I will be a biomedical science/premed major in the fall for my freshman year of college. Because it is a Division 3 school where academics come before sports I will be able to manage both . I wanted to know for my first year should which option should i go with:
1:
Fall: General Bio (4)
General Chemistry(5)
English (4)
Art (2)
Spring: Organismal Bio
Gen Chem 2
English 2
Elective
Summer:PreCalculus
Or
Without knowing how hard or easy some of these subjects are for you, let me give you some general advice, based on the experience of S, who played a Div III sport at his school for all 4 years.
Fall quarter of freshman year is a time of major transition socially and academically. Under no circumstances should you over-schedule yourself. If that Art class involves any homework at all, it’s too much. If English is a challenge for you, think twice about taking it in the fall and find something easier (some distribution requirement that won’t take too much time). The goal for fall semester freshman year is to have plenty of time to 1) study 2) get enough sleep 3) meet people and make friends and 4) get into a new routine for your sport and other ECs. Once you’ve got into a rhythm, you’ll be able to handle a tougher schedule.
Plan ahead: S always took a lighter schedule during game season because he was on the road every other weekend, practicing (hard) daily and still wanted to have a life. When it wasn’t game season, he could handle a heavier schedule. Sit down and plot out your course load - for pre-med reqs, your major, and your distribution requirements. Build in the slack when you are in game season. And remember that most science classes include a lab, and the lab is like an additional class in terms of workload at many schools.
At some school, science classes move faster than others. S’s LAC covered the same material in a quarter that his buddy at our excellent state U covered in a semester, which means it was 50% faster. If you are on the quarter system instead of the semester system, you will be under more pressure - more mid-terms and finals, more ‘new’ classes to adjust to, less downtime if you fall sick. You want to always have some slack in your life because…life happens. If you are on the semester system, it’s better - but still not easy. Be kind to yourself, especially as you start out.
^^^yes! Everything N’s Mom said! The other thing I can add is that many English classes require a LOT of reading and writing. Even if it is not a difficult subject for you it can be very time consuming. Plan your schedule during your season accordingly. Other than that, w/ knowing more about you it’s hard to say what would be best for you.
I really appreciate both your answers. I am a hard worker academically but do love basketball and will want to enjoy college so I think I will move biology to the spring
So would the following first year schedule be better:
1:
Fall: PreCalc
General Chemistry(5)
English (4)
Art (2)
Spring: Bio 1
Gen Chem 2
English 2
Calc 1
This fall semester is probably better since PreCalc doesn’t include a lab. Did you do AP Chem in high school? That will help. Have you done pre-calc before? Does your college have a writing lab where someone (ideally a writing pro) can review your papers before you turn them in? If so, use them…Don’t wait until you get your first paper back to discover that the standards are different in college than in high school.
Your spring semester is pretty intense, especially if you are playing basketball. You might want to put off English 2 and sub in something with a lighter work load. Again, this is freshman year and there are no prizes for finishing these classes faster.
A few more suggestions: Review your chem, math or bio for that day BEFORE class, so you can be sure you understand everything in class and can ask questions. Then use those office hours to see profs, and not just because you didn’t understand something. Go talk to them because you found something interesting. You want to know them and they want to know you. And lastly, get involved with your pre-med association. They can provide a wealth of information about everything pre-med related. Planning ahead is critical and they can help.
Thanks alot and by English 2 I meant a oral speaking class I just put it as a second English class my 4 year schedule is as follows:
Freshman fall:
General chem 1
Precal
English 1
Art appreciation
Spring
General chem 2
General bio 1
Calc 1
Oral speaking
Summer:History 101
Soph Fall
Orgo chem 1
Organismal bio
Statistics
Sociology
Spring
Orgo chem 2
Ecology
Genetics music appreciation
Summer: Health
Junior fall
Physics 1 (Algebra)
Fundamental BioChem
Anatomy & Physiology 1
General psychology
Spring
Physics 2 (Algebra)
Cell bio
A&P 2
Intro to ethics
Senior fall
Evolution
Bio of cancer
English 2
Analytical chemistry
Spring
World culture
Biology Research
Immunology
Bio capstone seminar
Adv nutrition
This looks doable but talk to your pre-med advisor to be sure. It doesn’t have to be set in stone but it enables you to determine how realistic it is to complete all the requirements by the time you graduate, especially with a lighter spring work load. Be sure you factor in when you plan to take your MCAT (summer after junior year?) and when you plan to apply to med school, as well as when you will be doing your medical volunteering and research - all time-consuming activities.
And are you sure you don’t want to study abroad for fall semester in your junior year? If you do, it might take some rearranging or giving up on some cases you would otherwise like take.