Hello everyone. I’m currently second-semester transfer student at SFSU, and at present, I’m facing a few scheduling issues that have arisen from the great diversity of classes I’ve signed up for this semester as well as some personal health issues that I’ve been dealing with and my complex commute situation. What I’ve come here looking for today is some advice on my class schedule, and what in all of your opinions would be the ideal classes to choose to balance out my work load and maximize my chances of maintaining my good academic record.
As far as my class schedule is concerned this semester, I am presently signed up for 5 different classes (15 units), of which I intend to take only four (12 units), including Bio 355 - Genetics, Bio 475 - Herpetology, Bio 612 - Human Physiology, Env. Studies 600 - Environmental Problems & Solutions, and Health Education 290 - Promoting Positive Health. Of the five classes that I’m signed up for, there are exactly three that I know for sure I want to take, and all are useful for helping me to fulfill different requirements for graduation and my major.
The first of those three is Bio 355. Bio 355 is the key piece of my schedule. It runs from 9:10 AM to 10:00 AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and is the last pre-requisite class I have to take, so I fully intend to keep it. I would say, though, that of the classes that I am certain I’m going to take this semester, this one is the most intensive, and includes biweekly homework assignments that include watching online lectures, reading scholarly articles, writing reflections on or answering questions pertaining to those lectures, taking quizzes, and preparing for exams (there are 4).
The second of the three courses that I know I am going to take is Bio 475, which is, in my opinion, the most interesting class I’m taking this semester. It runs from 1:35 PM to 3:35 PM on Tuesdays and from 1:35 PM to 4:35 PM on Thursdays and is a class that helps me satisfy one of the requirements of my major, so I plan to keep it, as well. For a biology lab class, its curriculum is somewhat unintensive compared to others I have taken, including weekly lab write-ups, one large scientific paper critique and revision, and two take-home exams.
The third and final of the courses that I know I am going to take is Health Education 290 - Promoting Positive Health, which is one of five remaining GE classes that I have to take and also which helps me to fulfill a fairly unique combination of GE requirements. It runs from 1:10 PM to 3:55 PM on Fridays only, and seems to be pretty intensive in terms of its writing requirements, including a number sizeable of textbook readings and reflections, a two or three larger writing assignments and reflections, and small in-class presentations, but no exams.
The two remaining classes that I have in my schedule, and the two classes that I’m debating between, are Bio 612 and Env. Studies 600. Each of these classes differs in considerably in terms of intensity, although each pose their own unique sets of challenges regardless for various reasons.
Bio 612 runs from 11:10 AM to 12:00 noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and, at least from what I have gathered so far, seems to be a very rigorous class. The textbook readings are very dense, and there are 7 homework assignments (each worth 15 pts and whose time for completion, I have been told, depends on one’s ability and understanding of the material), 1 review basic biology and chemistry quiz (which I already completed and got a 29 pts out of 30 pts on), 6 unit exams (each worth 20 pts, and of which the lowest score will be dropped), 2 midterm exams (each worth 100 points), and 1 final exam (worth 200 pts), as well as a participation component (worth 45 pts).
The unique challenges posed by Bio 612 mainly stem from its exams, which, if the review quiz that I took and the practice exams that the instructor has posted are any indication, are very, very, very detail-oriented. Because Bio 612 seems to be such a demanding class, and because the assessments seem to be so detail-oriented, I feel like it would be a bad idea to take it this semester because it would involve a lot of reading, a lot of work, and a lot of memorization on top of the reading, work, and memorization that I’m going to have to do in all of my other classes - particularly in Bio 355, which, from what I’ve gathered so far, is also a very demanding and detail-oriented class. However, to partially counterbalance those concerns, I would have a few unique advantages if I took Bio 612 this semester that I might not have later if I decide to put it off, including a very good notetaker, a fairly robust study group, lots of study materials, and a good score on the first quiz.
In contrast to Bio 612, Env.Studies 600 is not a class that is required for my major, but does help me satisfy a few of the requirements I need to graduate from SFSU. It runs from 11:15 AM to 12:15 noon on Tuesdays and Thursday, and seems to be a more composition-focused class. It includes a total of 5 readings and 5 accompanying question sets (each worth 5 pts), a “fact sheet” assignment (a sort of research paper, worth 10 pts), a midterm (consisting of a single essay question, worth 10 pts), a final (also consisting of a single essay question, worth 10 pts), and a small participation component (worth 5 pts).
The readings that would be required of me in Env. Studies 600 seem daunting thanks to their sheer length and the kind of critical scrutiny with which we are expected to analyze and respond to each, but also manageable thanks to the questions sets that accompany each one, which seem to be designed specifically to help guide our analyses of each piece. I expect, therefore, that the homework for Env. Studies 600 would be quite doable for me, but might be a bit much because of its composite nature when considered on top of the significant amount of writing that I will already have to do for my other classes. Also, the fact that the exams are essays worries me, as I am very weak when it comes to writing essays in class, and although the instructor re-assured me that even people who have come to him saying that they face similar challenges when it comes to writing in class, I have also heard that the professor grades the in-class essays that he assigns with considerable scrutiny.
At present, I have gotten all As throughout my college career, and I want to be able to maintain that track record, but I’m afraid of how well I’m going to be able to manage my class load this semester. I have to spend a lot of time commuting (roughly 4 hours a day) because I live a good distance away from SFSU, and I have to pay very close attention to my health and make sure I get time (ideally 6 hours) in the gym to exercise - both things which I have done in the past but which are particularly important for me not to overlook now because of how important they are in helping me to manage my Type I Diabetes, which I was just diagnosed with roughly 5 weeks ago.
I have to drop either Bio 612 or Env. Studies 600 by Friday at 11:59 PM. I know I’ve written a lot, but I wanted to make sure I gave whoever is kind enough to read all of this and help give me some advice as much information as possible to give me an informed opinion. I know I can’t take both, because that’d be far too much for me to handle, and I can’t drop both, either, because then I wouldn’t be on track to graduate in the time-frame I have allotted for myself and I wouldn’t be able to meet the unit requirements for being a full-time student. I’ll ultimately end up having to take both classes, but I’m still having trouble deciding which one fits best with my other classes. So, what are your opinions? Which class would you keep if you were in my shoes? I would be very much appreciate any advice or suggestions that any of you may have, and I thank anyone in advance who takes the time to provide me with some.