<p>I'd really appreciate some advice concerning my sophomore year schedule. This year, I've taken Gen Chem 1 and 2 and Stat, and I have AP credit for calc. I've gotten As and A-'s first semester, and am doing about the same this semester. I've had 15 credits both semesters.</p>
<p>I'd like to double major in Spanish and Human Biology, which is a distinguished major that requires a separate application at my school, a "prestigious public university."</p>
<p>My Fall schedule looks like this:</p>
<p>Orgo1
Orgo1 Lab
Bio1
Bio1 Lab (unfortunately, no AP credit to get me out of either of these)
A Spanish Lit class required for my major</p>
<p>That's 14 credits, which I think is a little on the low side. My schedule would look about the same in the spring.</p>
<p>I would really like to add a fantastic Medical Ethics class (required for Human Bio majors), but that would bring me up to 17 credits, which every adviser I talked to said is a really awful idea. So my options are:</p>
<p>-Take the schedule above, with the 14 credits, and hope it doesn't look bad next to the rest of my 15-17 credit schedule.
-Take bio lab during the summer. Since bio lab is only 2 credits, if I filled that spot with the Medical Ethics course, I would be up to 15 credits (eligible for Dean's list). The problem is, I've heard it's not a good idea to take prereqs during the summer, even at one's home institution. However, if I'm planning on taking at least 3 upper level bio classes in the rest of my time here, would that negate that problem?</p>
<p>Take the Bio lab, do well, and prosper. And yes, don’t take prereqs during the summer if you can help it. Are there any one-unit seminars that you can take? </p>
<p>Organic can be a BIG challenge for some, until they get the hang of it. Don’t overload unless you have to. If you do well in the fall semester, you can take another class in spring. A’s are most important.</p>
<p>^^I agree. Sure it would look good if you did great that semester, with 17 hours, but if everyone’s advising you against it, I’d probably take that advice. They see tons of premeds and probably have had many students like you. 14 vs 15h probably won’t make a huge difference because you’re probably still taking the same number of classes. It starts to get sticky when you’re just barely full time (here, 12h) or are less than full time. If you’re clearly a full time student, I can’t imagine there’s much to worry about. </p>
<p>I’d much rather have the time to focus on organic (which is a very important class!) and ace it than have to juggle another class. If you find you have extra time in the fall, you could always start working on crafting the rest of your application (volunteer? Research? Tutor? Leadership roles? Hobbies?)–don’t forget, they’re important too!</p>
<p>Thank you both so much! So both of you would say taking 14 credits for two semesters is better than taking 15 credits with bio lab in the summer, even though I’ll be a Human bio major with higher level bio lab credit? </p>
<p>And you are right, Kristin, I would definitely use any extra time for volunteering, leadership, etc.</p>
<p>One of my friends suggested taking Physics lab in the Fall as well. It’s one credit, and I have AP credit for the lecture, so I’ll be able to enroll in it without the lecture (of course, I’ll take another physics lecture another semester, so I won’t be using the AP credit for my med school apps). Would that be a valid option, or just pointless extra work?</p>
<p>3 classes gets you 14 credits? That would be 11 credits at my school. Go ahead and add another, but not another science. Do you have any other “core” classes you need? (e.g. history, gov., economics, English, writing, etc.)
Can you add research? (usually a one or two credit course)</p>
<p>Yes,
Orgo Lecture-3 credits
Orgo Lab- 3 credits
Bio Lecture- 3 credits
Bio Lab- 2 credits
Spanish Lit- 3 credits</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about other schools, but orgo lab is considered death here. It’s supposed to be much worse than the lecture because each student is physically ranked 1-30 against every other student in his or her lab. It might be like that at all schools for all I know, though.</p>
<p>I’m in the honors program, so I have no distribution requirements. Since I have no intro bio background as of now (hence, why I have to take it), and only gen chem, I didn’t think I would qualify for any for-credit research, which is all upper-level. If I added another class, it would be Theology and Ethics of Medicine, for 3 credits, but again all my advisers said definitely not to do that.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your replies! This advice is very helpful, especially as subject selection is next week.</p>
<p>I decided to take both bio lab 1 and 2 over the summer, a total of 4 credits. This will allow me to take the Ethics of Medicine course in the fall and to double up on Spanish classes in the spring, which will make getting my double major so much easier.</p>
<p>In the time that I’m not in summer school, I’m hoping to do some shadowing, and will also volunteer at a camp for chronically ill children as a counselor. I hope to hold a part-time job while at summer school.</p>
<p>Consider that junior year will have to be lighter (15-16 hrs) for MCAT prep. and senior year the same for Med. Schools interviews. I would say that first 2 years have to be a bit more than you have had so far. 17-18 hrs would be more reasonable. However, you are the one to decide based on your time management skills, nobody can asses it for you.
As a reference to use (only if you want), my D. was having about 18 hrs first 2 years and 15-16 in last 2 years. She graduated from State school (do not know any rnaking, we have never checked) with Zoology major and Music Minor and currently is a medical student. She did not take any summer classes, no gap year either and did all of her EC’s dring school year as there were no opportunities for her outside of her UG.</p>