<p>Hi, I'll be a freshman this fall at CAS. We haven't picked our courses yet, and we'll be meeting with our advisors during orientation to finalize our schedules. I'll definitely run everything by my advisor and check out the pre-med advisors, but I was wondering if I could get your guys' help (those that know their way around the science courses). </p>
<p>So far this is what I have:
FRROM 206 (Intermediate French--satifies option I req.)
MATH 112 (Calculus II) POSSIBLY Math 122 (Honors version of 112)
Chem 215 (Honors Gen/Inorgo Chem)
FWS
PE</p>
<p>Now, I am currently put down English as a major...we have no requirements really freshman year except to take the FWS (the more advanced ones are suggested)...my major is still up in the air (English? Chem? Bio?)</p>
<p>I'm considering these other courses to help fill my premed reqs:
Bio101-104 (Intro Bio lec and labs)
Chem 207-208 (regular gen chem)</p>
<p>Here are my AP credits, if it helps:
AP Biology 5
AP Chemistry 5
AP Calculus AB 5
AP English Literature 5</p>
<p>See...I could just take my AP Bio credits, and not have to take any intro courses. I could possibly even go to the more advanced bio courses..But med schools require 1 year's worth of intro bio and labs. I could also take my AP Chem credits, which would be to get credit for Chem 207, and take Chem 208 in the fall. But then I think med schools want to see me take the whole year of general chemistry, so I shouldn't skip a semester...right? How about English? My AP credit lets me skip a FWS for one semester, but I don't know if I should do it. I don't want to overload myself freshman year, but everything just seems to pile up with orgo chem and physics sophomore year. Any advice on juggling these courses? Thanks.</p>
<p>Edit: And why do the discourage against taking Chem 215+208? I have to get permission from the professor if I want to do that, and the premed packet says that that combination might not cover all the MKAT material...can anyone explain this?</p>
<p>Freshman year you should take intro bio w/ lab and gen chem w/ lab. The typical intro bio sequence is Bio101-104. You can also take the autotutorial sequence Bio105-106 as well. OR you can use your BioAP credit and place out of intro bio altogether. If you choose this route, you will have to take two semesters of upper division bio courses to compensate.</p>
<p>For gen chem, you should take the typical premed gen chem sequence (Chem 207-208) unless you are a chem major in which case you should take Chem 215-216. There is no reason to take Chem 215-216 if you are not a chem major.</p>
<p>Chem 215 essentially covers everything that's in Chem 207-208. Taking Chem 208 is redundant. They put that warning because Chem 216 is very tough. A lot of students try to drop from Chem 216 down to Chem 208 before the first prelim.</p>
<p>I have a question about the med stuff too:
Will a Cornell pre-med program put you in a good position for admission into another really good graduate med. school? I know they have a good rate at like 85% accepted, but what med. schools are cornell pre-meds going to? Harvard or random med school?</p>
<p>Cornell, as with any top 30 school, has graduates in top med schools.</p>
<p>Edit: I will also say that after you enter college you will probably revise your expectations downward. I see a lot of kids asking about Harvard, JHU, UCSF med schools. After you enter college, you will realize that the majority of kids who start as premeds don't even make it to the application stage. Just getting into med school is a huge accomplishment since med school is more difficult than law, business, etc. schools to get into. Unless you are going into academic medicine, the name of your med school will not matter as much as you think.</p>
<p>A good case could be made for taking Bio 101-2-3-4 freshman year. Medical schools want to see you take an advanced biology course or two, and introductory biology is a prerequisite for those courses. (Yes, your AP course would also do as a prerequisite, but Cornell encourages people to take intro bio at Cornell even if they've already taken AP Biology.)</p>
<p>You would have room for bio in your freshman schedule if you take French one semester and calculus the other semester of your freshman year.</p>
<p>As for the FWS, considering your interest in English, you might want to take one of the three special ones intended for prospective English majors in your first semester. (They're the three with course numbers that start with a 2 rather than a 1.) Then, perhaps, you could take something that counts toward the English major in your second semester since you don't need a second FWS.</p>
<p>207 is pretty much AP chem. 215 is basically the same material as 208, but harder and more theoretical. that is why they don't want you to go from 215 to 208, because you will just be doing the same material, but easier. 216 is a whole beast of its own. molecular orbital theory and all that.</p>
<p>215-216 is actually mostly bio majors and premeds, believe it or not. and usually for people who don't hate chem. take this if you can. the class is alot smaller and you learn alot more. and next year, 215 is going to have a great professor. alot of people in 207-208 are in it because they have to, so there's a sense of apathy and annoyance there.</p>
<p>and for rapport: why do you want to be an english major? how sure are you of the premed track? most english-premeds I know are people who's passion is english but their parents or culture pressured them into med. if med is what you really want, then do bio. if not, then something else.</p>
<p>Will taking 215-216 look better to the medical schools? As people have said, 216 is something completely different from the 207-208 material, so I'm assuming that material will not show up on the MCATS? Can anyone confirm this? </p>
<p>Do you guys recommend me taking 215-216 and not 207-208? If I take 207-208, I think I'll be forfeiting my AP Chemistry credit. Is this common to do, or do most kids with AP Chemistry credit go on to 215-216 (who aren't necessarily chemistry majors)?</p>
<p>Marian: About the math and french thing, I just don't want to forget all my information. I took Calculus AB junior year, so I've already had a year of no math on the brain. I've been <em>lightly</em> studying over the summer to prepare for Math 112/122... I'm not sure deferring it one semester will help my case. I'm 100% sure I want to take French this fall and get the requirement out of the way. I'll check out what you said about the FWS and taking another course that counts towards the English major.</p>
<p>aloe: that is exactly what I'm not sure of at this point...my major seems to be up in the air. I just don't want to close off all my options right now...it seems you really shouldn't get too far behind with these premed reqs. That's why I'm worried about my course sequences.</p>
<p>By the way, do these Bio101-104 sequences take a lot of time compared to other courses?(math, english, chemistry) They list the labs as a whole other section/course, while there seems to be no course listing for the lab part of Chem215-216.</p>
<p>I've taken Chem 216 and I've taken the MCAT. I can honestly say that Chem 216 has been of no help whatsoever. There is no reason to take Chem 216 unless you are a chem major or really really like chemistry. To date, Chem 216 has probably been the 2nd toughest course I've taken at Cornell.</p>