<p>Can someone give me a lineup of classes for first semester freshman year that I can get all A’s in? I’m going to be an econ major but I know that Buckles is hard so we’ll see.</p>
<p>You can go to the A & S catalog on the Vandy website and see your schedule for the next four years. You can vary that schedule but it is a base in which to start.</p>
<p>You can get an A in any class. All you have to do is work. It may not be what you want to hear, but it’s the inconvenient truth of college.</p>
<p>Haha I realize that but I’ve heard there are classes like Calc 150 where the average grade is like a D…</p>
<p>3.8 is for winners, not losers
how hard is it to get at least 3.8 for premed? how much do I have to study every day? how hard are tests? classes to avoid?
(sorry to semi-hijack your thread, OP)</p>
<p>It’s all good, you are probably gonna get screwed over as premed, my teacher who made me apply to Vandy in the first place was premed as a freshman, got a 2.4, dropped premed and got a 3.8 the next three years and is now at Harvard Grad school haha</p>
<p>My son is a biomed engineering major with premed intentions. He has a 3.5 avg after his first year and he had mono and joined a frat. So you can do it, it just takes hard work. Calc. was by far the hardest of all his courses and it is a weedout course.</p>
<p>Which level? I am signed up for Calc 155a I think that is with Professor Powell if I remember correctly, and according to ratemyprofessor, this was a pretty easy class…</p>
<p>As a premed myself, I got a 3.8 first semester (with the terrifying trio of BSCI 110, CHEM 102, and CALC 150). It was hard, but not impossible; I was still able to participate in many extracurriculars and have a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Also, JohnC, the classes to avoid (like the ones I mentioned above) are unfortunately the ones you are required to take.</p>
<p>slipstream99, you ONLY got a 3.8? jk. </p>
<p>In my opinion, anything above a 3.7 is top-notch. Remember, Vandy (and college in general), is different than high school in that an A- is a 3.7. There was one semester when I got pretty much straight A- and a B and my average was like a 3.5. So yeah.</p>
<p>If you are afraid to take calc 150, it’s fine. Try taking 155ab. I took that and the average was certainly not a D. It should be easier if you’ve had calculus in high school before. You don’t have to sit through the theory of curves and such. It goes faster and you won’t get bored.
Just remember that the difficulty of a course is determined almost exclusively on the teacher.</p>
<p>btw, take the comments on ratemyprofessor with a grain of salt. Some people say certain teachers are easy. However, it is ambiguous whether he means the coursework is light or heavy. A teacher can be “easy” when he gives no homework (a blessing to those who don’t show up to class) and gives hard tests (people who don’t show up to class thinks that it’s supposed to be hard).</p>
<p>Good advice, thanks!</p>
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<p>don’t worry; i’ve brought it up a bit since then. you know how rough first semester can be! ;)</p>
<p>My son took 155a and b, I believe in made a B+ and a B- respectvely. Good luck. My understanding at least in 155 a and b is that all Calc. tests are standardized by the dept, thus it is all about the teacher that best fits your way of learning.</p>
<p>MATH 155A/B are classes which have professors creating their own tests and running their classes on their own schedule. MATH 150A/B on the other hand are departmental classes and therefore follow a strict curriculum and the tests are therefore not curved. If you put in the work you will get the grade you deserve. I earned an A in both 150A/B and I took calculus in high school. </p>
<p>Let me stress this again, there is no easy A at Vanderbilt.
It doesn’t matter what the person who wrote your rec told you or what ratemyprofessor says. Every class you take will require effort to earn the highest possible grade.</p>