<p>I know this is what everyone is told to take in first semester but for those who attended or attending Madison, do you recommend taking more than 14? Should a pre-med student be taking more than the recommended amount since most want to graduate in four years at maximum? IMO taking more classes will keep you busy and help ward off laziness.</p>
<p>Physician, UW Honors grad from eons ago here. Take more credits if you want to- that number seems low for someone interested in schooling beyond college. If you are thinking of medicine definitely stretch yourself, get the maximum benefits of the school. For example taking a 5 credit chemistry plus a 5 credit calculus is already 10 credits. Add a 4 and 3 credit class gives you only 4 courses and 17 credits, 16 if they are 3 credits each. The advice reminds me of all of the middle/HS advice given where they tell kids to take a study hall. Not necessary even if best for the majority. Also- if you are interested in medical school you want to prove to yourself (and medical schools) that you can handle a tough load- go for it. YOU are the beneficiary of the knowledge gained- why not get as much as you can, as well as get practice in handling a schedule more like that of your post bachelor’s one. The best students still will have plenty of time for nonacademic fun. Not likely to be any more work than top HS students also active in ECs are used to.</p>
<p>The classes I have signed up are:</p>
<p>chem 103
math 221
Intro American Pol. Honors 184
Freshmen comp. Honors 100</p>
<p>=15 credits</p>
<p>Is it a good scheldule? I’m happy with these classes but don’t know how much work I should be expecting.</p>
<p>Expect a lot of work between Chem 103 and Math 221 alone. And I really do mean a lot. English 100 is quite a few essays, but nothing too terrible. Can’t say about honors, but maybe it will give you an idea about the freshman composition classes.</p>
<p>I think it’s a fine schedule though, and I wouldn’t add anything more. The only problem I foresee is if you end up thinking Chem and Math are too much to take together in one semester, and want to drop one, you can’t. Although if you’re wanting to go to medical school, I guess it’s something you should get used to. :P</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>lol Funny. But if it works for you, sure.</p>
<p>Can u elaborate on “a lot of work”. Do u mean it like requiring to study late everyday of the week?</p>
<p>A lot of people in say… the engineering field take anywhere from 14-18 credit hours a semester. I think it is all up to if you can complete the program in the number of years you want. Otherwise, less is more. Don’t take so many classes that it will kill you. Your schedule seems manageable. The math class is basically calc 1, so it shouldn’t be hard. good luck.</p>
<p>My son is in a similar situation and signed up for a comparable schedule. </p>
<p>He is thinking he may want to go to Med school, but is not completely sure. He is registered for:
Chem 103
Math 221
Psych 202
International Studies 100 (or is it 101??)</p>
<p>This is 15 credits and is a full and demanding schedule, but seems doable - a good challenge, but not totally crazy or too little. He is a bit nervous about the workload which will be a big adjustment from his high school, but it seemed silly to only take 3 classes for 12-13 credits. He is also interested in his classes and happy with his schedule. </p>
<p>Good luck - I am sure you will do great!</p>
<p>Chem + Math + Psych = a potential GPA killer the first semester.</p>
<p>Good luck… Psych202 is a notorious weed-out class, the department is completely frank about it and the psychology curve is brutal. As pathetique mentioned, Calc 221 + Chem 103 is typically a formidable intro to college academics as it is, you’ve just added one of the “hardest” first-year courses to that mix, especially if a genuine interest in psychology is not present. </p>
<p>Stay organized, study harder than ever before in your life, and recognize the challenge it will be going in or you’ll definitely get overwhelmed quickly.</p>
<p>For Chem 103 and Math 221, “a lot of work” does mean late nights several times a week. Both classes also entail multiple midterms in addition to extra lab write ups etc. (in Chem, obviously). Both classes are pretty popular among freshmen and usually seem to weed out those that can endure the demands of an engineering or pre-med program and those who decide that it isn’t really what they want to do. You will have your hands full between those two classes alone.</p>
<p>Hmmm, should he consider swapping for his Comm A (Freshman writing) and then take Psych 2nd semester? He is sort of interested in Psych, but mostly taking it in order to cover himself for the prerequisite in case he opts to apply to the business school. A challenge is good, but neither he nor we want him to kill himself or not be successful. He is going FAR from home (from Virginia) and doesn’t know anyone at UW - he’ll have an adjustment to make both socially and academically. He is bright and motivated, but also wants to have fun and is coming from a high school that I don’t think has been that rigorous (strong, but not spectacular).</p>
<p>Other suggestions for a great freshman class? Anthro was another class he thought might be interesting. Or a history? Is the Comm A known to be brutal in the same way as Psych?</p>
<p>(Sorry Petlee…didn’t mean to hijack your thread 
)</p>
<p>Travel, kudos to you as a parent for being able to recognize the non-academic challenges your son will face. That’s an enormous part of the college transition and so many parents can’t seem to get their heads unwrapped from the “classes classes classes” mindset. </p>
<p>In my opinion a Comm-A is a very sensible third class with chem and math. Most people can’t stand their Comm-A courses, as they definitely tend to feel like a class just to fulfill a very, very general requirement (which they are). I tested out of it, but most of my friends all said it was ridiculously easy. Comm-B’s are where you get into some very, very intensive writing, but you can take them at any point in the four/five years and usually find a comm-b within your field of study that you actually find interesting (which is crucial since you write 30+ page research papers in most Comm-B’s).</p>
<p>Your idea to put in a Comm-A rather than Psych202, is, in my opinion, a good one.</p>
<p>travelfun, it is IS 101. :] A “new” class this semester.</p>
<p>I also think that swapping a Comm A for Psych is a good idea, especially if he needs to take a Comm A class. Psych can be postponed until next semester.</p>
<p>These students presumably reviewed their schedule choices with their advisors who felt they were reasonable course selections. Neither of these two schedules sound difficult- adding a course to have 5 courses and 18 credits sounds like a heavy load. Remember you go to college primarily for the academics and especially if you plan on medical school this 4 course load should be manageable. If you have math/science aptitude and had good HS courses you will be able to handle chemistry and calculus without problems- yes, you do have to do the work but with ability it won’t take as long as for the average student. You only spend 15-20 hours per week in the classroom, giving you another 20 hours of a normal 40 hour work week to do the homework, even doubling that is still only a 60 hour week- including weekends, no more than the average practicing physician can expect. If you expect to spend less time at school related work than the full time 40 hour week your HS classmates who have full time jobs do you should rethink things.</p>
<p>Do not mess with a schedule that has been approved by the SOAR advisor without good reasons. The advisor will have discussed course possibilities and won’t recommend too much work based on their knowledge of the student and the school. Parents may feel they know their child and have read about the school but I would not discourage any student from challenging themselves based on parental concerns. Any student who feels the need to take light loads is probably not that competitive a candidate for medical school. The top college students will take heavier, more challenging course loads and do well, including their first semester of college. </p>
<p>Also consider the source of course descriptions as “brutal”, hard… The average student may find them to be so- but what do the honors/A students think? Your premed student may find things a lot easier than most students, s/he may have to work hard, but will enjoy the challenges and succeed without boredom. Just as many HS student will find some AP courses difficult there will be others who don’t. It is a good thing the students get to interact with advisors and do their scheduling without parental involvement at SOAR. </p>
<p>Parents- I wouldn’t worry too much about the adjustment to college, even with coming from a distance. There will be plenty of other freshmen in both the dorm and classes to interact with, as well as plenty of time to do so even with these course loads. Most Wis high schools will probably be no more rigorous than other strong schools so the OOS student should fit right in. There are also plenty of diverse activities to explore. Parents tend to worry more than they need to, we have to let go and trust our child to be able to manage. Attitude means a lot- going in with a reasonable and yet challenging load plus a positive attitude towards the experiences will help. Remember, your child chose this school and is motivated to succeed.</p>
<p>Advisers at soar are misleading. I really don’t think they have much of a idea of who you are and how studious you are when they advise you. My adviser, after I informed him that I had only taken one year of high school chem, told me chem 109 would be fine. I managed a AB but I have never worked harder in my life.</p>
<p>Calc 221 isnt bad if you’re any good at math. Expect a lot of homework, and hope for a good TA and professor. Who do you have?</p>
<p>Chem 103 is pretty easy from what I hear. I can’t say anything specifically cause I took 109, but 103 is a review of everything you learned in high school, starting with orbitals and valence electrons etc…Homework for chem is probably 5-6 problems online once a week and lab reports every other 2 weeks for 103. It shouldn’t be too bad.</p>
<p>I can’t comment on the other classes as I haven’t taken them. If you are 100% POSITIVE you will not want down time on the weekdays or relax and party on weekends, then I say take more than 12-14. </p>
<p>However, note that living in a dorm with other people, you are EASILY distracted on weekdays. As for weekends, after a long weeks hard work, I never wanted to study all day.</p>
<p>Always keep in mind that what is easy/hard for one person can be the opposite for another. The amount of study time and homework time depends not only on the difficulty of a course but on your aptitude/ability and background knowledge. It can be enjoyable to spend time on subjects you like- after all you are going to college by choice. kevinscool has good info- the freedoms of college life require self discipline, no parents or professors will be keeping you on track. It is possible for top students to flunk out- EVERY student needs to study. Good luck to all of you.</p>
<p>My roommate is from Virginia! Is your son staying in Witte?</p>
<p>Slosha, I am guessing you were addressing that to me. Yes, we are from Virginia, but son will be in Sellery. :-)</p>
<p>You’re taking incredibly easy classes. I took harder classes first sem with more credits and it wasn’t that big of a deal.</p>
<p>I’ll be staying in Sellery too…I’m from California so it’s far too.</p>