what is your hardest class so far?

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mstori

mstori

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Chem is the hardest for me 😱 I have not pinpointed out whether its difficult or I just don't like it.

Trying to get back in the swing of things, but its kicking my butt!


What is your hardest class? and Why
 
Orgo is ridiculous. Every now and then I take a step back, look at my work, and wonder what the hell am I even doing? Why am I doing this? It just seems crazy. But I actually kinda enjoy it. I'm sick I know. Really, the class I hate is physics. It's awful. It's just one horrible word problem after another. And because I hate it, I don't put in as much time into studying, which hurts my grade, which makes me not want to study it...
 
Taking my chem in the spring. I'm hoping that since my professor is pre-tenure and hasn't published yet that he will be generous with the grades. But yeah chem is never fun. They try and make it cool for the young kids, incorporating hard alcohol into distillation experiments...but I know better.
 
I would say Biochemistry because it put concepts of Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry, Physics and Biology all together in the most fundamental yet complex manner.
 
If you mean prereqs, I thought biology was the hardest. Lots of memorization, and I didn't find the A&P stuff all that interesting, although I did like the plants/cellular bio. Ironic that I wound up going to medical school, isn't it? 🙂

We had a poll of the month on a similar topic a few months ago. Looks like physics is the overall winner.
 
flodhi1 said:
I would say Biochemistry because it put concepts of Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry, Physics and Biology all together in the most fundamental yet complex manner.
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I hated both Biochem and OChem. Strangely enough, Biochem is turning out to be my easiest class in med school.
 
Physics is the winner hands down:bang::bang: definitely has to be the most interesting to think about but the worst to actually give a crap about. No, I really don't care what the voltage drop will be with 68 resistors and 103 capacitors, half in sequence and half in parallel. Electrical Engineers, my hat is off to you. I honestly wanted to kill myself. RMS of AC current???? really, who cares:boom:
 
Organic has really clicked for me. Maybe I've a really good professor but I feel like I understand it real good. Pre-curve average going into the final is a 98.5. I guess it's really different strokes for different folks and I've just been lucky in this regard.

Hardest class I've ever taken would be an internal flows class during my masters. It had to do with all the little vortices and eddies that air forms as it flows through a gas turbine. Tons of math and physics in there. I remember very little of it.
 
QofQuimica said:
If you mean prereqs, I thought biology was the hardest. Lots of memorization, and I didn't find the A&P stuff all that interesting, although I did like the plants/cellular bio. Ironic that I wound up going to medical school, isn't it? 🙂

We had a poll of the month on a similar topic a few months ago. Looks like physics is the overall winner.
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I agree. Bio has been the toughest simply because of the memorization. Intro bio also bores me to tears. Biochem, A&P, and genetics were far more interesting. Hopefully, that'll translate well in med school.
 
For me it was definitely Quantitative Reasoning/Analytical Chemistry. I took it senior year, while I was interviewing for medical school and almost failed. I wasn't even a chem major but it filled two requirements for my mad rush to graduation so I gave it a shot.

I hated Chem all together, but this one took the cake.
 
I have to say OChem 1 was for sure the hardest. Memorizing soooo many reactions seemed pointless. I actually really enjoyed physics. I think alot of it has to do with whether or not you mesh well with the prof.
 
dmf2682 said:
Organic has really clicked for me. Maybe I've a really good professor but I feel like I understand it real good. Pre-curve average going into the final is a 98.5. I guess it's really different strokes for different folks and I've just been lucky in this regard.

Hardest class I've ever taken would be an internal flows class during my masters. It had to do with all the little vortices and eddies that air forms as it flows through a gas turbine. Tons of math and physics in there. I remember very little of it.
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I can tell you that this is very abnormal. If this was the pre-curve average, why have a curve? Did he lower grades? I've never heard of an average like that for any class. Anyway, my professor doesn't believe in "multiple guess" tests. All problems must be worked out by hand. In addition, he requires a short answer paragraph as to the reason I put the answer I did. Typically the reasoning is worth the same amount as the actual answer. The tests take hours. And I would still take that over physics. That's how much I hate physics.
 
Well, he said he would raise averages so more folks who were borderline could get the A grades. I suspect there is some grade inflation going on, maybe I'll post a photo of my most recent exam so folks can comment on it. You'll see, though, that it's no multiple choice and he also requires explanations. Our exams take an hour to do, but we have three of them, and we're quarterly, not on semesters. So maybe the exams are easier from not having as much material?

I'm sorry you hate physics so much. I found that to be a fun class, but that was a long time ago 🙂
 
I would love to see a copy of your exam if you wouldn't mind pm'ing me a copy. I can do the same for you if you would like so we can compare notes.
 
I'll get mine back tomorrow night hopefully. I hope I won't completely embarrass myself with a horrible performance. :scared:
 
ShoTyme said:
I can tell you that this is very abnormal. If this was the pre-curve average, why have a curve? Did he lower grades? I've never heard of an average like that for any class. Anyway, my professor doesn't believe in "multiple guess" tests. All problems must be worked out by hand. In addition, he requires a short answer paragraph as to the reason I put the answer I did. Typically the reasoning is worth the same amount as the actual answer. The tests take hours. And I would still take that over physics. That's how much I hate physics.
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That was my opinion of multiple choice questions until I took a professor who really, really understood how to write one of these questions. The MCAT would not have such high scores if he were writing the questions.
 
Organic 1 & 2 for me. The rest seemed so tangible compared to that foreign stuff! I'm glad that the MCAT doesn't test over everything from Orgo 1 & 2. I have to say Klein's Organic as a Second Language has helped a bit. I really liked Physics 2 more than 1. Gotta love the right hand rules👍 👎 :laugh:
 
Almost every biology I've taken has not gone smoothly, whether it be the classmates, the professor or the TA. There's always been something sour about them. Sad, because I thoroughly enjoy the material. So I'll say biology because after some days in some of these classes, I feel I need to destress. These are the classes that seem to always be requiring my attention to maintain grades in, but I think it is not because of the material but because of the "other" stuff.

Examples:
A boring professor that angers classmates that then have bad attitudes that are then not fun to be around. Or, TA's with too much authority/power and not knowing, due to youth and inexperience, how to use it, etc. Or Professors/TA's that are anti-premed or premeds that are obnoxiously competitive.
 
I find Chem to be absolutely brutal. The semesters winding down and I will most likely end up with a B, but that is with an absurd amount of effort. I dont particularly enjoy courses where I need to use a significant amount of formulas and that is all that chem is. I guess physics uses more formulas but at least I can apply the information that I am learning in physics to real life situations. Unfortunately for me this was only chem 1, so I still have 3 more ahead of me. :bang:
 
I took PChem as part of my first degree. The professor was a hardass and told us that the first exam average was typically a 60, and that the grading scale was regular with no curving. I thrived under that sort of pressure. I didn't manage to get an A (I think only one person did), but I loved that class.
 
Epidemiology and Genetics. Both classes kicked my ass.
 
Ecology. Probably what made this class so difficult is that it was so boring.
 
The genetics portion of Bio shot a hole through my brain. God help me when I have to actually take the class...heterozygous, homozygous, alleles, genotypes, trihybrids, DD, Dd, dd...FML
 
CaptainObvious said:
The genetics portion of Bio shot a hole through my brain. God help me when I have to actually take the class...heterozygous, homozygous, alleles, genotypes, trihybrids, DD, Dd, dd...FML
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I was a UTA (undergraduate teaching assistant) for intro bio at my state school like 5 years ago. Making the intro genetics portion of 100 level Bio palatable to freshman was never easy. I know exactly what you're saying. I think it's like anything else though, enough exposure and it will be second nature.
 
As for prereqs, I'd have to agree with GenusTide. I had calc-based phys 2 at a tech school. Having not taken calc in 5 years (at that point), I was pretty screwed. Outside of that, taking grad-level molecular bio right now. Pretty crazy. Too many mechanisms with randomly named proteins and enzymes, but props to the researcher who named a protein 'frizzled' and also 'disheveled'. Two of my favorites, undoubtedly.
 
Chemistry is super easy for me, I have a 98 going into my o-chem final. I guess it helps that I tutor and do supplemental instruction for general chemistry 1 and 2.

Statics isn't too bad, more challenging than chemistry.

Calculus-based physics on the other hand is giving me a run for my money. My first exam, I did not get a question wrong and still earned a low-B. Mega picky on grading and how he wants the problems solved. There are no assigned homeworks or quizzes, so I had no clue how picky he was. Second exam, I still got all of them correct, but skipped a step and received a 4-point deduction-haha. Ugh... I enjoy the challenge though, it forces me to pay greater attention to detail.

To date though, I'd say differential equations was the hardest, but I still have Physics III, transport processes for chemical engineering, and PChem all of which I hear make students cry during tests, literally.
 
Hmm.. I'm in a chemical engineering program, so my cirriculum is a bit different from most pre-med students. The reason I'm in that program is for some reason if I don't get into medical school, I'll be starting off with decent income after undergraduate graduation.

My sched this last semester was
Ochem I w/lab
University Physics (w/ calc) w/ lab
Calc II
A random humanities class

Got a 4.0 for the semester, but definitely U-Physics was a beast. I used to hate math word problems. Now I knock em' out of the park. I feel like such a better problem solver now so I'm really happy I am pursuing this major. O-Chem has a bad rap because 60% of the people in that class shouldn't be in there in the first place. Then of the remaining 40%, 25% of them don't try and say it's "too hard". O-Chem for me was no harder than any other class. You just have to be disciplined in studying.
 
TylerJ said:
Chemistry is super easy for me, I have a 98 going into my o-chem final. I guess it helps that I tutor and do supplemental instruction for general chemistry 1 and 2.

Statics isn't too bad, more challenging than chemistry.

Calculus-based physics on the other hand is giving me a run for my money. My first exam, I did not get a question wrong and still earned a low-B. Mega picky on grading and how he wants the problems solved. There are no assigned homeworks or quizzes, so I had no clue how picky he was. Second exam, I still got all of them correct, but skipped a step and received a 4-point deduction-haha. Ugh... I enjoy the challenge though, it forces me to pay greater attention to detail.

To date though, I'd say differential equations was the hardest, but I still have Physics III, transport processes for chemical engineering, and PChem all of which I hear make students cry during tests, literally.
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I have DiffEQ next semester. Not too worried, because in these classes your effort is directly reflected in your grade. Just gotta put the time in brotha.
 
Physics and Chem for me. I tend to do much better in classes where I have to memorize Bio, Genetics, Evolution. I'm praying now that I didn't fail my Physics final...I'm pretty sure I did though...
 
i survived physics. In Bio 2, we were peer reviewing classmates papers and getting graded on how well we graded. Crazy hard.
 
Pathophysiology. That was merely combination of all the bio classes I took.
 
mmdp said:
Physics and Chem for me. I tend to do much better in classes where I have to memorize Bio, Genetics, Evolution. I'm praying now that I didn't fail my Physics final...I'm pretty sure I did though...
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I'm the same way with all Bio classes. It all seems like good cramming on the day before and the day of the exam gets an A. I thought this would be true of Organic. I have read elsewhere on SDN that Organic is all memorization. Not for me.
 
UpwardTrend said:
I'm the same way with all Bio classes. It all seems like good cramming on the day before and the day of the exam gets an A. I thought this would be true of Organic. I have read elsewhere on SDN that Organic is all memorization. Not for me.
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Whoever gave you that information was completely mistaken. Organic does not require memorization like biology does. Organic requires an understanding of the reactions and why they act the way they do. Those that try to memorize everything tend spend more time studying and get all mixed up towards the end of class, as there are just to many reactions to memorize. Understanding takes more time in the beginning, but pays dividends later on in the course.
 
ShoTyme said:
Whoever gave you that information was completely mistaken. Organic does not require memorization like biology does. Organic requires an understanding of the reactions and why they act the way they do. Those that try to memorize everything tend spend more time studying and get all mixed up towards the end of class, as there are just to many reactions to memorize. Understanding takes more time in the beginning, but pays dividends later on in the course.
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👍
 
Nate9862 said:
I have DiffEQ next semester. Not too worried, because in these classes your effort is directly reflected in your grade. Just gotta put the time in brotha.
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DiffEQ is easier than calc 2/3 IMHO but it is random, a lot of the techniques are stand alone and don't connect with one another. It doesn't build on itself as much as calc 1/2/3 which makes it less interesting. It has a lot of practical application, it's just the actual differential equations that need to be solved to model a situation even half-assed are WAY too complicated to solve by hand and have to be iteratively solved with computer programs.
 
TwinsFan said:
DiffEQ is easier than calc 2/3 IMHO but it is random, a lot of the techniques are stand alone and don't connect with one another. It doesn't build on itself as much as calc 1/2/3 which makes it less interesting. It has a lot of practical application, it's just the actual differential equations that need to be solved to model a situation even half-assed are WAY too complicated to solve by hand and have to be iteratively solved with computer programs.
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Wait till you do partial differential equations.. .
 
Physics I...kinematics, work, etc.

I got an A in physics, but it stressed me out and required most of my free time to study for. Just a bunch of super confusing word problems. I am dreading Physics II next semester...fluids, magnetism, and so on.

General Chemistry I was pretty easy for me this semester...seemed most everything could be set up as a conversion, or worked as simple equations. Aside from MAYBE Lewis structures, and some of the weird wave/frequency problems. Still very easy...though I wonder if maybe I had an easy class. Will see when it comes time to study for the MCAT.
 
Physics for sure. My A and P lecture overlapped physics so I basically had to teach myself both semesters of physics and got B's in both.
 
Hardest class by far for me was Calc III

Hardest pre-req class was Orgo II. Orgo 1 was so easy...not sure what happened when I hit Orgo II. I think I got caught up in trying to memorize everything and didn't focus enough on understanding what was really going on in the reactions.
 
Physical chemistry, but it was also my favorite. 😍 I think it was the first time I realized I might actually be able to enjoy difficult science. It was a good feeling.
 
I've yet to take all my pre-req courses, so I can't say for sure. The hardest class I took in undergrad was the calculus series. I'm just not that great at math. I had a hard time understanding/applying what I was learning. I've always not felt very confident in upper-level math.
 
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