"Time Intensive Classes" How did you deal with them?

[26194]

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I would like some advice from any science or math majors. Time intensive in this context, would be about 2-3 hours of studying /hr lecture.

So for your major,

1. Were there any classes that seemed very time intensive?
2. How much did it impact your grades if you took multiple time heavy classes?
3. Did you have confidence in some of these classes to be able to take the rest?
4. Were you cornered to take these classes else risk slowing your degree progression?
5. What did you do and how did it turn out?

Situation: I shifted my major and I would need to take these:

Fall Classes : Calc2, Physics I, Stats , Bio II and Ochem I .

My strengths are in Bio and Chem with a decent amount of study time. I also took stats, calc and physics in high school, but was pretty shaky in physics and stats.

Should I just bite the bullet and take all of it now like this?
-(Spring would then a lot spring-ier: Physics II, Bio II Lab, Ochem II H, Ochem I Lab, Genetics, Ecology, Adv Bio Class) Or a class load that doesn't make me feel
-I would feel partially home-free because I'm not as intimidated by bio/chem as I am math/physics.

What I think I can do so far:
-Switch Stats for a Gen Ed. ---Although I'm interested in the professor (she does research on applications of statistics in biology)
-Quit/Hiatus 9hr/wk job
-Reduce Volunteer Hrs

*edit I'm the fall schedule is my sophomore schedule. I spent my freshman year taking comp sci and japanese(lol), previous intended major: bioinformatics, new one: molecular biology


Thank you for reading!🙂

 

[bunionberry]

To be honest that seems like a pretty hefty load. Even Bio + Organic is already a lot. Throw in physics and that'd be where I'd stop. Calc isn't so bad but if you had difficulty with it before I'd suggest taking it when you're a little more freed up. My statistics class was kind of brutal because it was statistics + computer science stuff so I dunno how hard a more straightforward stats class would be. Is this your senior year of college? Would you be able to take another semester if you had to? Cramming those particular classes in one schedule is pretty crazy...but I suppose some people are good at doing that. I would recommend against it but if you absolutely have to do this then I guess you don't have much of a choice.

 

[baltimoreman]

It's all about time. You need to figure out how much time you need to do well in those classes. Do you really spend much time on bio and o chem when you don't have an exam coming up? If not, then you have a lot of time for those other ones. If these classes require more time than in previous semesters, you need to give up something-EC's, time with friends/family, sleep, or change class schedule.

 

[DoktorO]

Do these:
-Quit 9hr/wk job
-Reduce Volunteer Hrs


You cannot do a part time job and college and be a competitive applicant for medical school. Keep your volunteer position but cut the job out. You wont be working part time in medical school either so just take up extra debt that you'll worry about when you're a doctor and can handle it.

 

[Mel Belle]

Do these:
-Quit 9hr/wk job
-Reduce Volunteer Hrs


You cannot do a part time job and college and be a competitive applicant for medical school. Keep your volunteer position but cut the job out. You wont be working part time in medical school either so just take up extra debt that you'll worry about when you're a doctor and can handle it.

It might depend on the job and what you can handle. If you do something like tutoring a few hours a week that should only be helpful for the future and keep you fresh for the MCAT.

 

[The Bunk]

Sometimes when you change plans in the middle of undergrad, you end up needing an extra year to graduate. There's no law that says you must finish in 4 years. Don't over-do it and wreck your GPA.

 

[sworzeh]

Do these:
-Quit 9hr/wk job
-Reduce Volunteer Hrs


You cannot do a part time job and college and be a competitive applicant for medical school. Keep your volunteer position but cut the job out. You wont be working part time in medical school either so just take up extra debt that you'll worry about when you're a doctor and can handle it.

You can't do 9hrs/week? I don't even...

Many people work full time and still remain competitive.

 

[26194]

Ha, I had bioinformatics in mind before this. I'll keep that in mind through, about certain class combinations. I should also add that I'll be a sophomore this semester, so I do have some time. The problem is I would like to get somethings out of the way like physics and math, the rest of my major consists of upper level bio courses. Maybe the first week of the semester will tell me for sure😕

That's true, I tend to study in intervals, more so when exams do come up. I'll have to work up better time management and stick with it. I can do without some excess time spending in the things you mentioned (aside from sleep haha I'm a zombie without it.)

.

A bit much, I have a pesky older sister who insist I have at least any kind of job to make sure I understand money, "work" for experience with other people (not like I don't get that everywhere I go), and balance life, school, and work. I've given her some excuses, such as I could be studying more, but what good is more if it might not actually better. At the moment though I am volunteering 8 hours a week...I'll probably cut that down to 4.

It might depend on the job and what you can handle. If you do something like tutoring a few hours a week that should only be helpful for the future and keep you fresh for the MCAT.

Thanks for the advice! I will look into something like that!

Sometimes when you change plans in the middle of undergrad, you end up needing an extra year to graduate. There's no law that says you must finish in 4 years. Don't over-do it and wreck your GPA.

Haha thanks...I do really want to preserve my GPA. I just have some pressure to go a little faster. Firstly my parents support me (when they should be retired), and secondly they are aging with more health problems springing up. My dad(70) even joked, "you should be a pharmacist so I can see you and meet my future grandchildren!"

You can't do 9hrs/week? I don't even...

Many people work full time and still remain competitive.

👍 I feel this way too actually, I don't want to give up my small job...you know, why can't be like many people. But some people are different and have different course loads and how much they can handle. I don't want to fall into that point but if I feel it's a bit much for me to handle I might. very cute bunny btw. 🙂

 

[deleted303591]

You might want to take a look at the Guaranteed 4.0 plan. Although it takes a lot of work initially (adjustment), it will save you time and frustration when it comes to your courses.

It consists of Bullet Point Reading (BPR), Bullet Point Notes (BPN), and Bullet Point Corrections (BPC).

All of my friends who have successfully followed the plan have plenty of free time as engineering students. I have heard of people with ADHD even breaking curves in courses by using this plan.

 

[Beargryllz]

Do these:
-Quit 9hr/wk job
-Reduce Volunteer Hrs


You cannot do a part time job and college and be a competitive applicant for medical school. Keep your volunteer position but cut the job out. You wont be working part time in medical school either so just take up extra debt that you'll worry about when you're a doctor and can handle it.

If you don't work full time and have a decent class schedule, you aren't very competitive at all

 

[Koalafied]

I would like some advice from any science or math majors. Time intensive in this context, would be about 2-3 hours of studying /hr lecture.

So for your major,

1. Were there any classes that seemed very time intensive? Some. But not ochem.
2. How much did it impact your grades if you took multiple time heavy classes? Large dependent on the student. I've seen non-trads and post-baccs juggled schedules like this while raising their own family.
3. Did you have confidence in some of these classes to be able to take the rest? Yes, plenty.
4. Were you cornered to take these classes else risk slowing your degree progression? Nope. I graduated on time.
5. What did you do and how did it turn out? This is becoming pryee.

Situation: I shifted my major and I would need to take these:

Fall Classes : Calc2, Physics I, Stats , Bio II and Ochem I .

My strengths are in Bio and Chem with a decent amount of study time. I also took stats, calc and physics in high school, but was pretty shaky in physics and stats.

Should I just bite the bullet and take all of it now like this?
-(Spring would then a lot spring-ier: Physics II, Bio II Lab, Ochem II H, Ochem I Lab, Genetics, Ecology, Adv Bio Class) Or a class load that doesn't make me feel
-I would feel partially home-free because I'm not as intimidated by bio/chem as I am math/physics.

What I think I can do so far:
-Switch Stats for a Gen Ed. ---Although I'm interested in the professor (she does research on applications of statistics in biology)
-Quit/Hiatus 9hr/wk job
-Reduce Volunteer Hrs

*edit I'm the fall schedule is my sophomore schedule. I spent my freshman year taking comp sci and japanese(lol), previous intended major: bioinformatics, new one: molecular biology


Thank you for reading!🙂

As a multi-major, I can bias-ly say that fall is doable assuming you did well in the relevant AP course(s) prior to enrolling into these courses. Spring, though, is largely dependent on fall semester. Depending on how your foundation in ochem was set, it can only go one of three ways: straight-up-memorization, straight-up-understanding, or straight-up-both. In genetics, there was plenty of application based problems, yet an interesting subject. In advance biology courses i.e. bioinformatics lots of outside learning. Also, isn't ochem I lab a a co-requisite for ochem I and are you trying to graduate early?