The Under M1 Club: Come on in! part 01

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😱 Manna, I had to go way back to find you...i knew there was someone on the thread that had 2 kids too. My husband is kind of like...'oh that's an interesting idea now that you've had gazillion years of education'. As I'm sure many people say 'you can do anything for 8 hours'. It is however important to really like what you're doing. GOD BLESS THE IDEALISTS !!

oh and last nite...my homework was paying bills and trying to get interest rates lowered. As a tip to everyone out there...take a few minutes and give those credit card companies a call. They might be able to help you save more towards med school.
 
Sweet made a "B" on my Amer Lit test I took last week. I thought for sure I bombed it. I left thinking I got 2 terms mixed up, but thankfully turns out I didn't. Then made 9/10 on a quiz tonight.
Odd having a class only once a week. I like my Chem class even if its a remedial class. It meets 3 times, more opportunity to ask questions and let stuff sink in between classes.

Yes Manna I am very fortuante that the Chem department offers classes at night uring the fall and spring. They even offer Organic Chem on Sat morning. Class is all morning but they do offer it. My wife startd this semester as well. She's going back for a Masters in education. She was telling me that University of South Alabama has a unusually high amount of older students. With older being defined as older than 25. She got both her degrees from University of Alabama and said it was unheard of to have many if any older students in her classes. So I'm thinking that South is offering classes based on who thier students are. I should be able to go nights through most of my math classess, nearly all my electives, and half of my Chemistry classes. In all I should be able to get half way through my junior year or so. Just in time for my wife to graduate and get a job, then I can quit and go full time. =)

Agent: I had to drop my Pre cal class. Damn prof was the absoulte worst math teacher I have ever had. He would spend all class period on a students question, forget to cover material and get mad when you asked questions on the material he didn't cover. i dropped it when I started thinking about how to hurt him. Bad thoughts are never good for anyone involved. I'll just take it again next spring when the selection of teachers improves.


So how many classes are some of you taking? I started at 3 this semester. Amer lit II, a remedial Chem class, and pre cal, which I dropped. I plan to take 2 this summer, Public speaking and whatever else will be offered this summer at night thaat i need. Probably Art appreciation. Next fall though I plan to jump back up to 3.
 
`````````````I would love to join the "club". As my name states I am a mom of 3, ages 5,3,1. I go to school full time and my husband works around my schedule. I am currently finishing up my freshman year. All the science classes in my college were full, so I am taking philosophy, american govt, and english lit. I would really like to hear what everyone is majoring in. I was leaning towards the bio degree......but the more I read the more I think I would like a sociology degree. Has anyone else been thinking of a non-science major? Classes start on monday here, and I am sure all of you will (are) be starting now too so have a great first day and GOOD LUCK😀
 
hi mommyof3 and welcome!!!
we are certainly glad you dropped by. just a grooup who is still in undrergrad-hence the title the"M1 and under". i am glad you dropped by. this has turned out to be a good place to rant or vent or share good news.it doesn't matter if you are just starting out either-there is a wealth of info on sdn,so don't be afraid to use it.
as far as majors are concerned i am a clinical science/applied microbiology major.i plan to stick with it unless the commute starts to kill me and i have to switch universities.hopefully that won't happen. as you prolly already know you don't have to major in the sciences,do something you like and make sure you take all your pre-reqs,it should be ok.(including gpa,mcat etc-😉 )
again welcome aboard!! pm me if you need to!🙂
 
Boy am I glad I found this thread. I was starting to wonder what the "big deal" about SDN was if you were still ugrad or post-bacc!:laugh: To introduce myself I'm a 28 y.o. non-trad working on a B.A. double major of biology and chemistry (it's only 4 more classes to do the double) and a minor in psychology at University of Colorado - Colorado Springs. I'm an ex-figure skater/dancer and hope to go into orthopedics/sports medicine eventually. I was laid off from my job at the end of December so I am thoroughly enjoying my full load semester without having to work. I actually make more on unemployment at the moment than I would have at my job cuz I would have gone down to 2 days a week this semester if I'd still been there yet the unemployment is based on when I was still full time! Way to work the system! :clap: Fall semester was a bit rough (I got a D in calculus 1 and a C in A&P 1) but this semester I think I've settled into the whole university setting. All those out there going to CC's and transferring to 4 year schools be ready for a surprise. It's a whole different beast! Anyway, this semester I have G.Chem II, A&P II, Calc I, and Abnormal Psych (my "fun" class).

Biodude - I have absolutely loved your posts. They are a most welcome break to the studying thang. Never, never stop rambling on here! I'm sure I'll be writing some long rants myself.

For all of you worrying about G.Chem after your high school experiences - Stop! Seriously, in high school I had an accelerated sophomore chem class (which I took my jr. year along with physics) that I absolutely hated. I soooo dreaded G Chem. We had an awful teacher and an even worse book. I bombed (literally) every single regular test the teacher gave, but I went to a biochemist skater friend to study for the midterm and final and aced both so I got a B in the class. Make sure you have at least a college algebra math background before you attempt G. Chem though and you will be fine. That's actually my favorite class now. It also helps that I got accepted into a pilot "honors" section of the class where we get to write research summaries based off of guest speaker presentations and a totally different lab section that I love. It's way more research based - no prelabs, no postlabs, nothing to turn in at all except for a paper at the end of the semester and we have to keep a lab notebook but I've having soo much more fun.

I haven't gotten into the whole volunteer/research thing yet, but I did volunteer at a hospital in high school, and think I'm going to get back to that after some spring break fun in Vegas with my bf. Woohoo! Being in Colorado Springs we also have quite a bit of research that deals with exercise science because of the Olympic Training Center so I'll be trying to get into that particular professor's good graces a little further down the road.

I'm shooting for an April 2005 MCAT and a fall 2006 entrance into med school. Anyway I've rambled enough for my first post so good luck with the semester everyone!

--Jessica, UCCS
 
Mommyof 3 and Skaterbabe, welcome to our humble little thread.

Lots of students have come through here and the responses have been uptmost encouraging. I'm sure you'll feel welcome.

I'm a 25 y/o non-trad bio major with 2 babies. I also work 2 jobs. Needless to say I get little sleep.

I love to hear all of your encouraging stories. I haven't taken chem yet, but i think with all the math ive been doing, i should be fine.

I have my 3rd big Pre-Calc test tonight. And yes, my teacher can also be a major beast.. I swear if she calls us "people" again im going to throw something at her.

The other day someone wrote NAZI on the board in large letters.. how mean, but she does act like one🙁
 
Wow, I didn't expect people to like my ranting and raving so much! It was just a way to vent my frustrations during pre-med! Oh, yes, and like Skaterbabe74 had said, you people who haven't taken General Chemistry yet shouldn't worry about it. So far, it seems like a review of high school Chem for me, which is probably why it's so gosh darn easy for me!

Everyone should take Skaterbabe74's advice on G. Chem! It's very easy if you've taken Algebra already...it's mostly algebraic equations (modified for Chemistry concepts of course). For example:

Density = Mass/Volume

One example question would be - the density of X solution is 0.08 g/L, and the volume is 2 L. What is the mass of X solution?

First, we'd convert the formula to equal mass (here's where the algebra comes in handy 😉 ):

Mass = Density x Volume

and then we just simply plug in the numbers to find the answer:

mass = 0.08 g/L x 2 L

The liters cancel out to leave grams, and

mass of X solution = 0.16 g

Pretty simple stuff, huh? Of course, once you start taking exams, there's much, much, much more to do, what with rearranging chemical formulas to balance them out [stoichiometry], conversions between mass-mole-numbers, conversions in the metric scale [kilo-, milli-, centi-, micro-, etc.], finding the limiting reactant, and a whole host of other stuff. That's why my first exam for this class was only 6 questions long. There were 27 F's, but I think that it is because the test was way too long. I barely managed to finish 5 out of the 6 questions, so I was lucky to get a B (didn't finish # 6, but I did set up the equation, so I got partial credit for it). 77/100 points - my professor's grading scale goes like this: 100 - 85% A 84 - 70% B 69 - 55% C No D's, the rest are F's

On a normal grading scale, I would have had a high C. I'm glad that my professor grades it the way that he does. 😎

Skaterbabe74 - Thanks for the encouragement. I would also like to thank everyone that enjoys my absurdly long posts that seem to lead nowhere. By the way, I know how you feel. I think that maybe we had the same high school Chem teacher! I totally hated mine, I don't think that he taught all that well, and after his class I felt inadequately prepared for college-level general chem. Let's put it this way: if no students had questions, he'd get angry because [he assumed] we didn't want to ask him questions. If a student asked a question, he'd get angry because he thought that it was a dumb question. Chemistry class from hell, I tell ya! But then again, you're in Colorado, and I'm in California...
I know of someone in a similar situation to yours. He's a kinesiology major and he plans on going into sports medicine. When I asked him why that particular specialty and not surgery or family practice or...etc., he bluntly said, "More money, less lawsuits." :laugh:

mommyof3 - I have pondered getting a non-science major myself. Of course, I didn't know that a person could be a non-science major and still complete pre-med until after I started taking my classes (doh!) 🙄
My pre-med advisor said that bio was a good major for pre-med because all of the pre-med requirements are biology requirements. Oh, and by the way, a sociology degree will definitely make you stand out among the pre-meds, since most everyone else (including yours truly) will be a biology major. It'll give you some interesting things to talk about when you go interview for medical school.
I wish that I could double-major in Biology and Philosophy, but Biology requires a ridiculous amount of classes (73 units out of 120 - that's about 20 classes). I'm just going to settle for a minor (21 units [7 classes] vs. 39 units [13 classes], not a bad trade-off, I think)
My cousin did pre-med as a sociology major, though I can't really say much about it since I don't keep much contact with her.

By the way, welcome to the club, to both of you!

I guess my rambling comes from being Chinese. See, the Chinese people love to talk in circles until they finally reach the point, and apparently I do this unconciously without realizing it, unless I write or type it out. Americans like to go in a straight line, straight to the point. I just thought that maybe my posts seemed unneccessarily long because Americans are impatient [one trait that I have gained from being in the U.S.A. 😀 ]

Time taken to type out this post...about 45 minutes.
 
Course I'll warn everyone that G.Chem II is slightly more difficult mathematically than Biodude's examples, but even that isn't too bad. Just make sure you know your log rules lol.

For example, a recent homework question (which our tests and quizzes are set up quite similarly except for the homework it's multiple choice) was "A buffer solution of pH = 9.35 can be prepared by dissolving ammonia and ammonium chloride in water. How many moles of ammonium chloride must be added to 1.0L of .5o M ammonia to prepare the buffer?"

Now before all who haven't taken G. Chem yet get freaked out, this is actually a very, very easy problem once you've learned a single equation and learn about acids and bases and molarity (basically moles/L), all you have to do is plug in numbers. The equation is called Henderson-Haselbach's equation and it goes like this pH = pka + log [A-]/[HA] where the pka = -log ka and ka will be given, and [A-] means the amount of base you have, and [HA] is the amount of acid you have. So....you plug in some numbers (remember that the log x/y = log x - log y) and you take an antilog and you've got your answer. Not very difficult at all, but you do need your advanced algebra skills.


Also, I think the grading scale Biodude mentioned is pretty typical for G.Chem classes...our C goes down to 50, but the rest of it is the same so as of today (with 10 pts EC being turned in) I have an A woohoo!

Biodude I actually went to high school in Illinois, but yeah it does sound like we had the same teacher lol :laugh:

and versus your friend going into sports med I want to do the surgeries too, but I want to work mostly with athletes rather than the elderly (not that I have anything against the elderly or anything, but growing up in sports like I have I tend to understand the mindset and think I could be really helpful to making the best athletes even better).

Later everyone!
--Jessica, UCCS
 
Originally posted by Skaterbabe74


All those out there going to CC's and transferring to 4 year schools be ready for a surprise. It's a whole different beast!

Great... just what I need. 🙁
 
Aw don't worry too much about it Agent....it'll just take a little time to get used to. Classes are larger, teachers "can" be tougher, depending on your 4 year school you may end up dealing with TA's more than the actual professor, etc. It's just different and takes an adjustment. I actually like the 4 year mentality better than the 2 yr one though. They expect you to understand more, they respect you more, but they are all there to honestly help anyway they can. Most of your professors (especially if you done with all your cores and first year classes) are there all the time either teaching or doing research. That is their only job vs. many of the teachers at CCs that are teaching on the side. I think I would suggest that you take all of your math at one or the other and not divide them up. Same with physics and G.Chem and/or O. Chem. Don't take one semester at a 2 yr and the other semester at the 4yr. There may be too big a difference in what's expected then.

--Jessica, UCCS
 
I had my second chemistry exam tonight, and it went much better. I think it was actually easier, in that there were two questions that were really concept questions, and you could write, "Zero, because Hess's law!" or "Zero, because the external pressure is zero!" and go on with your life instead of doing calculations.

There were 11 questions altogether, and they all came straight from the homework, just like last time. Only this time I've done all the homework problems at least four times. What a difference!

Whee! I feel much better about the whole thing.
 
Anyone taking/ not taking calculus who is a bio major?

I don't think I have to take it and I'm not too sure I will.

I had a big Pre-Calc test last night.

The teacher purposely makes all the answers come out all crappy so she can tell if you've used a calc or not, when you're not supposed to. The test as usual was unneccessarily hard.

I probably got a B or C good thing its a 5.0 class. I'll be attending a private school with class sizes no larger than 25.
 
Agent~ I'm a bio and chemistry double major and taking calculus 1. At my school we're required to at least take Calculus 1 for the biology major, but calculus 2 is starting to be recommended by our state med school and if I want to take physical chemistry for my chem degree then I need the calc 2. Honestly, if your precalc is set up anything like ours was don't use how you do in that as a preview of how you'll do in calculus. You pretty much never use a calculator - graphing or otherwise in calculus. It's mostly rearranging equations and calling them derivatives lol! Seriously calculus is soo much easier than precalc ever was. Try and learn the trig part of precalc as well as possible....and the log/ln/e^x stuff but that is really all that is even remotely used from precalc. Also since your school is going to have such small classes you shouldn't have any problems. I have noticed that our school (a midsized state school with calc classes containing approx 50-75 students) has the tendency to make our early tests relatively easy and then just thrash us on the final. At least that was my experience last semester when I first took calc 1. I had a B going into the final and then got 27/100. I got a D 🙁 so I'm retaking it this semester and it seems a bit more representative of how the final will be, but I'm not the only one who's experienced that sort of issue with a math class. It seems to be a sort of unwritten policy at our school to do that in some of the engineering dept classes (which math is considered part of).

Don't give up. Especially over one experience with one teacher. Another teacher would probably handle the precalc tests way differently. Good luck!

--Jessica, UCCS
 
I'm a bio major, but I am NOT taking calc if I can get away with it. It's not required for my major, so unless I find a school I'm dying to go to that requires it, I'm staying as far away from it as possible. I'm not so good at math...I can understand it, and do well in it, but only if I devote enormous amounts of time and energy into it. I just cant take the stress!! 🙄

Have any of you purchased the MSAR yet? I was thinking about getting one now, even though the statistics will surely be out of date when I apply. For those of you who have it, was it good to have it so early on?
 
I probably wont get that for 2 years if ever..

if calc is different like that then I could probably swing it since im getting a 82% in pre-calc right now.

Thanks for the responses. I would like to go to Loyola someday. I don't think they require calc, but its recommended for my major. I should be going to Roosevelt Univerity near Chicago in the fall. Its a small private University but its supposed to be pretty good.
 
Agent - I'm sure your family will come around when they realize how dedicated you are. Perhaps they're just worried about you - admittedly, embarking on such a long and trying educational journey IS a pretty scary prospect ... Persistance pays off, though. Good luck with slugging thru school and two jobs... you have my respect! Is your wife still expecting or have yall already welcomed your second child?

Lizzie - Yep, I do have two kids. But I think there are several others with several kids too.
As soon as I get my credit cards paid off, I'm cuting the darn things up! :laugh:

Salitorn - Wow, weekend classes too? Now I'm really jealous! :laugh: My brother graduated
from UMC here in 2001 and there were quite a few older students in his class. The lady who
was his chief resident last year was in her 50's! 🙂

I'm actually only taking one class now - It's an intensive anatomy that meets for 9 hours a week
(4.5 hours lecture and 4.5 hours lab) but only runs from March - May. I'd have taken more, but
the college is an hour drive each way, and with work, etc etc - it's just tough finding time , I'm sure yall know how that is.

I hope to take 4 or 5 classes this summer - will just have to wait and see. I'm applying for the
x-ray tech program this fall - but I know that's not ultimately what I want to do, but feel pressured to anyway. I may go on with it, then finish my BS in radiologic science, then take some higher level bio classes post-bacc before applying.... I'm just so impatient - I want to do it all my way, and do it now! :laugh:

Anybody here ever taken any CLEPs? I think I'm going to try and study/CLEP out of some Lit classes...
 
hi all!
Yes i have definitely considered clep.luckily for me the 4 year institution i will transfer to does accept up to 11 hours of clep.so that is the good thing.i want to clep out of bio,tho.i know i will still have the labs to do-and that is ok.it's just that without taking these bios now i really will get behind if i am not careful.i am shooting for the august mcat 2004.i really wanted to do april 2004 because i wanted to apply ed(early decision).but after reading about ed on sdn and researching the school i would apply to,i am not sure ed is for me.also the med school(s) i want to apply to will accept a certain number of credits-ah but the rub is their differentiation between "advanced placement" and "clep".so i will be looking more into that soon.
see you guys soon!
 
I think its awesome that you have that Radiological Science option.

My wife is having the baby in 4 weeks -- YIKES!

My school is going to be 45 mins away. Its going to be ahard doing all that traveling.

Congrats that you can do it.
 
2badr - I hadn't even thought about clepping out of sciences.. I don't think the school where I'll eventually be applying accepts CLEPs for required credits, though.

Agent - Congratulations (again)! Best wishes to your wife on a short and pain-free labor! 🙂

Good luck with the commute - I don't envy you that at all. The main thing I can say about having to commute to school here is that I've really enjoyed being able to listen to talk radio on the way to/from class... (I can pick up the AM stations in the car on the way, but not in the town I live in - go figure).

Yeah, when I think with my rational, long-term oriented mind I realize that the rad sci degree is a good thing. It'll add about a year to my undergrad time, but there's such a shortage right now that pay is good, and hours are flexible. Plus, there's always that to fall back on if things don't work out. 🙂

Thanks....... Much love 😍 to the under M-1 thread 🙂
 
I've considered the Audio Osmosis for the drive but 1) I dont have the money now 2) ppl have been bashing it recently
 
Hey everyone, how's it going?

I do not really have much to say at this time. Oh, yeah, I posted after seeing the responses to the biology major/calculus thing. At my school, calculus IS required for biology because in biology we are required to take physics. At my school, calculus is required before someone can even sign up for physics.

Just a little note to let everyone know.

Of course, I have a choice...Math 130 which is a Survey in Calculus, and Math 150A, Analytic Geometry and Calculus (Calculus I for those of you who don't know), which seems to be for the hardcore math people (Mathematicians, Chemists, Physicists, Engineers, Computer Scientists, etc.)

Since I am a bio major, I will stick to a Survey in Calculus. I do ok in math, but it's not exactly a favorite subject of mine. 😛

Most of my classmates seem to want to take the hardcore Calculus class though. Probably to make themselves look better as applicants. Whatever, I'm not interested in math. Once I finish Calculus in Fall 2003, I will be done with learning math for my college career, for sure! Unless I wanna go sign up for schools like Duke, which requires 1 year of calculus (doh!)

What's bad is that one classmate in particular who is currently taking pre-calculus...he asked me to help him out...I haven't taken pre-cal yet, and he's asking me for help...

(let's just call 'im "G"; he flips open his textbook and this scene plays out)

G: "Hey Biodude, I don't understand this problem:"

- 1/2 = 4x + 2
- 5/2 = 4x
- 5/8 = x

"How come -1/2 changed to -5/2?"

Me: "Well...you take away 2 from both sides."

G: "Yeah, so?"

Me: "So...what's a negative minus a positive equal to?"

G: "It's the same thing as a negative plus a negative."

Me: "Yup, so - 2 plus - 1/2 is equal to - 5/2."

G: "What? I thought that it was -2 1/2! Or -2 plus - 1/2...you can't get an answer from that!"

Me 🙄

Me: "It's the same thing! - 2 1/2 is equal to - 5/2!"

G: "Yeah, but it's an improper fraction."

(and this guy is taking pre-calculus. Scary huh? I don't even want to think about what's going to happen to him when he takes the hardcore calculus class.)

He asked me questions regarding topics that he was supposed to know about after taking College-level algebra as well, such as finding domain and range.

Whoops, looks like I ranted again. Oh well 😀

So, my opinion on this matter is...take at least one semester (if not more) of Calculus. It'll really help for when you take your Physics classes, and Physics is a requirement for all medical schools (well, at least all of the ones that I've seen).

Plus, if you wanna be a Radiologist, Physics and Calculus are VERY important! Or so my pre-med advisor (formerly from Harvard medical school's faculty, btw) tells me.

Of course, I currently have my heart set on Emergency Medicine or Family Practice. The specialties I am interested in change occasionally once I find new information about each of the specialties.
 
I just wanted everyones opinion on something...

How many classes do you all recommend taking over the summer? With my husband gone, I wanted to attend over the summer to keep myself busy, and also to get some credits out of the way. I am definitley taking my "remedial", if you will, math class so I can start college algebra in the fall. I was also thinking about taking Latin I, and either A&P or one of the history classes I need. Or maybe all 3....but I wasn't sure if that would be pushing it. I've never attended over the summer before, so I don't know what I'm in for.

Any input would be appreciated! 🙂 Anyone else on spring break right now?? We started Monday...I've never had SB so early before! It's still freaking freezing! How fun is that?!?!
 
Sarah -- How many classes you take over the summer totally depends on what you can handle. Keep in mind that you will be cramming 15 weeks of work into 10 or less. I don't think I'd recommend taking A&P over the summer tho. It is sooooo much memorization and moves quickly as it is (at my school anyway) that I can't imagine taking it at an even faster pace. If you do decide to take that make it your only class. As far as the others you can probably handle math, Latin, and history at the same time.

I've taken classes over the summer many times, sometimes only a couple, other times 3 (12 cr. is a full summer load at our school).

This summer I'll be taking Calc II, Comparative Religions, and Biopsychology. Comparative Religions is only 3 and a half weeks long though, and Biopsychology is largely self-paced. Calc is the only one that will last the entire summer.

Last summer I had Trig, Spanish 1, and American Govt and I made it through no problem and Govt was an online course so somewhat self paced.

Right now I'm trying to convince my current chemistry professor that I can take Calc and fit 20 hours of research time in. With 168 hours in a week for some odd reason he has this notion that "all" of my time will be spent doing calculus homework! lol. The one thing I will have to do is find out exactly how biopsych is self paced from that instructor before I start pushing for Dr. W. to let me on his research team though. I figure I can work mornings for him and do my classes in the afternoon and it'll be 20 hours perfect, but if we do have to show up for any biopsych classes physically that will throw a wrench in the mix. Oh well, if it doesn't work this summer c'est la vie, there's always next year 🙄

Whatever you decide Sarah, good luck!

--Jessica, UCCS
 
If working, I wouldnt take more than 2 classes over the summer.

If not working, 3 would probably be fine. Obviously the difficulty of the course would come into play.
 
I would think that the classes that you take over the summer would depend on how many units the classes count for. For example, the General Chem classes are 5 units (3 hrs lecture, 6 hrs lab), while a normal class (Psych, Philosophy, Poly Sci, Engl, etc.) would be 3 units (3 hrs lecture)...

My school offers General Chemistry part II (Chemistry 120B) over the summer, but it's quite crammed, so I'll be taking 2 three unit classes instead.

How do your summer sessions work, Sarah? Mine are divided into two "semesters" (for lack of a better word), each 6 weeks long. The people that take the most classes generally take about 4 total...which would be equal to 12 units. They take 6 units (2 classes) for each "semester" in the summer. On the other hand, I'm going to take one 3 unit class for each "semester". I'm going to get rid of my history requirement 😀

By the way, the units I am refering to are semester units, not quarter ones.
 
I had a suprise psych exam last night. Luckily it was over the Biology of Psychology (ie Brain and Nervous system) which I mostly remembered from bio 101.

Still I wasnt too happy.
 
Yesterday, I went to my school and attempted to schedule my spring class (we are currently in the winter term). Granted, early registration was on the 5th and open was on the 8th, but I thought it wouldn't be this much trouble. Anyway, I was all pumped because I planned on taking Bio I, which I love. However, I find out that the 5 bio classes are all filled. Apparently they filled up within 30 minutes, because all the nursing students lined up at 7:15 am on the 5th outside the registrar's office. So, I got put on the waitlist. (#42 to be exact) I then looked through the schedule to see if there were any other classes I could take. The only one was Organic Chem I, YUCK! I know that Orgo is a requirement, but after the trouble I had in Gen Chem, I wanted to put it off until the fall. But alas, I could not--so I signed up for it.
Here's what my schedule looks like.

Monday: class 5:30-7:30, lab 8:00-10:00
Wednesday: same as Monday
Thursday: class 5:30-7:30.

I am never going to be able to see my kids. (sigh)
 
Agent~ I totally know what you mean. Surprise quizzes stink! I had one in Calculus on Monday and probably bombed it. I have a huge test in A&P tomorrow so I spent the majority of the weekend on that vs. calc homework. Luckily the quizzes aren't worth a ton in my class -- they count toward our homework grade which is 15% total, but homework is generally worth 75 pts each week while quizzes are only 20.

CJ2~ Sorry to hear you got waitlisted on the class you wanted to take during spring quarter. Being so far down on the list isn't fun, but you may want to get ahold of the instructor and see if you can plea your case. You never know. The teachers, in general, don't really care where somebody is on a waitlist if they think your situation warrants you being in the class. Do it before classes actually start tho.


--Jessica, UCCS
 
CJ2Doc, I know how you feel. Thats just like my schedule.
 
waitlisted..ooooh a bad word :scared: .
😉
 
First off I feel for all of you with a large classload. I came home today and went in the bathroom to fix my makeup, my daughter cam in crying and asked me where I was going NOW?🙁
Luckily my husband has aranged his schedule to be home while I have class, so I know she is not lacking in attention.

What I wanted to ask everyone was if they were in a cc? And if so if they had problems with transferring their GPA. I just found out my credits transfer, but my GPA does not😕 . Does anyone know how this would affect me later? I also heard that if you take sciences at a cc its not looked upon so well by admission committees. Is this true? Sorry for all the questions, I am just hoping I didn't waste alot of time and money.
 
I'm graduating from CC in 2 months. Yes the GPA never transfers but the credits do. BUT..

the gpa will be used when your transcripts are evaluated by med schools.

So make sure you do well wherever you go 😉

Good luck LOL
 
I went to 2 CC's over the years before attending my current university. And yes while the gpa doesn't transfer at any 4yr school from the 2yr ones the credits do. I ended up having to have a couple of my classes evaluated, because they were from a quarter school instead of a semester school, but for me that was as easy as filling out a form and having the dean of biology sign it no questions asked! lol. I was actually glad my gpa didn't transfer since 5-10 years ago I wasn't nearly as good a student as I am now so I could have a fresh start and try and show that yes I can do this. I actually ended up wishing that some of my CC classes didn't transfer since as a result I'm a senior by credits already with a ton of classes that I'll never use or want to use, but won't be graduating until 2006 (hopefully).

The caveat is that your entire post-secondary career will be evaluated when you start applying to med school so if I could do it all over again I wouldn't have goofed off as much as I did lol. Oh well, I'll still make it. I'm determined!

--Jessica, UCCS
 
oops...I forgot to address your other question in my previous post. As far as CC science classes being frowned upon....

I've heard the same thing, but from what I've read, heard, etc... so long as you have upper level science classes at a 4 yr school to show that you can handle advanced material it tends to cancel out the stigma against CC science.

Anyway, good luck!

--Jessica, UCCS


(sorry if this posts twice...webpage wouldn't open)
 
CJ2Doc - Dude, I know exactly how you feel. I feel your pain. I had to go through the exact same BS while registering. I planned on registering for about 14 units...I only got to register for 5 of those units. In a last minute ditch, I added into a bunch of General Education classes (might as well get those out of the way, right?), and ended up with 14 units. 😀

I had planned on taking Bio 172 (Cell Biology), Chem 120A (General Chemistry first semester), and Math 130 (Survey/Short Course in Calculus). When I was finally ALLOWED to register, only Chem was open. So now I'm a Biology major stuck in one natural science class that's not even in my major's department, two social science classes (Psychology 101 and Political Science 100), and one english 101 class (all freshmen have to take engl 101 during their Spring semester...bummer)

Well, if you can go back to the beginning of this very long thread, you'll notice my frustrations with registering for classes. Kinda sucks that I only managed to sneak in one pre-med class this semester. Ah well...NEXT semester's schedule: Bio 172, Chem 120B, Math 130, and an additional 2 unit Biology class, for a grand total of 16 units, the maximum allowed at my school without written permission from our academic advisors. And I'm gonna keep pushing 'til I get that schedule to fit in. I have to complete my pre-med requirements in time to prepare for the MCAT, and I will verbally express it to those administrators too! Even if I have to do this +pissed+

My college is way too overcrowded...it used to have around 25,000 students enrolled on average, and now, well...try 38,000. Quite a large amount for the administration to take care of. They admitted more freshmen this year than they could handle. If I knew that, I would have gone to a different university.

You just gotta roll with the punches...think of it this way, would you be able to choose your own specific patients as a future physician? Not neccessarily. Here's an analogy that I just came up with: sometimes you can choose which classes you want, and sometimes you can't. I would think that the same applies to your patients. Sometimes you can choose 'em, and sometimes they may not want you specifically as a doctor. But you can choose where you attend your college, which can somewhat affect what classes are available. As a doctor, you can choose where to practice, so it sort of gives a general population to take care of.

One tip that I got from a college survival guide: ALWAYS have a Plan B when registering for classes.
Onto the community college topic:

That sounds pretty iffy...I heard about the fact that the GPA doesn't transfer while I was still in high school, which is sort of why I jumped at the chance to attend university at the one that I was accepted at. I can't really comment much on this topic, unfortunately. Sorry.
 
I got an 88% on my 3rd pre-calc exam. The damn gunner chick next to me beat me again though..

she got a 93%. Uggh. This will raise my grade a little which is good.
 
Good job on the 88%, agent. Your teacher doesnt curve, does she? Thats a stupid question...after all youve said about her, she doesnt seem like the type to have any mercy!

I'm worried about how I did on my psych test last week...it was my 1st day back to school after my husband left, and I was NOT in any position to be there. I was more interested in whether his plane landed safely than in neurons and axons. I had an A in the class...but I doubt I held onto it after this test. I'll find out on Tuesday.

Had I known all this crap would happen this semester...I definitley would have waited to start until fall. 🙁
 
Nice going on your exam agent!

For everyone with schedule problems I encountered that too. My counselor suggested signing up for the science classes online at 12:01 a.m. the first day for registering. I don't know if you can do this at all schools.....but thought it might help someone to know.
 
But neurons and axons are important and lets not forget those dendrites and neurotransmitters!

But I totally know what you mean. Sometimes with all thats going on in my life I have a hard time focusing and concentrating on schoolwork.
 
Agent -- Congrats on the 88%!

Sarah -- I totally know what you mean. While I didn't have a husband leave the country or anything, this has most definitely an unconstructive couple of weeks for me. Why do you think I've been on here so much lately procrastinating lol😛

It also hasn't helped that this is the first truly beautiful week we've had in a long time (60s-70s during the day).

I'm worried about my a&p test. I think it was the hardest one all year because it was all of the respiratory system, and all of the cardiovascular system. A lot of control mechanisms to keep straight! I had to think a lot about a lot of the questions before answering so I hope I did okay on it. Now that it's over though a major weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I *almost* don't care what I got on it. I'm ready to party lol....jk...got a Chem Test on Monday, but next Sun I am outta here for 5days in Vegas. Woohoo! 😀

Suffice it to say I'm sure you did a lot better on your test than you think you did, and even if you didn't you'll pull the grade back up. I have confidence in you 😛

--Jessica, UCCS
 
Resp & cardio at the same time. That can be a lot of material.
 
We just covered Cardio/Resp in my A&P class as well - but this week is spring break, so we'll go back and covers lot more stuff, then a test. This intensive class is kicking my butt!

What a spring break - I didn't do anything fun, just worked some longer-than-usual hours. 🙁

Some sort of discouraging news this morning - I just found out that my hubby's dad has been in the ER all morning, possible dx: CHF w/pulmonary edema. I hope he gets in a room soon so I can call and check on him (and mom-in-law)!
 
I havent taken anatomy yet, but my wife took half of it, I know it can be hard, but I think i'd rather be in A&P than PreCalc
 
I think I might wind up having to take that bio in summer school.Since I will be working-probably full time- too I am really not pleased with this new developement.Do you think I will "die" with a fall proposed schedule of Chem 1,Micro,A & P, and Pre-cal? It seems doable now but when the times comes....? Otherwise I will not be ready for the April 2004 Mcat-and I have heard so ,many negatives about the August Mcat.Any ideas???😕
 
Manna-- I hope your dad-in-law will be ok. And ouch on what all you are covering in your a&p before a test, but another problem for us was that we were a full day behind most of this unit and then he miraculously caught up the class before our test was scheduled, so we were all "behind" in our studying for this one. Ah well...c'est la vie

Agent--I agree about a&p vs your precalc class lol. 😛

2bad--You won't die with that schedule. It's gonna be hard most definitely, but that's similar to my first semester, and my semester now. I didn't have micro, but first semester I had G Chem, a&p, calc 1, and spanish 2 (which meant looking up every other word for a few hours to write a 1 pg paper just about every week), and this semester I have G Chem, a&p, calc, and ab.psych. Are you going to be working in the fall too??? If you are definitely don't plan on working more than l like 16 hours/week or you will die. I was working 24 hrs/wk first semester and my grades suffered for it. Now I'm not working at all and things are going much better.

--Jessica, UCCS
 
Originally posted by 2badr
Do you think I will "die" with a fall proposed schedule of Chem 1,Micro,A & P, and Pre-cal? It seems doable now but when the times comes....? Otherwise I will not be ready for the April 2004 Mcat-and I have heard so ,many negatives about the August Mcat.Any ideas???😕

Is it really necessary to take all those math and science courses in the same semester. Don't you have any humanities course you can take?
 
getting a bachelor's degree is pretty much required.

Originally posted by manna
I'm here! 😀

Not that it matters.. applying is probably a long way off for me.

Under much persuasion from my family, I've decided to keep on with my pre-reqs, but get a tech degree and work for a bit before applying to med school..

It really screws me up, considering I'll be spending 2 years in tech classes that won't transfer, then have to go back for a BS before I can apply.... is a BS a dyed-in-the-wool requirement for admission at the schools you're looking at (it is for the school in our state)?

Plus, with my kids so young, as a mother I feel like I should put my career/educational goals off until they're a little older.... *guilt*

🙂
 
Manna - getting a bachelor's is required for med school, but it doesn't have to be a BS, in fact I think a lot of schools almost prefer a BA because more humanities classes are expected so you'll have a more rounded education. Depending on your school you can get a BA in biology or chemistry vs a BS if that's what you want to major in.

If 2bad's anything like me he probably doesn't have that many "core" classes left to take so I'll be taking a lot of science classes in the next 3 years. I will be breaking things up a bit between hard and easier classes tho with my kinesiology emphasis.

Unfortunately my a&p test didn't go quite as well as I hoped. I got 106/150....barely a 70% 🙁 but I still beat the mean by .1 point lol. Thankfully our lab exams bolster our grades a lot so I still have a decent B in the class. Hopefully the next lecture test will go better 🙂

On to my Chem test on Monday, and then nothing until after spring break thank goodness! 5 days in Vegas..woohoo! :clap:

--Jessica, UCCS
 
actually i don't think they have too much preference either way. most people in med school tend to have a BS in biology simply because most people who apply are in that group. getting a BA just might help you stand out though.

Originally posted by Skaterbabe74
Manna - getting a bachelor's is required for med school, but it doesn't have to be a BS, in fact I think a lot of schools almost prefer a BA because more humanities classes are expected so you'll have a more rounded education. Depending on your school you can get a BA in biology or chemistry vs a BS if that's what you want to major in.

If 2bad's anything like me he probably doesn't have that many "core" classes left to take so I'll be taking a lot of science classes in the next 3 years. I will be breaking things up a bit between hard and easier classes tho with my kinesiology emphasis.

Unfortunately my a&p test didn't go quite as well as I hoped. I got 106/150....barely a 70% 🙁 but I still beat the mean by .1 point lol. Thankfully our lab exams bolster our grades a lot so I still have a decent B in the class. Hopefully the next lecture test will go better 🙂

On to my Chem test on Monday, and then nothing until after spring break thank goodness! 5 days in Vegas..woohoo! :clap:

--Jessica, UCCS
 
That's a good point, oldman

I haven't been replying much because I wanted to find something that I could talk about. With that said, my comments on the BS vs. BA topic:

It seems that the degree awarded is dependent upon the school...I remember finding in another thread that the BA was the only degree for someone's college, even for the science majors. On the other hand, the Chemistry major at my school has both a BA and a BS to choose from. The BA is mainly for people who wanna find work after getting a bachelor's and the BS is for people who wanna go to grad school. Otherwise, the sciences are all BS...biology only offers the BS, Biochemistry only offers the BS, and so on.

Medical schools do not care what you major in, so I don't think that BA or BS matters, just as long as you attain a high level of education for your chosen field. That's what I got from admissions people at several medical schools. Basically, if you love math, then you'd better being doing coursework past "simple" calculus...funny thing that calculus is simply intermediate level math for mathematicians.

So, as a biology major, I have to take the advanced biology courses, just as anthropology majors have to take advanced anthropology classes, and english majors have to take advanced writing and literature courses, etc.

So, my final note is: major in what you love! You'll resent passing up the opportunity to learn what you love over something that you may think "looks better" on med school applications.

I happen to love biological science...but I'll bet that a large percentage of pre-meds do as well.

With all that said and done, I think I'll go ahead and take about 4 to 5 classes in summer school. The time schedule works out well, but I hope that my studying will too.

Has anybody had any experience in doing research? Maybe the juniors and seniors out there can shed light on this? I'm sort of planning on getting to know a professor at my school that teaches genetics and molecular biology...got his PhD at Tufts Medical School. My field of interest in the biological sciences happens to be genetics 😀
 
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