Well, your life is getting exciting and, perhaps, a bit overwhelming after reading this thread. All will be well. Nothing is set in stone. Take the comments here and discuss them with your parents and academic/pre-health advisors.
Not to pile on, but I agree with the general advice being given.
Start fall semester with a lighter schedule to allow for an easier transition to college life.
Rethink your major/minor plan. If you were my kid, I’d suggest a single major they enjoy (English?) and use electives for French (and exploration of other areas) as it makes sense. The premed requirements on their own will provide plenty of exposure to bio and other sciences. Start simple. The plan can be modified later.
As has been said multiple times, do not underestimate the fast pace and rigor of college courses. Set yourself up for success. If you find it easy, then take on more. That is better than the other way around.
Thank you for the updates. Everyone here wants you to succeed.
I’d have to figure out if the major change to English is still going to allow for the premed reqs- how do the premed requirements get fit in if I’m not a STEM major? slightly confused. /honest
I think this time I’m probably going to heed the advice of this village. /sheepish
Please do yourself a favor and don’t take 19 credit units your first semester – especially not 2 lab courses. You had already been contemplating 12 units per the disability office. Please consider between 12 and 16. College classes move very quickly.
I think the idea of majoring in English if you want, plus taking the required pre-med courses (which you can take as elective courses – ie, not as part of your major) will work well for you.
Does Northeastern have general education distribution requirements that you also have to factor in?
Premed requirements get fit in as electives – ie, any course that is not part of your major (or minor).
The advice to make a spreadsheet will be very helpful. Plan out four years of an English major and also include pre-med requirements. Make sure to pay attention to pre-requisites and co-requisites for the courses, as well as which semester they are offered. Sometimes it helps to see if courses are offered every year, or only every other year, when making your spreadsheet.
Edited to add – you will also need to see which of these courses fulfill the “competencies” requirement. You will have to add courses that meet those requirements too, if the ones you already have don’t fulfill all of them.
Would it then be fine to major in English, minor in French and then do the premed requirements? College is complicated… I give it a 0/10 right now. /musing, then huffing, playful
I know doctors whose undergrad major was Classics or Romance languages or really anything. You just take the pre-med requirements as electives.
One thing I would suggest is talking to students and your advisor (main one as well as pre-health) about the pre-med courses getting full or having priority registration for certain majors etc.
It means there are tons of courses you can use to fulfill those requirements and in some cases one course can fulfill multiple requirements. The course catalog or registration website should have the details on what each course can be used for
Also note that it is usually not difficult to change your major (as long as you are not trying to change into engineering or computer science, which sometimes have barriers).
You can make that determination after your first semester. Start with a lighter load and adjust up once you see how you handle it.
Anecdotal story about my premed kid… She is a rising junior who started as a chem major… THEN switched to biochem as there was more overlap with premed curriculum (so allowed for more electives like creative writing )… THEN switched to neuroscience because she almost burned out sophomore year between organic chemistry and taking two lab sciences each semester. No kidding, it was a rough year with limited social life. Once she found out she could not do a semester abroad as a biochem major, that solidified the decision to change. This is a kid who has had one B in her life (org chem 2). She made the change to a major that better fit her personal goals. If she stays this course, she will end up with a BS in Neuroscience, BA in Chem and a minor in Poverty Studies… but that is being determined by the classes she chose out of her electives and areas of interest. She did not start out with that plan; it morphed as she learned more about herself and her capabilities.
Your plan can change as you go along as well. Start with a simpler plan, use your electives for the premed curriculum and other areas of interest (including French). You do not have to minor in anything! If it works out, great, but you can decide that much later.
Forgot to say Congratulations! But this is only my 10th post in this thread. /sheepishly
This is concerning. Does Northeastern have a slower, more basic chemistry course that you could start with instead of the General Chemistry you listed?
As I believe I’ve mentioned before: my radiation oncologist, who holds an MD from Harvard, majored in English Lit as an undergrad. So it’s not impossible!
OP – Adding on to DramaMama’s excellent advice. You don’t have to declare a French minor at this time (or any time). Just take a French course or two to see if you are interested – you can always add a minor on later if that seems like the right thing to do.
Regardless of when you last took Chemistry, unless you plan on studying Chemistry over the summer, your current state of knowledge and skills in that area is what will most likely determine your comfort level/success in your first college Chem course. /concernedly, wanting the best for you
Regarding additional majors or any minors, this is what I advised my child: Take any classes you want to and would enjoy. Then if you have taken a few in the same field, check if it makes sense to fulfill the major/minor requirements. No one cares if you have 1 major or many.
I’ll update you guys later once I speak to my folks about changing my major. Til then, I’m gonna game a little and brush up on Chem a bit after. /warmly
And if you self-study over the summer and feel more confident, you can perhaps ask to take the Chem placement test again right before school starts. Or you could use your newly increased comfort level to stay in wherever they currently placed you (if that seems like a good level) and have a slightly easier time of it than you would otherwise.
But I think everyone’s concern was that the Chem class they placed you in was an accelerated course of 2 semesters of typical Chem condensed into one. Even if you self-study over the summer, you may want to ask for a more gradual course-schedule for chem. And if you are thinking of majoring in English instead of a combined major, you will have more elective spaces you can utilize for other classes, and one helpful place to apply that would be 2 chem classes instead of 1. /not wanting you to burn out
All will be well. Nothing is set in stone. Take the comments here and discuss them with your parents and academic/pre-health advisors.