Taking Prerequs during the summer

[Wiesal]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Is it advised to not take a prereg (organic II + lab) during a summer semester if it will be 12 weeks long? (in regards to ADCOMS seeing it as sub par in contrast to taking it during the spring/fall)

I'm also thinking about doing:

• Organic II
• + lab
• Calculus II
• English comp II

All during the summer (12 weeks). Do you guys think this is manageable? I will not be working either (volunteering and student research will be my EC's for the summer).

 

[OchemOficionado]

Is it advised to not take a prereg (organic II + lab) during a summer semester if it will be 12 weeks long? (in regards to ADCOMS seeing it as sub par in contrast to taking it during the spring/fall)

I'm also thinking about doing:

• Organic II
• + lab
• Calculus II
• English comp II

All during the summer (12 weeks). Do you guys think this is manageable? I will not be working either (volunteering and student research will be my EC's for the summer).

Only you know if you can handle that schedule.

I remember @LizzyM saying that she doesn’t care about this as long as it’s at an accredited school. She said she assumes a transcript produced from such an institution meets the minimum standard for academic instruction.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

At my university, doing organic 2 with lab and the english class would be enough work for the summer session. Summer is nice to get ahead or catch up, but you don’t want to overload it and tank your GPA.

Consider if the English or the Calc is a prerequisite to anything else, and if it is take that so you have it done. Like if you need Calc 2
Before you can start physics, pick Calc with ochem 2 and lab.

 

[LizzyM]

Only you know if you can handle that schedule.

I remember @LizzyM saying that she doesn’t care about this as long as it’s at an accredited school. She said she assumes a transcript produced from such an institution meets the minimum standard for academic instruction.

I do care if the school is "down market" from your usual school and it looks like you are trying to avoid a weed-out course at your own school. Of course, sometimes this plan bites a student in the b**t because the "easier" school has poor instructors, is loaded with other gunners doing the same thing, and is too rushed to cover the material in a satisfactory manner.

 

[Select All That Apply]

@LizzyM OP is doing this at their CC based on their post history.

 

[Wiesal]

@LizzyM OP is doing this at their CC based on their post history.

Technically a low-tier state school since bachelor's degrees are offered

 

[LizzyM]

If it is the school you attend the rest of the year, then fine. The eyebrows are raised when someone attending a top school goes to a CC or really low tier university (think the kind of schools that have average SAT scores < 1000) for o-chem or physics in the summer. It can be a move to protect the GPA and it means your GPA is discounted compared with someone from your same undergrad who did all of their coursework at a single school. Got it?

 

[Wiesal]

If it is the school you attend the rest of the year, then fine. The eyebrows are raised when someone attending a top school goes to a CC or really low tier university (think the kind of schools that have average SAT scores < 1000) for o-chem or physics in the summer. It can be a move to protect the GPA and it means your GPA is discounted compared with someone from your same undergrad who did all of their coursework at a single school. Got it?

How do I compare to students who did all of their courses at a single institution if this summer and next semester will be my last before transferring?

 

[LizzyM]

How do I compare to students who did all of their courses at a single institution if this summer and next semester will be my last before transferring?

transferring from what to where?

 

[Wiesal]

transferring from what to where?

From a low-tier state school to the University of Rochester; sorry for the lack of clarity.

 

[LizzyM]

There is no stigma in taking classes at one school, including summer classes, and then transferring to a more competitive school just so long as you don't have a steep drop in GPA after transfer. What would not look good would be to start at U Rochester, go to a low-tier state school for the summer, and then return to U Rochester.

 

[Wiesal]

Adcoms will not know it was 12 weeks; it will be seen as summer course and summer the perceptions of shorten time and reduced rigor

How is there a perception of reduced rigor if it appears I am taking 4 time consuming classes in a shorten period?