, and then OD-ing on caffeine and getting sent to the hospital because you're cramming for your midterm.

 

[TehDoc]

Take as many classes as you can, it'll be easy.

 

[flip26]

Get to know your profs...go to office hours with real questions...understand EXACTLY how they grade you and what you need to do to make As...do not be aloof - make sure your profs know who you are (in a positive sense)...and work hard - better to overdo it your first semester and make an easy 4.0 than to slack and make a 2 point zippity do dah...

 

[lord_jeebus]

Here's a secret:

Heavy courseloads won't impress admissions committees. Do what it takes to graduate and meet the prereqs. Use the time you save to do something unique.

 

[ar2388]

that is like 7 classes youve got there!
drop stuff!
why not take bio without the lab and do the lab next yr with a better prof?
drop religion. take it senior yr or something. how many credits is all that? take max 5 classes.

 

[lrkoehle]

Be sure to over study for your pre-med required courses, because you definitely see that material again come MCAT time. Far too many premeds do the minimum to get their A, and then can't figure out why their practice tests plateau out in the mid 20s.

Also, for classes the "everyone" says are "super hard" should be viewed as a challenge, not impossible. If your go in with the mentality that it is impossible, you are much more likely to sell yourself short and wind up with a B. Also, I can pretty much guarantee plenty of past students have been successful in that class, so it can't be impossible, and plus introductory premed classes are LOADED with people who likely won't even last a semester as a "premed." Work hard and keep your priorities in order, and you shouldn't end up like those people.

 

[TheWildcat08]

dude, you're a freshman, enjoy your first year in college. you can have a full schedule for your last three years. but just remember, this is your first year in college. i dont know if you are someone who transitions quickly, but you don't want to trip up on a lot of BCPM courses during your first semester. chilllllll. college is primarily for academics, but if you have no time for yourself (especially during your first year) you're gonna burn yourself out.

 

[armybound]

college is an adjustment. you'll spend a lot more time than the juniors & seniors would.

if you're serious about good grades, expect to spend 3-4 hours a day studying if you want to take the weekends off.

 

[TheWildcat08]

oh and one more thing, about the lab. labs are like that everywhere. for my physiology, biology, chem, ochem labs, the averages were always below 60. yet, i got A's in all my labs. This is what I recommend:

1) Go into office hours. Make sure you bring specific questions. Be quick and to the point.
2) Before I turned in my first 3 or 4 lab reports, I took them into the TA and asked him to edit it. He tore it up, but when I turned them in I got a 95-100. Everybody else got like 60's and didn't understand what I was doing.
3) Even if you fail your quizzes/exams in your lab, don't worry about it. In my physiology lab, there was absolutely no curve. my friend got a 89 and got a B. However, I got a 86 and got an A. As long as you're friendly and the TA sees you are working your ass off, they will respect and reward you. TAs don't have to justify their final grade when they submit it to the professor. They just give professors the letter grade and that's it. (well, this is how it was at my school.)
4) Don't be that kid that always asks questions in labs and answers every question. or especially that kid that brings up random facts to make him/her look smart. you will look like a douche and TAs get annoyed.

 

[anomalous738232]

4) Don't be that kid that always asks questions in labs and answers every question. or especially that kid that brings up random facts to make him/her look smart. you will look like a douche and TAs get annoyed.

i like this guy/girl. definitely agree with this viewpoint. you want to make sure you give yourself the upper hand by becoming as close to your TA's & profs as possible, but do not become a teacher's pet. you're there as a student, to learn and earn a good grade- not become someones kiss-as$ buddy buddy. save the other students their time by saving YOUR questions for office hours/after class. nothing gets more annoying than that kid who "knows it all" and spends 15 minutes of every lecture arguing with the prof.

 

[bcat85]

"How much time..." is a difficult question to answer. You may have to study 8 hours a night to pull it off, or you may be able to just get an A by studying for 2 or 3 hours the night before the test. It depends on you. Work hard and see what works.

 

[stixx]

This thread makes no sense. Shouldn't you be asking upperclassmen at your school, who actually know something about how the courses are taught/evaluated?

Only thing I would suggest is to not ruin your summer with chem. Classes tend to open up within the first few weeks of class. Keep checking. Barring that save it til second year.

 

[Diksha]

I agree that you shouldn't worry so much about bio lab. A 50 average does not mean it is impossible; it means everyone has no clue what they are doing. Find that one person who has a clue and ask them what they did to study for tests.