<p>Hey everyone I've just spent 5 years workin my A$$ off to get to Cornell and I think I have a shot at getting in ED so my question is when I get there am I going to have to kill my self for a A- average with the minimum number of classes? See I'd like to relax a little now that these 5 terrible years are over so if I take the minimum number of classes and apply myself CAS premed could I relax without shooting my grades down the toilet?</p>
<p>If you are looking to relax I would say Cornell might not be the Ivy for you. Its the most cuttroat Ivy, especially for pre-med.</p>
<p>I recommend you go to Brown university if you're looking for relaxation, a time of fun.</p>
<p>I recommend not doing premed if you're looking for relaxation.</p>
<p>yeah, brown is definitely the easy, "dont work too hard" ivy, because you can take the classes pass/fail, although the pre-med major is inherently challenging regardless of school, unless you're in some sort of accelerated medical school program, which Cornell doesn't offer.</p>
<p>Premed will be OK at Cornell, so long as you don't major in Biology. I am a premed who is majoring in Bio, and I'm really cursing my decision now.</p>
<p>You have to take theses courses to finish pre med at Cornell:</p>
<p>Bio 101 + 103
Bio 102 + 104</p>
<p>Chem 207
Chem 208</p>
<p>Orgo XYY (don't know the numbers)
Orgo XYZ + Orgo Lab XYW</p>
<p>Physics 101
Physics 102</p>
<p>Bio 101-104 is the weed-out course. It's a lot of work, and the grading is sadistic. The exams are poorly written and the lab course is miserable. The TAs in lab are allowed to hand out a maximum of 4 - 5 As per 36 students. The lecture is a bit less rough, but still no fun. I hated this sequence like nothing else.</p>
<p>Chem 207 and Chem 208 are reasonable. Work hard, study well, and you'll pull As with little trouble. The man who teaches 207 is absolutely amazing and one of the best professors at Cornell.</p>
<p>Orgo (at least for me) was extremely interesting, and thus, I really enjoyed it and did extremely well. The chemistry department is much nicer with grades than the bio department, so you should be just fine.</p>
<p>Physics 101 and 102 - I'm taking these right now. The autotutorial format is intimidating, but I doubt that this course will be too demanding.</p>
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<p>If you just take the above, you will have time to relax and BS on weekdays and weekends (although there will be days that you will have no free time; they usually come three or four times a month).</p>
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<p>If you major in bio, you have another load of bio courses to deal with, and some of them are real tough deals. I am taking BioMI 290, BioMI 291, BioGD 281 (a very intimidating course, extremely time consuming from what I've heard) and Physics 101. I've had two days of class, and I already have quite a bit of work on my plate. I don't expect to have free time except on the weekends. This thought really drives me crazy sometimes.</p>
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<p>If you are organized and know how to manage your time, you'll be fine. There are, however, students at Cornell who are simply unable to earn As in science courses because of the competition. These people would have easily gotten As at other universities (I have studied at three schools now, and the standards are different).</p>
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<p>On one hand, the extremely demanding courses ensure that a student gets a damned solid education. As I said before, I have studied at three different schools, and Cornell is really on another level. I have faith that a student who pulls off a B in Cornell Bio 101 would likely be able to earn straight As in all of their pre med courses at another university.</p>
<p>However, Cornell takes the intensity too far. If the classes are going to be this demanding, the curves should at least be set to a more friendly B average. That doesn't change the fact that there is TOO much work at Cornell. It places too much stress on the students and is unhealthy. The bio department is out of control. </p>
<p>I spend most of the time at Cornell cursing the school and the workload. However, when I get a chance to look around without the burden of work on my mind, I realize that this may very well be the finest school one can attend.</p>
<p>imho, i think you should do the pre-med courses + a business major. I'm sure you can squeeze in:</p>
<p>general bio 1 and bio II w/ labs - your first year
gen. chem I and II w/ labs - your sophomore year
organic chem I and II w/ labs - your senior year
physics I and II w/ labs - your junior year (or senior year)</p>
<p>The above are the essential pre-med courses needed to get into med school (or any other college).</p>
<p>Take it one step at a time, and it will not be a problem. You will still have a busy schedule but I think you'll have time to have a life.</p>
<p>Business / pre-med would be nice. </p>
<p>To be a engineer / pre-med - that's a different story.</p>
<p>if you're not premed, there is plenty of chill time. just stay on top of your work. there will most likely be crunch days, or a few days, or a week, 1 or 2 times per semester, but i think it will be pretty easy to bs, chill, and party.</p>
<p>engineer/premed...sigh...the two majors i'm looking into... why does it always need to be so tough for us asians!!!!</p>
<p>well if I'm premed but I've got a LOT of AP credits and know all of the material I was supposed to learn in high school will that help with the ability to BS a little... Not like I want to party or anything really I just want to be able to relax a little... also if I am willing to spend 5 years do you all think that the A- average would be doable with relaxation time too</p>
<p>Cascadilla,</p>
<p>You mentioned in one of your earlier posts that you attended three different 'schools'. Did you transfer three different times before you ended up at Cornell?</p>
<p>I transferred from Ohio State and spent the last summer doing organic chemistry at Rutgers.</p>
<p>i was planning on majoring in bio for premed at cornell. but now i dont think i was to bc of what you've said cascadilla. is there a site that says what classes you take for what majors youve selected? i want to be as prepared as possible for med school but i dont want to spend my entire undergrad time in my dorm room studying... :-/</p>
<p>Some people are good at 'bio' while others aren't. Is it one of your strengths or weaknesses? Do you enjoy the subject more so than things like chemistry, physics, social sciences?</p>
<p>These are the questions you should be asking yourself. Don't refuse to major in something just because somebody says it's 'hard'.</p>
<p>Don't base you decision about your major over one opinion (mine). Once you arrive at Cornell, you'll take bio for your premed sequence. Your experience in that class will let you know if you can successfully major in bio. My experience was miserable. While I performed decently, I hated almost every minute of the course. Other students more suited to bio enjoyed the course.</p>
<p>I was forced into a bio major because I began my pre med sequence late into college, and didn't have the foundation courses for any other major. Because the biology major requirements mesh so well with the pre med sequence, it is the only major I can complete while being a pre med. Remember that my opinion is that of a student who dislikes biology. I am naturally going to have a very negative opinion.</p>
<p>My senior year is looking to be the easiest year of school yet so far. I just need to survive these next two semesters...</p>
<p>sorry... what's a premed sequence?
thank you for the advice :-)</p>
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My senior year is looking to be the easiest year of school yet so far. I just need to survive these next two semesters...
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<p>until you get into medical school. And life will only become infinitely busier and harder. Have fun:)</p>
<p>Despite the fact that you can major in anything you want and still go to med school, science majors do better in the first two years of med school than other majors. Become a science major now and save yourself some trouble later on in med school.</p>
<p>^^ No disrespect Norcalguy but that's actually incorrect.</p>
<p>Studies have shown that liberal arts students actually do better in medical school than science majors. Philosophy, History, and English majors in general are known to kick ass in medical school and excel. Overall, they tend to perform better in medical school than majors like biochemistry, chemistry, biology, and other "pre-med oriented" majors. Liberal arts students also tend to do better on the MCAT exams because they have an edge on the last section (which is english).</p>
<p>At first, it would seem perfectly logical to major in something that's more pre-med oriented like biology or chemistry but majoring in philosophy or english (and doing well in those subjects) can be strong advantage. The reason is because they sharpen and kindle the reading, writing, and critical thinking abilities significantly. Prior knowledge of biochemistry or biology may be useful but nowhere as important as your critical thinking ability. </p>
<p>This is the reason why medical schools and counselors encourage students to major in whatever they're interests lie in, rather than whatever 'feels' correct to major in. They especially encourage liberal arts and other non-science majors.</p>
<p>p.s. - My previous bio-lab TA (who's now in medical school) was actually a double major in French / International Affairs. She is one of the sharpest, most intellectual people I've ever seen in my life.</p>
<p>Do you have a source for those "studies?"</p>
<p>I don't have undeniable sources either. My conclusions are formed from what I've read on SDN and books (including the book "Get into medical school!" which explicitly states that studies show that science majors do better in the first two years-the classroom years-of med school with no difference in performance the last two years). </p>
<p>Humanities majors generally have an advantage in the MCAT and in med school admissions since med schools want diversity and may very well make better doctors. But I would love to see statistics on how they compare to science majors inside the classroom in med school.</p>