<p>How difficult is it to take 2 sciences in one year?</p>
<p>Say in first semester:
Calc1
Gen chem 1
Gen physics 1
Intro to engineering
English course
Economics </p>
<p>Should I stick to one science class? Or double up?
If I choose one- I'm thinking of sticking with general chemistry </p>
<p>It’s going to to depend on you, your preparation, your work ethic and study skills, your science/math ability, any pre-requisites or co-requisites required and the exact type of engineering you’re majoring in.</p>
<p>What’s your department recommending? Engineering has pretty lockstep curriculum and if you don’t take your intro level coursework at the recommended time and in the recommended order, you could find yourself unable to complete your degree on time.</p>
<p>I know that at both Ds’ universities, freshman engineers have to double up on sciences (chem & physics) for at least 1 semester of their freshman year.</p>
<p>FWIW, both Ds took 2 sciences (chem & physics; chem & bio) plus advanced calc as first semester freshmen. It didn’t seem to do either of them any permanent harm. :p</p>
<p>Instead of econ as GE elective, consider taking psych or sociology instead. You’ll need both for 2015 MCAT.</p>
<p>It’s also very common for freshmen engineers to double up on sciences their first or second semester at my school. A typical semester schedule consists of the first four courses on your list with some variation.</p>
<p>But I think throwing an English course and an intro econ course to the mix may be a little much for your first semester, let alone any semester. </p>
<p>I don’t think I’ve had a semester with fewer than 2 science classes. It depends on how well prepared you think you are for the courses. Did you have both chemistry and physics classes in high school? That should make you more comfortable/familiar with the material for these courses. If you think you can handle it, I wouldn’t second guess yourself.</p>
<p>Are Gen chem, Gen physics difficult for YOU or you have easy time with them. The general rule that D. had was 2 difficult classes / semster. In your case, I imagine that Engineering classes would be more difficult than science classes. In D’s case, ALL science classes with the exception of Gen. Chme. were difficult. It depends on the college, your background and your personal ability in each class.</p>
<p>I already took AP calc, AP physics and AP chem, so those 3 college courses wouldn’t be anything new to me… @MiamiDAP @WayOutWestMom<br>
Which is why I was thinking of just taking both. </p>
<p>That way I can take Orgo Sophmore year instead of junior year. The college I’m going to has all chem Es to take orgo junior year… I’m thinking that’s kind of late for me, if I wanna take the Mcat. I’m guessing you take it by junior year. </p>
<p>Which AP Physics did you take? B or C? </p>
<p>Engineers are required to take calc-based physics as part of their degree requirements. Unless you took AP Phys-C (both E&M AND mechanics) I wouldn’t discount the difficulty of engineering physics. </p>
<p>RE: AP Chem—D2’s college gen chem class blew thru everything she’d learned in a full year of AP Chem before fall midterms. And given you only scored a 3 on your AP Chem, you have some serious holes in your chem preparation.</p>
<p>Don’t get cocky.</p>
<p>Remember Med school admission is a marathon, not a sprint.</p>
<p>AP classes are not a substitute for college classes. Even kids that had 5’s on their AP tests still go through the weed out classes. If you had a 3, well, WOWM said it.</p>
<p>My son got all 5s on AP tests for Chem, Physic and Calc. He’s not taking them freshman year at college (will be chemE major) - during the summer he’s going to do a refresher in all three with coursera. Most he’s talked to advised him to go this route. We don’t have any experience in this area (first kid off to college). We hope its the right decision…</p>
<p>Calc is calc. AP, if taught well, is fine. D2 said that AP Calc BC skips a few topics covered by college Calc 1 & 2, but anything missing was easy enough to pick up along the way. (D2 was a TA for Calc 1, 2, 3 and linear algebra for 3 1/2 years during college. She also took Calc BC in high school, so is familiar with it both as teacher and a student.)</p>
<p>As for AP chem and AP physics–it really depends on the college’s curriculum and how well the AP classes were taught. </p>
<p>At D2’s university, science and engineering majors are not allowed to use AP science credits (bio, chem, physics) to place out of intro level classes because the content of the intro classes basically assumes everyone has already taken an AP in the subject material. </p>
<p>@momofboymidma
</p>
<p>Your son will be fine. My college (flagship public) gave me 55 semester credits for 10 AP classes (all 5s) which included Chem, Bio, Physics C and Calc BC. I was a chem major and started freshman year with Orgo I/II and had no problems with any upper division science courses and did not retake any of the AP classes. Retaking any AP class where you scored a 5 is a waste of time and if your college requires you to do so, I wouldn’t go to that college. Be aware that depending on the medical schools your S wants to attend, he may be required to take upper division sciences (chem, bio, physics) to satisfy med school pre-reqs. Check the med school websites and/or the MSAR for details. Best of luck to your S. </p>
<p>BTW, if your S wants to review Chem, Physics and Calc, he should use MCAT study guides. Always study for the future not the past 
</p>
<p>Well, I was far from being cocky in that response… I just wanted to give a little background information that I thought would help assist me… FYI…</p>
<p>And I took physics b (trust me, definitely not something to be cocky about in the first place)…</p>
<p>And of course I have serious holes in chem I took it what a year ago… I just want to know about the feasibility of taking these courses in the same year given the fact that I am familiar with the material already… I think being familiar with it is a big difference than not sitting in the AP class at all. I did learn a couple of things ya know.</p>
<p>If I do double up it will give me a chance to take orgo in Sophmore year instead of taking it in Junior year–the proposed route. The usually route is to take the Mcat in junior year correct? Would it be fine to take orgo junior year or is it better to take it Sophmore year? @WayOutWestMom @plumazul </p>
<p>To say the least. I like your replies’ they also remind me to be realistic about the depth of college courses and the responsibility it will take to get an A. July 9th I get my ap scores back from AP stats, AP calc AB, and AP physics B, along with eng and gov. </p>
<p>And be advised, Plum is a VERY brilliant student, even by CC standards. So what she considers easy isn’t for the average bear.</p>
<p>You really, really need to consult with the engineering advisor at your college before you pick your classes. As I said above engineering has a fairly rigid course sequence needed to graduate on time.</p>
<p>Until you can talk with an advisor, if you check the homepage for your specific engineering major there is usually a year-by-year suggested schedule of courses.</p>
<p>You need to look to see when and if you can fit in pre-med electives around your required core coursework. I strongly recommend using a spreadsheet to lay out your semester-by-semester schedule for the next 4 years. Depending on the size of your college, you may find not all classes are offered every semester. Or even every year. Smaller schools (< ~10,000 students) tend to offer upper level elective courses on an every-other-year basis.</p>
<p>As for when to take the MCAT–the answer is: only when you’re ready. </p>
<p>Calc1
Gen chem 1
Gen physics 1
Intro to engineering
English course
Economics</p>
<p>Is it possible to take all of those your first semester? That’s like 21 hours at my university.</p>
<p>Anyway, assuming you get that sorted out… You’ll probably have to take 2 sciences with lab in the same semester eventually. If you’re an engineering major, you’ll have bigger issues than just 2 sciences in a semester with all your core engineering classes. I think doubling up on the sciences would be fine if you dropped econ, but I don’t know if I would keep all 6 of those classes. But if you’re pre-med, definitely keep chemistry. Physics will be the one you’ll need to decide about. </p>
<p>Yeah I was definitely going to drop Econ, you stated it before I could , ha. I wouldn’t have the space.</p>
<p>Physics is also a pre-med requisite, they both have equal importance. I would choose chemistry just because I had a better time grasping the subjects and I actually like chem. @hobbithopeful </p>
<p>Thanks @WayOutWestMom
Although, Is the typical year to take it after junior year? </p>
<p>“I already took AP calc, AP physics and AP chem, so those 3 college courses wouldn’t be anything new to me…”
-Incorrect assumption. D. (who never had AP Chem.) was hand picked by Gen Chem prof for (paid) SI position. She ended up tutoring many who had AP Chem. She said that many had great misconceptions and actually study Chem in totally wrong way.
On the onther had, she had both Honors and AP Bio with 5 on the AP exam. She (as all others) was advised NOT skip the very first Bio class in her major. Good that she listened, the class went thru AP material in the first 2 weeks and then they moved on. This class was also a foundation for all other Bio classes and the success of the whole pre-med track in this specific major had strong correlation to this first Bio.<br>
Do not assume anything, talk to pre-med advisor, talk to current pre-meds in your college to get an idea.<br>
Going back to your original question, I do not know how hard is Intro engineering and specifically how hard it would be for YOU. Aside from this class, I see only one hard class - Physics. Others are easy, but English while it was an easy A for my D. who learned absolutely nothing new in her Honors English, was also time consuming because ot all the boring novels that she had to read in this class (and she is NOT a reader, reading is not entertaining for her). So, this schedule is very doable if in fact it has only one difficult class. Only you can assess your personal challenges in each of these classes.</p>
<p>@MiamiDAP I wasn’t assuming I would totally be shoe in for the easiest A in my life. I am saying when I see the material. It won’t be new to me.</p>
<p>I agree totally with the physics and English part</p>