<p>I was wondering if any current neuroscience major students could guide me as to which classes to take my freshman year. I am very lost and the school doesn't have an orientation, so any help would be great. </p>
<p>I am also premed. Is neuroscience a good path to get into med school? Is it hard to double major with say HOD?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>If you are premed, I would suggest following the guidelines of the HPAO ([Vanderbilt</a> University : Health Professions Advisory Office](<a href=“http://www.vanderbilt.edu/hpao/index_premed_advising.php]Vanderbilt”>http://www.vanderbilt.edu/hpao/index_premed_advising.php) and [Vanderbilt</a> University : Health Professions Advisory Office](<a href=“http://www.vanderbilt.edu/hpao/index_premed.php]Vanderbilt”>http://www.vanderbilt.edu/hpao/index_premed.php)). You do not need to worry about requirements for the neuroscience major until sophomore year at the earliest. Generally, a typical first year premed will take calculus (155A and B is generally considered better that 150A and B) and general chem with lab and/or bio with lab. You will take a first-year writing seminar and most students choose to start fulfilling the language requirement right away, especially if it is a continuation of a language you took in high school.</p>
<p>Can poster #2 clarify the difference between Calculus 150 and 155 and why is 155 better?
Does that depend on how many AP Calculus courses taken in high school?
My D just got a big envelope from Vanderbilt yesterday with the course booklet, forms,etc and since we live close to the school we may have received it earlier than you. One of the forms has explicit instructions on the week you are to call your summer advisor to discuss course selection so I think he/she can help you a lot that week in answering your questions. There is a lot of information in that packet and it takes a while to get through all of it but they seem very organized with making this run smoothly.</p>
<p>First off there is no difference between 150 and 155 in terms of how prepared you need to be. They are both equal in terms of course content. 150 moves alittle slower, but they cover more… trivial details.</p>
<p>For the sake of your humanity, do not take 150. You will be marked down on departmentalized tests for not showing every single step to solving a derivative. If you skip one step you will lose substantial points.</p>
<p>155 on the other hand moves quicker and covers big ideas as opposed to trivial details. Avoid the departmentalized tests. It doesn’t matter what your adviser thinks. Take the code they give you and sign up for what you want. They are their to advise and cannot override your decision. </p>
<p>As for Nuero, I would recommend taking Neuro 201 (intro) in your spring semester with Dr. Smith.</p>
<p>No comment on the HOD double major.</p>
<p>ok so in high school, i took </p>
<p>geometry
algebra II
pre calc
statistics</p>
<p>i was wondering what you thought about me trying to take 150 or 155. other people have responded to my question by saying that i should take 140, but i have always gotten high A’s in my math classes, and want to try something a little more challenging. I am also premed and i dont want 140 to look bad (or can you tell me how it would look). i went over the calculus preparation on the math departments website ([Vanderbilt</a> Mathematics - Calculus Preparation and Placement](<a href=“http://www.math.vanderbilt.edu/~undergrad/calculus/calculus.html]Vanderbilt”>http://www.math.vanderbilt.edu/~undergrad/calculus/calculus.html)) and i know how to do all of the algebra and trigonometric review. So basically can you tell me what you think of me trying 150 or 155?</p>
<p>I replied to your PM, for others interested in the topic:</p>
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</p>
<p>the course booklet thing says that for a pre med major you should take both bio and chem your freshman year or take just chem
is there any way to get around taking chem your freshman year and taking bio (it says bio is a prerequisite or a corequisite to chem)?</p>
<p>if you don’t take bio with chem, then you’ll have to take it with orgo. You will have to take two sciences with two labs eventually. I think it’s easier to get it over with freshman year</p>
<p>can you take physics as a freshman? if i were to take physics as a freshman along with the intro to neuroscience and then chemistry the summer after my freshman year would that set me up ok for neuroscience? im am so confused by all these pre and co requisites</p>
<p>also how is general physics as a class? it is a large lecture class with smaller lab groups correct?</p>
<p>If you are pre-med, you may want to consider how med schools view taking the core science classes in the summer. They want to see that you can handle a full load and they see taking them in the summer as a way to avoid a difficult schedule.</p>
<p>Vandy13, I personally think you are over complicating it with the idea you laid out.<br>
Since you plan on being a neuro major, I think you should still take the Chem/Math/Bio/FWS combo. And then in the spring you can take intro the Neuro or something.</p>
<p>I’m pre-med and also took neuroscience freshman year…</p>
<p>i would suggest for you to take a lighter load first semester so that you can get used to the way college classes work…take chem, calc, your writing seminar and an elective. it would probably be better to take neuro second semester, which is what i did. just a little tip, neuro is not an easy class and i know people do a lot better if they take it after having taken bio or while taking it.</p>
<p>as for calc…i had never taken ap calc before in high school so i took calc 150 a/b this year. if you have some background in calc i would definitely recommend that you take 155 a/b. although it’s “accelerated” and covers a bit more material, the tests are said to be somewhat more fair in that they are made/graded by the professor instead of being departmentalized like calc 150 tests are. </p>
<p>good luck and you’ll be fine!</p>