<p>Does anyone out there have experience with the Accelerated Integrated Science Sequence offered by Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps colleges? Would this be a good start to a degree or concentration in Neuroscience, for someone interested in research science rather than med school?</p>
<p>It’s said to be a very intense program, among the hardest you can take in the 5C’s. The two people I know dropped it because it was so intense. I don’t know the answer to your questions though (as I’m a Pomona student).</p>
<p>Hi, </p>
<p>I’m a neuroscience major (pre-med) at CMC right now about to finish off the first semester of AISS.</p>
<p>For starters, yes. This is a difficult course, thus the term “accelerated”. The difficulty is not in the new material being learned alone though…much of what we learned this first semester was stuff which I already knew; the difficulty rises from the way the curriculum is structured. It is both difficult and excellent in the sense that it really broadens your perspective on how you view science as an interdisciplinary construct rather than categorical disciplines. If you are into research it is very much helpful because of the exposure and understanding of the scientific process you are given, as well as an AISS/IBC research scholarship that can be used for your research after the course. In my opinion, the course is entirely worth it based off the new perspective and understanding it provides towards scientific research and practical application.</p>
<p>That being said, you do need to be careful about GPA. The course is certainly a time commitment, and if you want the grade, effort is an absolute must. However, there hasn’t been a point in the course where I feel that I need to drop because of the workload. It does knock out your Physics, Chem, and Bio requirements for the Neuroscience major, which is extremely helpful. The only downside is that because it’s also a second semester morning course, you miss out on taking Foundations of Neuroscience, which is the introductory course taken in the spring. However, this is only a temporary setback; schedule your classes appropriately and you can still make progress with your major (which is a 16-course major if you were wondering).</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>