<p>What physics, orgo, and stats courses do most pre-meds take? Also can you recommend some good profs associated with those courses? Also describe the difficulty of each?</p>
<p>Is taking physics, orgo, and evolutionary bio, a suicidal combination? Does evolutionary bio have a lab associated with it? Thanks so much.</p>
<p>Also what book do you guys use for orgo? Overall, how does one find what books one needs for which courses?</p>
<p>pre-meds take the Chem 357-358 and Chem 251 sequence. 357-358 is orgo and 251 is the orgo lab.</p>
<p>For physics you have the option of 101-102 which is auto-tutorial and 207-208 which is calculus-based and done in lecture format. Pre-meds can do either.</p>
<p>The Cornell Store will post book lists 2 weeks before the semester begins.</p>
<p>The auto-tutorial appear difficult since a student virtually has no one to guide them. Overall are the TAs or paid on campus tutors or any on-campus tutoring programs to help kids who struggle with the course. Also, physics appears to sap up a ton of time, how do pre-meds manage to fit it into their schedules.</p>
<p>For auto-tutorial physics every student is assigned a TA and you are required to meet with him/her before you are allowed to take the unit test. They give you a sort of quiz to test your mastery of the material. There are also tutors available all day to help you out.</p>
<p>Physics is a time commitment, but students obviously find the time to handle it. Just be smart in how you allot your time. As you will be adjusting to Cornell, I recommend you not take physics and orgo together. Then again, when you take physics depends on when you want to take the MCAT. Pretty much all of my friends took physics their junior year but also had difficulty in finding time to study for the MCAT.</p>
<p>Well... dewdrop - Happy Commencement tomorrow! It looks like you will have great weather. Hope you enjoyed your last week of Cornell! Congrats!
T</p>
<p>orgo, physics, evo is not a bad combo. evo has a discussion section, not really a lab like physics or orgo. It also has the 4 credit writing in the major option, do it only if you LOVE writing.</p>
<p>As for stats, there are couple of options, there is PAM 2100, AEM 2100, ILR, BTRY 3010, MATH 1710. I took PAM 2100, it was easy but I didn't learn anything so I'm now trying to pick another Stats course so I actually learn something useful. For people who have taken the other Stats courses, any suggestions?</p>
<p>Thanks Tahoe!</p>
<p>Just got back from Convocation...it was amazing. I'm psyched for commencement tomorrow!!</p>
<p>Chem 357-358 is the standard orgo sequence. Chem 251 is the orgo lab.</p>
<p>If you really want to challenge yourself, you could take Honors Orgo, Chem 359-360. The curve is more generous but the exams are much harder. My roommate took honors orgo and found it pretty easy. Both of his parents are orgo professors and he happens to be the smartest person I know, so that may have something to do with it ;)</p>
<p>In general, I advise against autotutorial courses. If you're paying $46,000 a year for college, you should have a professor teach you. However, I took Physics 101-102 and had great success. I never took any physics in HS and ended up with a A/A+ in Physics 101-102 and a 15 on the Physical Sciences section of the MCAT. Clearly, I must've learned something in the course. The greatest thing about Physics 101-102 is the flexibility. You can do the labs on your own time (the Learning Center is open for nearly half the day). You can take the tests on your own time (within reason; you can't delay a test for 4 weeks but you can take a test 1 week early or late). And you can meet with your TA on your own time.</p>
<p>Physics 207-208 is calc-based and the opposite of flexible. There are 3 lectures, 2 labs, and 1 section PER WEEK. It's very structured and there is a lot of class time. </p>
<p>Physics 101-102 used to be the easier of the two but they have since beefed up the grading in the class so that the two are roughly equivalent in ease. Which one you take should depend on your learning style. Are you a good independent learner, self-motivated? (Physics 101-102). Or are you the type that needs someone to force you to do problems and to set deadlines for assignments? (Physics 207-208)</p>
<p>Most of the stats courses at Cornell are very easy. ILR, PAM, Math 171 are all very easy from what I heard. I personally took Math 171 which is a straightforward stats class. Means on the tests were generally mid-80's so the tests were straight forward. In my class (I don't know if this is true of all Math 171 professors as there are a lot of them), you get an automatic 1/3 grade bump for attending every lecture so Math 171 was an easy A+.</p>
<p>In evol "lab," you mostly spend your time talking about assigned articles or filling out worksheets. Sometimes you go collect rocks by the side of the road. Waste of time if you ask me. Evol. bio was also my only B in a bio course so I'm bitter.</p>
<p>Who did you have for 171?</p>
<p>dewdrop87- How was Maya Angelou?</p>
<p>Video here. An absolutely excellent address. I'm very bitty that I got Wesley Clark who basically gave his campaign speech:</p>
<p>Cornell</a> University - CornellCast - 2008 Senior Convocation</p>
<p>You guys are really lucky to have Maya Angelou, compared w/ who we had last year for Convocation :(</p>
<p>I had heard Soledad was good last year?!</p>
<p>Anyways, I'm encouraged by the invitation to an author/poet. I hope Cornell continues to go that route... I think you tend to get the best addresses from humanists for these types of things. Politicians are too hit or miss.</p>
<p>Maya Angelou was amazing!</p>
<p>Couldn't sleep last night...so excited for today!!!</p>
<p>Just checked Ithaca's weather for today... you lucked out DD87! Enjoy!</p>
<p>I did...it was an absolutely gorgeous day and a beautiful ceremony :-)</p>
<p>and...my diploma is soooooo pretty :-D</p>
<p>Dewdrop... get off the computer and go back to enjoying your day! I recommend a trip down to Stewart Park.</p>
<p>hah...I did enjoy my day.</p>
<p>I'm back home in Cooperstown now...but going back on Wednesday to say my goodbyes to Ithaca :-(</p>
<p>Cornell has generally had good Commencement weather. Last year it was threatening to rain during graduation and they were talking about how it might be the first time (ever? or at least in a really long time). It started raining roughly 20 minutes following the end of the ceremony so Cornell can claim that its non-rain streak is still alive ;)</p>