I think she should go for her dream and be realistic, which means going slower than she might want.
I am not convinced that this student fully grasps what is involved in premed and med school. Of course I admit that I may be wrong here.
I think she took a chance by switching to the Boston campus, but that was her choice.
I think a plan B needs to be tucked away. By that, I mean that most premeds do not gain an acceptance to medical school. At some point (perhaps not her first semester lol) she needs to think about what she might do.
OP we all want you to succeed. 19 credits is just too much. Slow down and take it one semester at a time.
One more thing- a plan B does not have to cause stress. You can teach English in an underrepresented community while you regroup (if that becomes necessary) and decide what to do. Tuck that away and go after your dream.
I don’t know premed, but I do think the prevailing advice is always, for everyone, get a backup plan. Don’t take those recommendations personally.
I’m quite sure there are lots of new grads ready to start school with heavy course loads that just don’t know it yet. This is giving you some time to sort out your schedule so that you’ll have a great first semester!
If you can start with the min (or close to min) credits in your first semester, that would be so good for you. And I would say the same to any other incoming freshman!
I appreciate it. I think I’ll ask to push Bio out and just do Chem instead this semester, and do Global Literatures 1 as well. I think that would keep it at 17 credits… I’d have to do the math. /thoughtful
I’ll try to get it to 16 or so credits, but given the fact that I have to do premed classes + English classes, i’ll see how it pans out. /thinking
One lab class would be great. Labs take up such a big chunk of the week. I had to do two labs one semester, and it seemed like I had no free time. You can do one lab a semester and still finish all the required labs easily.
That’s what I was thinking. If I ended up just doing CHEM 1161/1162 + recitation (1163), ENG 1000 (which is the overview P/F class), ENG 1400 (intro to lit), ENG 1111 (FY Writing Seminar), that’s 4 + 1 + 0 (that’s CHEM 1163) + 1 + 4 + 4, which is 14 + 1, technically 15 credits if you count the CHEM 1163 recitation.
That’s at least what I would do, and I’m fine having/not having ENG 1700 in my schedule (it’s a recommended major course but that might be done in the spring, after checking the math), either way I’d still be doing 1 lab + a couple english classes. Bio classes I could do over the summer or even in the spring. /thoughtful, musing
Spring would be a ballgame I’ll properly look at later in the semester. /adding on
Have you thought about switching out either ENG 1400 or 1111 for a French class? As someone mentioned upthread, the longer you’re away from a foreign language, the harder it is to pick back up. But since you’re pretty confident in your language skills it would be a relatively easy class for you while still knocking out a college requirement. And French would probably be less work than either of those two English classes (reading and writing intensive). That would give you more breathing room for acclimating to the campus, making friends, pursuing your equestrian interests, etc.
/Trying to get you off to the best start possible at NEU
I have, and I’ll bring it up to both advisors (academic + premed.) The issue is ENG 1111 is required unless I had AP exam credit (which, sadly, I don’t have), and ENG 1400 goes towards my major requirements. I think they’re waiting to put a French class in so I can start chipping away at my premed + major requirements, if that makes sense. /thoughtfully
I will ask, though. Might be possible. /musing
EDIT: ENG 1702 (Global Lit 2) is the other recommended major course for this semester, so I’ll try to see what I can do in terms of switching classes around so I end up with 15-17 credits, something in that range. /thoughtful
Have you tried doing the 4-year plan? Doing that will help you figure out how to space out your major requirements and pre-med requirements, etc. It really will be easier to see if you need to take certain classes in one semester vs. another (or in an entirely different year).
/Urging as persuasively as I can
ENG 1111 FY Writing Seminar - 4 credit hours
CHEM 1161/1162 + recitation (1163) - 5 credit hours
FRNH 2101 Intermiate French I - 4 credit hours
This schedule would get you 13 hours. If you really want to take the ENG 1000 overview pass/fail class, that would bring you to 14 hours. This is what I would suggest for your first semester.
Yeah, they don’t allow us to wiggle out of that ENG 1000 class, it’s required for everyone in the English Department. /sighing
I’ll try suggesting what you’ve mentioned in terms of classes to them, but I’m unsure if they’ll sway on the ENG 1400 class. I might end up taking Int. French 1 in the spring or summer depending on what works best. They probably won’t budge much on the ENG classes, and keeping Chem is fine. I’ll try to see if I can get French in and kick an English class out. /sighing
In short- I don’t have much of an idea of what I’m doing and it is stressful. /groaning
I’ve been following along, and I think this is excellent advice.
As much as it’s a good idea to not overload lab/premed classes, it is equally a good idea not to overload reading/writing intensive classes. You want a mix of things, which @AustenNut 's schedule provides.
I would add that I am not surprised that the advising is suboptimal. That was one of my sons’ experiences at his midsized university. They will not really know you and your plans, and will only provide the most superficial advice. (Of course there are exceptions, but sadly the OP is not one of them!)
It doesn’t sound like you are getting the best guidance. My daughter was assigned a medical school mentor (current med student). Is that an option at Northeastern?
OP- not to pile on, but before you complete your schedule, can you map out (physically) where you need to be at what time every day?
I found this helpful freshman year. It’s not like HS where you can dash down the hall with seconds to spare. Physically, the distances are a lot larger than what you are used to and it’s sometimes helpful to visualize “OK, do I really want a half hour walk on Monday morning from my dorm to get to a 9 am class?” By sophomore year when you know the campus and have made friends with the folks who drive the vans (so they will wait a few extra minutes for you if you are running late) you can cut things a lot closer. But first semester particularly- make sure the advisor understands that you don’t want to be committed to a block 9-6 of class, running, lab, class, no time for lunch and living on granola bars. I don’t think your medical team would advise that kind of scheduling-- and it’s also terrible for your mental health.
So try and get a feel for where you need to be and where you need to get to…Northeastern is not a cozy little campus where everything is within a two block radius…
Question – do you HAVE to follow what the advisor recommends? Or can you register for classes even if the advisor thinks it’s not the “typical” plan.
At my kids schools, the advisor gave advice but it was up to my kids to actually choose and register for their classes. They were allowed to go against the advisor’s plan.
Is that true for you? Because it seems like the advisor is giving you “generic” advice without taking your health and other potential goals into consideration.
This - advisors often follow a script. I know some rave about them at some schools - but in general, they seem to follow a script. And the school wants kids out on time for stats - so they’re not necessarily about the kid.
And I equate them to lawyers at work. They give guidance. Whether we listen to it or not is up to us.
I believe you indicated awhile ago that your parents did not want you to go at a slower pace. Do they still feel this way (I apologize if I am wrong about this)?
Will they pay for summer courses or an extra semester?
They’re fine with me taking an extra semester and whatnot, and willing to pay for summer classes. I told them I’ll try to lower my courseload, though, and they’re pretty fine with it. /warmly