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Frank22
I did notice that a lot more students dropped the 101 level biology and chemistry classes I took, but I think it has more to do with the fact that there's a greater diversity in the student body taking these courses. I can tell you that the first biology exam I took I scored a 120%, while in my biochemistry II class my exam average was about 85%, yet a lot more people dropped the easier biology I class than the much harder biochemistry II class.
Here is my opinion. Weedout courses are hard because
You're fresh out of high school and not use to a college pace course
Curriculums tend to be all over the place since weedout courses are super general
They tend to be uninteresting because they're so general
Lots of busy work or memorization of random things because again, of the generalization of the course.
With these points made, weed out courses aren't hard compared to upper division courses at all. They're actually reallllly easy. To me though, they're just boring and have a lot of busy work sometimes. Especially with labs.
You're fresh out of high school and not use to a college pace course
Curriculums tend to be all over the place since weedout courses are super general
They tend to be uninteresting because they're so general
Lots of busy work or memorization of random things because again, of the generalization of the course.
With these points made, weed out courses aren't hard compared to upper division courses at all. They're actually reallllly easy. To me though, they're just boring and have a lot of busy work sometimes. Especially with labs.
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deleted678432
I definitely agree that they're very easy. I've been scoring really well on my tests so I was just thinking if this was as hard as it gets? Lol.
I definitely agree that theres a greater difference in work ethics and test experience with these lower level classes.
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Frank22
One of the mistakes I made was studying completely by myself all throughout my undergraduate studies; enjoy learning the material, make friends, and get involved if possible. I hope I will be able to make up for my social shortcomings in dental school given that I failed poorly in both high school and college.
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deleted678432
Several of my peers say that some classes are near impossible. They say that in class ____ it's impossible to get an A on a test no matter how hard you study. Is this true for some classes, or in dental school even? I don't see how it's possible. If you know the material well enough, then you shouldn't get questions wrong. They can't just put random material on tests.
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deleted678432
Thankfully I've already found a group of friends that I go to the library with on occasion. You'll get the hang of it, just branch out! The only bad part is overthinking what'll happen if you say something wrong, which you won't.
Take Pchem 2. I have never felt so hopeless in my life.
I think your statement is more true of engineering courses or physics courses. It is totally doable to get an A on life science courses. PChem 2 was just murder though, insane concepts and my professor was terrible. Still doable for an A though. I could imagine courses like fluid dynamics or comp sci courses to be very difficult to get an A though.
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"Weed out classes" are very much a misnomer irrespective o which courses are designated as such. It is very unlikely that there are any courses where the Bell curve has lost it's jurisdiction. It also unlikely that the chairman of bio/chemistry departments meet once a year in Transylvania to discuss the status of their nefarious activities. It is simply a case of college students having registered for a class(es) which is way over their heads.
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deleted678432
I believe they were referring to classes like anatomy or immunology
Yeah, the life science upper level classes are hard but you can get an A obviously if you put in a decent effort. I'm just saying the courses that actually are super difficult to get an A in are classes you probably won't take.
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Frank22
At my university a professor was fired because her class average was a 3.0 instead of a 2.0; it's pretty amazing.
Wat. That's insane.
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Frank22
Right; one of my TAs was talking to a tenured assistant professor about what happened to one of the professors there, and she informed him that the head of the biochemistry department "let her go" because her class average was a 3.0 instead of the required 2.0. I had the professor who fired her for biochemistry I and he struck me as very intractable and uncompromising, so I'm not surprised.
That's a bit ridiculous.
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Well, whether they are real or not, gen chem was the weed out class at my school. About 3/4ths of the class dropped after the first month. Yes, they were probably over their heads but that is kind of the point, isn't it? Ochem was hard, but the teacher was very good and I think we only had one person drop. I have 2 study partners and we all have our strengths and weaknesses so we work well as a team and we were all able to pull off A's both semesters last year. Now, CVA...OUCH!!! We had 20 start the course , 5 of us sat for the final, which was nearly impossible, relatively speaking, but it's the lowest grade on my transcript! Biochem this semester is pretty hard, but its interesting so that helps, A- so far at midterms!!
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They're not that hard. Weed out classes are called "weed out" because some students simply don't have the fundamentals to handle them-not because they're made to be intentionally hard.
I've had a class where I felt it was impossible to get an A (upper div inorganic), but that was more b/c of my inability to adapt to the professor's lecture/testing style.
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I don't necessarily think the classes get easier, just the students get smarter. It might be a combination of having 'weeded out' those not capable earlier and also students learning how to study / succeed. By the time you get to third year you know how the game works.
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At my university, bio 1 is a weed out. The professors and department tell the students that a certain percentage cannot get above a C. But again, as it's been said, there are lots of "pre-med" freshman who realize that perhaps science isn't for them while they're taking the course. By the time students get to the upper levels, they've all decided on science so they don't really drop
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It is definitely GC 1/2 at my school. The problem is not that the courses are necessarily hard per say, it's just the new transition that students face that weeds them out. Many VERY smart people went through high school smoothly because it was much easier to "get the A" than it is for the equivalent course in a college setting. Not to say that the course/subject is easier, but that students are more privileged in high school: homework/assignments to bump up grade (and lots of them); multiple quizzes/exams (so you have more opportunities to improve), more lenient teachers that have more opportunities to improve grades (maybe extra credit options), and some schools let you retake exams you did poorly on, or stay after school to finish your exam---basically, more "opportunities" to do better.
Now in college, the opposite holds true. No one is holding your hand anymore. Everything is up to you on how you succeed. And there's much less lenience on your grade. There's like, what, 2-3 exams for your grade? Many students simply do not understand how to prepare for situations like these right off the bat, and also, the material is presented in a more quick fashion, which adds a new change to curriculum. In GC 1/2 at our school, the exams were brutal. You had to reallyyyy have been prepared to do well. I remember in GC 2 how all those "wanna be pre-health" students got the heck out of GC after an exam or two. It was interesting, because there were a lot of people that were realllyyyy damn intelligent, but just couldn't handle the "weed-out rigor". Personally, I felt like I had a MUCH harder time with GC (specifically GC 2) compared to Orgo. It just depends. The main point is that they're trying to see who's in it for the real reasons.
Now in college, the opposite holds true. No one is holding your hand anymore. Everything is up to you on how you succeed. And there's much less lenience on your grade. There's like, what, 2-3 exams for your grade? Many students simply do not understand how to prepare for situations like these right off the bat, and also, the material is presented in a more quick fashion, which adds a new change to curriculum. In GC 1/2 at our school, the exams were brutal. You had to reallyyyy have been prepared to do well. I remember in GC 2 how all those "wanna be pre-health" students got the heck out of GC after an exam or two. It was interesting, because there were a lot of people that were realllyyyy damn intelligent, but just couldn't handle the "weed-out rigor". Personally, I felt like I had a MUCH harder time with GC (specifically GC 2) compared to Orgo. It just depends. The main point is that they're trying to see who's in it for the real reasons.
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deleted659902
Gen Chem 1 had the largest percentage of people dropping out before mid term but wasn't particularly challenging. I actually thought Human Anatomy was really hard. It also had some legit curve with only 20% getting an A, 20% B etc.
In dental school (at least during first year), I think Gross Anatomy and Operative courses serve as sort of weed out courses. (weeding out those who can specialize and those who cannot)
In dental school (at least during first year), I think Gross Anatomy and Operative courses serve as sort of weed out courses. (weeding out those who can specialize and those who cannot)
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deleted678432
That's pretty intense
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Organic chemistry is a giant weed-out course. I'd say 1/4th of the class usually drops.
As far as taking a course that I found impossible to make an A in at my university, I'd say it has to be biochemistry. The course is taught in a manner of which a crash course on biochem for the MCAT would be taught. As if you already know the material and are just reviewing over it in preparation for an entrance exam. It's a bit ridiculous, and it's the first time since I became very determined and driven that I've thought I may make a C in a course. But to be fair it's probably the professor. If I had Chad as a professor I'd probably make an A.
As far as taking a course that I found impossible to make an A in at my university, I'd say it has to be biochemistry. The course is taught in a manner of which a crash course on biochem for the MCAT would be taught. As if you already know the material and are just reviewing over it in preparation for an entrance exam. It's a bit ridiculous, and it's the first time since I became very determined and driven that I've thought I may make a C in a course. But to be fair it's probably the professor. If I had Chad as a professor I'd probably make an A.
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deleted678432
What is all the hype about Chad?? Is he that good?
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deleted678432
I was always wondering, now I can hang with the cool upper class predents
