<p>I'm a 2015 ED accepted student, anticipating Biochem Major/Pre-Med track/Middle Eastern studies (minor) at Wellesley....can anyone please give me their perspective on the academics? This may seriously help me and other future Wellesley women get just some more insight on specifically, being a science major at Wells.</p>
<p>Social life? Will I have a life? Is it impossible to get good grades? Can I major in Biochem and minor in something in the Humanities (time-wise)....is the competition extreme or just a big motivational factor? Thank you so so much!!! I appreciate it!</p>
<p>Science majors, the biochemistry major in particular, has been discussed several times in the Wellesley forum before. I suggest you use the “Search this Forum” tool to see all of them. As an alum who was a science major - Biology - here’s the short answer:</p>
<ol>
<li>Yes, you can have a social life.</li>
<li>Not impossible to get good grades, but harder than the humanities. Many years of the average GPA of science majors vs. non science majors give testament to this.</li>
<li>Very doable to major in Biochemistry and minor in a humanities department.</li>
<li>There will be competitive premed students who can really suck - just learn to identify them early and avoid them. Otherwise, no more competitive than any other majors, such as the Econ majors, who can have a rep of being cut throat.</li>
</ol>
<p>My one piece of advice: DO NOT take more than 1 lab class in your first year. Seriously. You might think no big deal to double (or triple?!?!?!?) up on science courses in your first year, but Wellesley science courses are not like high school science courses. I guarantee that every older classwoman/advisor/RA/APT person you come in contact with during orientation will strongly STRONGLY discourage you from taking more than one lab class your first year, and especially your first semester.</p>
<p>If you’re going to be a science major, than you will eventually have to take more than 1 lab class in a semester at some point, but save that for your sophomore year and beyond when you have a better idea of the amount that you have to do.</p>
<p>Thank you very much! The thing is, my first semester, I want to take Chem 105 and Physics 104. I took AP Physics in high school but am not taking the AP Exam-although I have covered Mechanics, Thermo, and am doing Electricity and Magnetism now. So it should be more of a review for me with some stuff added on…is it still a bad idea? I want to get Physics out of the way, b/c its a premed requirement. </p>
<p>But your advice totally makes sense and is legit, just in Physics (and Biology too) I won’t be swamped with all completely new material and ANY professor on the face of the earth will be better than the Physics teacher I have now who SUCKS so much that I had to get my own tutor and practically self study the course. I also took AP Bio but am not exempt from anything but the course itself was hard. Rigorously hard. So my first year, I am not 100% sure but I would like to start with Physics and Chem in the fall then Bio 110 in the spring. My goal is to do decently and get 7 hours of sleep a night if possible. </p>
<p>What say you? Other classes I would take my first year are Writing 125, Math 116, intro Arabic (but I already know the alphabet and can read, just not speak) and some phys ed elective (dance, tennis etc)</p>
<p>Thank you so much again! It was so helpful!!</p>
<p>FYI, Wellesley calculates credit hours differently than other schools I am familiar with. They go with a unit, which approximates 4 credit hours. Most classes are 1 unit, so 4 classes in a semester would be 16 hours. At schools with credit hours, most classes are 3 credit hours, so a typical load would be 5 classes for 15 credit hours. Science classes with a lab at credit hour schools are usually 5 hours (lecture and lab combined). At Wellesley, science classes with labs are 1.25 credits. So if you took Chemistry with a lab, Physics with a lab, Writing, Math, and Arabic, that would be 22 credit hours. And that’s not even including the phys ed elective.</p>
<p>Oh I understand!! Oh I couldn’t take both Writing and Math, I’d choose one then take the other spring semester. The Phys Ed. requirement doesn’t need any ‘studying’ or intense preparation outside of class, would it?</p>
<p>I would highly discourage you from taking Chem 105 and Physics 104 together in your first semester. Those are two intense courses to be taking at the same time if you were any Wellesley student, let alone a first semester first year. I still think it’s best for first years to take one lab class their first semester and then have a basis for deciding whether or not to take 2 science classes in the 2nd semester of their first year.</p>
<p>It’s not about whether you’ve taken an AP class in the subject before and so things would be “review.” It’s about time in the class and homework/reports outside of it.</p>
<p>Here’s a rough breakdown of time you need to dedicate for a lab science class:
Classroom time = 70 minutes x 2 days a week = 2.33 hours
Lab time = 3 hours x 1 day a week = 3 hours
Going back to the lab to continue/finish up experiments - there will be times when you’ll have to go back to the lab for some part of an experiment or reaction or something. Not every week but it can add up = estimate 1 hour x every two weeks = .5 hours/wk
Homework/problem sets = rough estimate of 4 hours/week
Lab reports/write ups for lab = rough estimate 3 hours/week</p>
<p>This is a grand total of a little over 13 hours a week - both in classroom and out - for ONE lab science. And I’m being conservative with how much time it takes you to do homework/problem sets and your lab write ups - there were many times when I spent more than the above estimates for problem sets and lab reports. And I didn’t factor in time you need to study for exams. Plus time for your other classes.</p>
<p>Look, I’m not saying that there aren’t first years who take 2 lab science classes their first semester. I’m sure there are. But I think it’s a lot to handle when you’re also trying to adjust socially, with your roommate, find which orgs to join, maybe you’re homesick… the list goes on and on. The adjustment to college/Wellesley can be challenging enough as it is - don’t overburden yourself with academics if you don’t have to your first semester. </p>
<p>Also, while it’s good to have an idea of what classes you want to take your first semester, I’d also keep an open mind because registration doesn’t always happen the way you think it will. Can I get an amen, fellow Wellesley students and alums? Sometimes the class you want is already full, or it overlaps with another class you want, or whatever. Not getting into the exact schedule of classes you’ve planned for 6+ months for your first semester will NOT be the end of the world. Trust me. I also had a plan my first semester on taking a specific bio course, it was already full when I tried to register, took another bio course which was fine, and ended up taking an anthropology course that wasn’t part of my original plan. But the anthro course was awesome!</p>
<p>Bottom line: there is plenty of time at Wellesley to get your pre-med requirements done, major in Biochem, do a minor in another dept - even if you don’t do Chem 105 and Phys 104 in your very first semester.</p>
<p>Haha thank you both!! Sciences then… perhaps, not a good idea to do both. My parents still think I should be taking at least 5 courses per semester; can you vouch for this if the situation is different; say only one is a science and one is PE? Like 1 English, Math, 1 other humanities (preferably intro Arabic) , one science, one dance/fitness class? I love this advice! You have enlightened me :)</p>
<p>4 courses (one with lab) + PE will be plenty at first. If it helps, think of starting out with the typical course load as a way to begin your college career with a a solid start and a strong GPA. </p>
<p>Writing classes meet 3 class periods per week. Introductory language classes meet between 3 and 5 periods per week. When you add a class with a lab (let alone a fourth class) you will be in class for a while. (It’s always super helpful to be able to make scheduled office hours instead of having to set up an appointment a head of time). </p>
<p>You will have plenty of time to plan your schedule during orientation. You a) don’t know when classes will be offered b) which classes will be available (lab classes fill up quickly) and c) which neat first year seminar classes will be available yet. </p>
<p>I know of one premed student who took physics one summer at a university in her hometown. Wellesley didn’t accept this credit, but she can still submit that transcript to med schools. </p>
<p>Keep an open mind. Many, many Wellesley students come in with the intention of studying one thing and end up in another department entirely. One of the joys of a liberal arts education is ending up in a completely unexpected direction.</p>
<p>I totally understand about parents not understanding how 4 classes a semester could equal a full load. “You took 7 classes in high school - what are you going to do with all your free time?? Plus, your friend Susie Q. is taking 6 classes at X University!! Are you trying to slack off??” That was totally my parents’ line of questioning when I first started.</p>
<p>Trust me when we say that 4 classes a semester is a full schedule. Especially with one of those classes being a lab class. College_ruled is right in that many (all?) beginning intro language classes meet more often than the standard 2 classes/week. So your current proposed schedule of 1 math + 1 humanities + 1 lab science + 1 intro language class will be plenty to handle your first semester. Really and truly.</p>
<p>I think the most important message out of this entire thread is not about whether a certain schedule of classes is reasonable, but that you should come in with an open mind for what courses you’ll be taking for your first semester. Look for interesting classes in a department of which you’ve never heard or considered. Don’t be afraid of making an academic leap.</p>
<p>Thank you jacinth<em>ambrose and college</em>query and college_ruled!</p>
<p>Now an off-topic question: I am taking AB Calc AP now and am pulling an A; with my teacher I can get a 5…however I feel inclined to take Calc I again at Wells and buffer my GPA even if it means forfeiting the AP credit…which is wiser? </p>
<p>I have a 5 in AP Psych and am anticipating a 5 on AP Stats…that’s it for APs. I could really use your advise on this matter, anyone who helped me before on this thread, what do you think? If I took full advantage of my whole AP experience, I can potentially get 3 units of credit towards graduation…or not…</p>
<p>How comfortable are you doing math without a calculator? No math class at Wellesley permits the use of a calculator on quizzes/ tests/ exams. That being said, the first years who are placed in Calc II after taking some sort AP/IB exam usually do just fine, because Calc AB is functionally equivalent to Math 115 (Calc I at Wellesley). To be honest, I think you might be bored in 115. (You would be starting completely over with the definition of the derivative: “the limit of f(x) as x approaches infinity =…”) You will have a better idea of which math class is right for you after you take the math placement test this summer.</p>
<p>I suggest talking to your dean about your other AP credit.</p>
<p>Pretty comfortable. In fact, our teacher only allows the calculator on anything where we’d have to round to 3 significant decimals etc. as opposed to simplest radical form etc.</p>
<p>You’re right, that does sound boring…we shall have to see until summer <em>sigh</em>
Thanks!</p>
<p>The two big math adjustments to college level math are 1) no calculators and 2) pace. You seem to have #1 under control. There is a good chance that the beginning of 116 (Calc II) will still be review for you because 116 starts with a review of the fundamental theorem of calculus, which is followed by methods of integration (u sub, etc). The last things that 115 covers are the fundamental theorem of calculus, very basic integration, and u sub. Most AP students have seen more techniques of integration than 115 students have.</p>
<p>Also, on a separate note, I learned to study for my AP Bio course by rewriting, reciting the notes so much that I would be able to write down every single thing I learned on a blank sheet of paper…what strategies work best for Wellesley courses? Especially sciences? I know it varies by student but is it so that you cannot just memorize, you have to know everything forwards and backwards, upside down, basically analyze every single thing like there’s no tomorrow??</p>
<p>Certainly, for Wellesley science classes, memorization =/= an automatic A (that symbol is “not equal” in case it wasn’t obvious).</p>
<p>I took an intro bio class my first semester did well because it was mostly review from high school. Then the second semester, I took Chem 120 with Flick Coleman. Man oh man. I remember my first exam in that class. Flick gives take home open book exams. I thought, “Open book take home? No problem!” I couldn’t have been more wrong. So not about just memorizing facts. It was really and truly about understanding concepts and then could you solve problems that tested your understanding of those concepts. And not problems that you had seen before in class, but problems that went beyond. That class totally opened my eyes that the way I had studied in high school wouldn’t necessarily work in college. PS, I did horribly on that first exam and had to go and see the professor afterwards - he said everyone who got lower than a certain grade should see him in his office hours. Did much better in later exams, mostly because I realized that Wellesley chemistry was a whole new ballgame and not just review of AP Chemistry, which I had taken in high school.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to freak people out, but in general, Wellesley is not high school redux, or high school academics with just a bit more material or whatever. Because this was also the case in my first English dept course. Wellesley professors have high standards and expect a lot!</p>
<p>Wow, that was really helpful!! Nah I’m starting with basic chem 105 -I didn’t take AP Chem in high school. On a separate note, all those ideas I got about taking 2 lab sciences and math and etc. came from the Wells Biochem Webpage “Recommended” sequence of courses. I went with the assumption that this was ok for first years but I think alumnae and students can speak better, but that wacky schedule plan was based off of what the Biochem Dept. suggested.</p>
<p>It makes perfect sense; with some classes being harder than others. I get that vibe especially with Physics and most def. will in chem, as you did.</p>
<p>So humanities too, you have to do much more than memorize? LIke an intro language; you have to have digested the material 3 or 4 times as opposed to memorizing 50 vocab words off of a sheet?</p>