Is it possible to be Premed and take FOCUS?

Colleges & Universities Washington University in St. Louis
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<p>Hi, I’m new this site and I’m going to be attending Wash U. Right now I’m looking over the freshman seminars and programs and I’m going to be premed when I enter.</p>

<p>I’m just wondering, with the workload of all the science courses etc… of the pre-med track, is it also possible to take a FOCUS program like Phage Hungers and still be able to handle the workload? </p>

<p>I’ve heard so much about the difficulty of the premed track and I also want to continue a language so if I enroll in a FOCUS program, would it be too much work?</p>

<p>I’m sure I can find this on the site but, if I do get into the program, I can choose to opt out of it, right?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot.</p>

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<p>Yup, but you probably won’t be able to take the language unless you postpone calculus</p>

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<p>Focus and pre-med isn’t a problem. Languages however are 5 units (they meet everyday for an hour). If you do the sciences for premed, and focus you certainly won’t have time to do a language. You can always postpone some science requirements for when you are a sophomore or even junior…most people try to get them out the way by the end of sophomore year but it isn’t a requirement.</p>

<p>If I were you, however, I’d hold out on the language till my junior year, after you are done with orgo, etc.</p>

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<p>The language class actually might not be 5 credits- where level would you be starting at and what language would it be?</p>

<p>You have to take a placement exam for (all?) language classes before you can jump into one that you are continuing.</p>

<p>I’m going to disagree with marcdvl- I don’t think you have to postpone the language necessarily. And languages aren’t something you can postpone like you can math anyway. You may, however, want to postpone it to the spring of your freshmen year if you’re taking writing 1 in the fall. I took 18 credits my first semester, and it was certainly doable, but I realize that most people aren’t as crazy as I am, and you’re probably shooting for 15.</p>

<p>Your first semester, you’ll have gen chem, your focus (if you get in), a math, and then you can take your language class or writing 1. That’s 14/15 credits (depending on calc 2 vs 3).
Another consideration- where are you in math? You can actually start off with your language if it’s 3 credits, so long as you take writing 1 in the spring. Similarly, if you only need one semester of math (or postpone the second semester if it’s calc 3 or statistics), you can certainly also take the language both in the fall and the spring.</p>

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<p>I’d be taking Spanish and since I took AP Spanish language and AP Spanish Lit, I’d probably start in the 300 level courses (if my placement exam goes well). I took AP Calc AB this year so I’d probably start in Math 132.</p>

<p>I’m still kind of confused with this college scheduling because I was thinking of taking Math, Chem, Language, English and Focus. But going by what Johnson181 said, it sounds like I’d really be overloading myself. </p>

<p>Do you guys think that the Focus program is really that “valuable” (going by what the description said) that I should postpone some of my courses?</p>

<p>Also as a side-question, does that mean that I would only start taking either Bio or Physics in my sophomore/junior year?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot.</p>

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<p>most people take their first bio class in the spring</p>

<p>Remember that chem also entails a lab which is another three credits. You don’t want to overload yourself especially first semester</p>

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<p>My post was probably a bit confusing for an incoming freshmen.</p>

<p>If you’re taking a 300 level spanish class, it will most likely be 307 or 308, depending on your placement test. That’s a 3 credit class.</p>

<p>If you think you’d enjoy the focus program, go ahead and definitely do it. I have a friend that did it, but it was a ton of work. </p>

<p>Here’s one way this could work for you:</p>

<p>Fall: Chem 111 & 151 (5), Calc 132 (3), focus (3), spanish 307 (3). That’s 14 credits.
Spring: Chem 112 & 152 (5), focus (3), writing 1 (3), bio (4), spanish 308 (3). 18 total.</p>

<p>If that’s too much, then here’s another possibility, postponing spanish for one semester (rather than til junior year as suggested above):</p>

<p>Fall: chem 111/151, calc 132, focus, writing 1. 14 credits
Spring: chem 112/152, bio, focus, spanish. 15 credits.</p>

<p>The first semester of bio is only offered in the spring, because chem 111 is a prerequisite. Unless you want to take the 117/118 series of physics, do NOT take it as a freshmen. All of the slots for the good physics (197/198) for next year are reserved for physics majors and engineers essentially. Besides, if you’re not an engineer, the majority of premeds don’t take physics until sophomore or junior year.</p>

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<p>Oh wow, thanks a lot Johnson181! That’s going to be very helpful whether I choose to do Focus or not, and especially when I select my courses in August. </p>

<p>Okay, I’ll think this over for awhile (6 days cause the deadline’s soon =.=). Thanks a lot for the advice!</p>

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<p>*To clarify, my friend was in phage hunters. I had dozens of friends who did focus programs generally.</p>

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<p>Another option is to take advantage of the summer (at this point, the one after your freshman year). Wash U offerss Physics 117 and 118 during summers. You can also transfer courses from local colleges during the summer.</p>

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<p>^ I have a ton of friends that took Orgo 1/2 or Physics 117/118 at WashU during the summer after freshmen year. It’s expensive, but really makes your load lighter.</p>

<p>I took orgo 1 back home (for relatively cheap), but I’m not premed so that’s a bit different. And I didn’t need the lab or orgo 2, which is part of the reason I took it back home.</p>

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<p>Don’t forget to also start thinking about what you want to major in, as premed isn’t a major at Wash U. If you decide to do engineering, you’ll have most of the science courses done and likely won’t have to take writing 1 at all (if you place out of it), freeing up a course spot.</p>

<p>If you’re leaning towards majoring in spanish, you’re on a good track with what Johnson recommended. If it’s something else entirely, you certainly don’t have to take courses in your major your first year, and being undecided is fine, but if you have something in mind it might be a good idea to begin looking at the specific major and school requirements.</p>

<p>In response to Johnson…yeah it is expensive. I took 117 before my freshman year at Wash U…I definitely thought it was worth it. The class was relatively small (20-30 people), labs were much more relaxed than during the school year, and I actually enjoyed myself (I generally hate physics).</p>