Potential schedule for next year. Help?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

<p>Class of '16 here</p>

<p>I have 5 classes on monday. woo. Not only that. 4 of my classes are back to back from 10 to 2.</p>

<p>Chem 111, Calc 3, Chem 151 (Lab), Physics 197</p>

<p>I forgot to add some background info. I'm basically a BME on the premed track.</p>

<p>My 5th class is intro to BME from 2:30 to 4.</p>

<p>These all occur on Monday. Can someone help me with trying to sort this out?
My full schedule is here: <a href="http://i.imgur.com/uMq3J.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://i.imgur.com/uMq3J.jpg&lt;/a> (imgur, woo!)</p>

<p>My preferences are this: I want to be able to have Bernie for 197 and Frey for GenChem. This is because I've heard that they're pretty much the best teachers for their respective classes.</p>

<p>Is there any possible way to make sure that I DON'T have all my classes on a Monday, while keeping Bernie and Frey, or do I have to give them up in order to make my schedule less hectic?</p>

<p>If I have to give them up, what backup teachers would you recommend, unless it doesn't matter.</p>

<p>Edit: Quick question, what are the letter sections for? I.E. 197 has sections 01-05 then A-R. Same goes from Chem Lab (151)</p>

2

<p>I’ll put this bluntly: your monday is going to suck. You don’t have any options. Well, you do, but I would not recommend it (ie waiting until the spring to take calc III). BME schedules are jam packed when you get started. You’ll be just fine with a long monday.</p>

<p>The letters are labs & recitations. Your schedule is not complete yet.</p>

<p>Things you are missing: None of these are optional.</p>

<p>Chem 111A recitation (the letter class). This will be an hour (or hour and a half if you fail the diagnostic) every thursday.</p>

<p>Chem 151 lab (again, the letter). This is a 4 hour lab. It does not meet every week (it did for my year, you luckly bloke…), but it will look as if it does. </p>

<p>Physics 197 lab (yet again, the letter). This is a 2.5 hour lab. It will meet essentially every class.</p>

<p>I would suggest putting your labs on tuesday/thursday. But you may not get a say.
For example, here is my Fall 2008 schedule, when I was a bme (I’m a ee now, doing bs/ms, about to enter my 5th and final year):</p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“http://imgur.com/cYRH6.png]imgur![/url”&gt;http://imgur.com/cYRH6.png]imgur![/url</a>]</p>

<p>I took b&w photo as well, for a total of 18 credits. Of note, Berny’s 197 was at the same time as a bme class, so I was in the only other section (with Trousil, who was awesome as well, but she’s no longer at WashU).</p>

<p>2nd note: Calc II also has a recitation (like chem 111a). Calc III does not. Don’t worry about it.</p>

<p>Last note to the general cc population: the math department is changing Calc III and DiffEQ to be only 3 credits. (Which is why it now meets 3 days a week instead of 4). In response, the engineering school is going to make EnMath 6 credits (to make up the material being removed from math 233 & 217), and spread it out over two semesters (ESE 318 & 319, instead of 317). As I understand it, 318 will not be a prereq for 319; they can be taken concurrently or in any order.</p>

<p>Edit #1:</p>

<p>Be prepared for the likely possibility that you don’t get into Berny’s 197. I really don’t know much about the other professors, so in general I’d say go with the ones that fit in your schedule.</p>

<p>Also, you probably won’t get the exact schedule you want for all of your recitations and labs. It’s why I had chem lab on a friday afternoon (last thing I wanted was to be in there until 5pm on a friday…) - Tuesday & Thursday afternoons were already booked solid. </p>

<p>So just be prepared when you register that you may have to play around a little bit.</p>

<p>Edit #2: the reason why I say don’t hold off on any classes is because a BME’s schedule is also quite full spring freshman year, and you don’t want to make it any worse (3 labs & a math class). BME’s have survived a packed freshman year for 10+ years now. You’ll all do just fine. Packed does not mean insane-difficult. Just wait for junior year for that :)</p>

3

<p>Thank you so much! Here’s my updated potential schedule after adding all of those labs/recitations: <a href=“http://i.imgur.com/2p8SH.jpg[/url]”>http://i.imgur.com/2p8SH.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also, 3 questions:</p>

<p>Would you prefer to have the labs/recitations in the morning or afternoon?
How much free time does a BME have in general?
How hard is it to achieve a 3.8+ GPA for your first and seconds years?</p>

4

<p>Pretty! (I love block schedules… there’s nothing I hate more than having a random hour open during the day because I know I’m not going to use it for anything important). Lunch hour is an exception.</p>

<p>Anywho…</p>

<p>1) I prefer afternoon. I had 8am chem lab in the spring, and it was miserable. 9am every day in the fall freshman year was also miserable. Although I was up every day for high school at 6am, the switch to college life (when I stayed up late bonding with my freshman floor) was brutal. However, I won’t say that’s universal - it really is a personal preference.</p>

<p>2) I had (have?) plenty of free time. Not just in BME - all engineering. In fact, I’m overbooked in extra curriculars… sure, there are things like test weeks where you’ll feel like you’re swamped, but you go through it with dozens of other people so it’s fine. Spring freshman year is when I felt it the worst - it seemed like we had an exam EVERY week, so no real break (WashU doesn’t really have a “midterm week” - instead, most classes with have 2-4 midterms spread throughout the semester).</p>

<p>Also of note - your intro class exams will take place at night. Not during the regular time. There’s something comical about being an upperclassmen and watching herds of freshmen walk towards a gen chem exam.</p>

<p>3) Well, I’m probably not the best to answer this, lol. I entered college with the firm belief that I was not going to sacrifice my social life (as I mentioned, I’m overbooked in my student groups) for grades. It’s not necessary for my post college plans - I had no intention of going to med school or similar where you need an impressive gpa to get in.
In case you’re curious because my answer was vague, with that schedule I posted above, I had a 3.3 my first semester. To be fair, 2 of the classes I got B’s in I had an 89.4… grrrrr (for my year, +'s and -'s don’t count towards gpa, so a B+ = B = B- = 3.0; this is not true for you). Now after 4 years, I still have a 3.3 cumulative and a 3.5 major gpa. More than good enough for getting a job.</p>

5

<p>Looks pretty solid to me. It’s unfortunate, but freshmen tend to get screwed over and end up with some pretty miserable schedules.</p>

<p>Things worth noting:</p>

<p>Physics 197 homework assignments are due EVERY Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you’re the kind of person who tends to procrastinate, make sure you schedule labs and recitations so that you have ample free time the night before those assignments are due. Same goes for your other classes; you should prepare for chem lab the night before and you will have to write a lab report the night of your lab. You will also have a lab report due every time you go to physics lab. As I said before, keep all of this in mind when you schedule your recitations and labs.</p>

<p>Also, you can add me to the list of people who have taken and hated 8 AM chem lab. If you’re a morning person, great. If not, I highly recommend considering the afternoon lab section. Every entering freshman thinks the same thing: “I was up at _ AM every morning for high school, so an 8 AM class should be no problem.” Wrong. You’d be amazed how much college changes people. Give it some thought.</p>

6

<p>Thank you both Johnson181 and RaVNzCRoFT! I took into account of what both of have advised. Here’s my final, pending some modifications after I actually register and have to move things around a bit. <a href=“http://i.imgur.com/5k9Zh.jpg[/url]”>http://i.imgur.com/5k9Zh.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>tcln1456,</p>

<p>Can we already regsiter? I am an Arts and Science student and I am waiting until I see
advisor in about two weeks. we have a program for three days to get help with registration.
I have a couple of question because I am planning to take premed courses.</p>

<p>1) Would you let me know the registration website?
2) It looks you are taking total 15 units(Physics is 4 units). is it usual to take Chem, math, and physics all in freshmen? Seems to be tough! I am planning to take Chem and
Math in freshemen. Adding other courses, I have only 14 units because there is no 4 unit
courses that I like to take in the first year. </p>

<p>My plan is to take math and chem in the first year, biology in the first and second year,
organic chem in summer(either in the first or second summer), and physics in the second year. How does my plan sound? </p>

<p>I’d appreciate opinions on this from anybody including seniors.
Thanks yiu very much.</p>

8

<p>erkybk,</p>

<p>I’ve been told that students in the SEAS department register in mid-July and students in the A&S department register during A&S weekend or when the meet their advisor.</p>

<p>The website I used for those classes I posted on imgur was the registration worksheet on the WashU WebSTAC site (<a href=“https://acadinfo.wustl.edu/[/url]”>https://acadinfo.wustl.edu/&lt;/a&gt;). Just log on, and there will be a link that says registration worksheet on the left sidebar (under courses and registration). It basically states what your schedule will look like if you take certain classes.</p>

<p>I’m taking Chem, math, and physics because that’s what BME’s usually take during their freshman year at WashU. I followed the sample curriculum for BMEs ([Biomedical</a> Engineering Sample Curriculum | Washington University in St. Louis](<a href=“http://bulletin.wustl.edu/engineering/biomedical/samplecurriculum/]Biomedical”>http://bulletin.wustl.edu/engineering/biomedical/samplecurriculum/)). I think whatever your potential major will be may have a different sample curriculum.</p>

<p>I think a current student has to answer the other questions, because I’m not knowledgeable about that.</p>

9

<p>Erkybk</p>

<p>It is usually the engineers who take math, chem, and physics freshman year. Otherwise, you can take it sophomore or junior year no problem. I don’t think there’s any real necessity to take orgo over the summer; it usually fits in during sophomore year just fine.</p>

<p>And if you only have 14 credits (or ever if you have 15), you might want to consider a one credit course such as MedPrep. If you are seriously considering a life in medicine, then this class is certainly recommended. You won’t find it in the course listings, nor can you register for it the same way as every other class. All the information and registration info can be found here: <a href=“http://medprep.wustl.edu/medprep-I-course-description[/url]”>http://medprep.wustl.edu/medprep-I-course-description&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>

tcln was spot-on with everything mentioned above. Engineering students power through chem/physics/math from the get-go because they’re all prerequisites for engineering classes.</p>

<p>That being said, if you’re pre med and not engineering, it’s totally unnecessary. 14 units is fine for your first semester - I’m the exception to the rule in that I liked having 18 my first semester.
Standard order for premeds on these classes (from what I’ve noticed at WashU):</p>

<p>-Calc II, Calc III freshman year. Be done with math (except stats) while it’s still fresh from high school.
-Chem 111a/151 & 112a&152 freshman year
-bio 2960 spring freshman year, 2970 fall sophomore year, 3058 (if you choose to take it) spring sophomore year
-Orgo sophomore year
-Physics junior year</p>

<p>That being said, there is absolutely no reason to follow that layout. What you’ve suggested is completely legit. And taking orgo during the summer is nice - orgo at washu is tough and a pre-med killer for many people. I’ve noticed that those who take it over the summer at other schools were more likely to stay pre-med afterwards.</p>

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<p>I apprecaite your kind explanantion. Thank you so much. I am fully convinced that I chose the right college now. I have heard that WashU students are very collaborative and WahsU provides a great environments for students. I feel very comfortable with your advice and kind explanantion.</p>

12

<p>tcln1456,
did you take the chemistry pacement test?
I am going over the material and tried to take sample quiz. However, the system does
not recognize my student ID(six digit). I wonder if it is jist my problem or general problem. </p>

<p>It says. "No match was found. Please re-enter your information and try again. ".
Do you have any clue?</p>

<p>Or anybody has any idea?</p>

13

<p>It may be because the system does not have your information yet.</p>

<p>According to [Washington</a> University Engineering ? Freshmen Registration Guide - Chemistry Placement Exams & Requirements](<a href=“http://engineering.wustl.edu/freshmen/chem.aspx]Washington”>http://engineering.wustl.edu/freshmen/chem.aspx), you can’t start taking the actual placement until June 18th. It may hold true for the practice ones as well.</p>

<p>Side note- if I had to start over, I’d purposefully bomb the placement so that I could get into one of the extended recitations. They’re taught by actual professors, and are much more helpful. (I had one of Luesse’s hour long recitations in the spring, and it was so much better than what I had in the fall). That being said, I was one of the people on the borderline. Failed it the first time (didn’t have real chemistry offered in high school - the most advanced thing we did was balance normal chem formulas…), passed it the second.</p>

14

<p>One more question!</p>

<p>I got 5 on AP Calc BC. but I still want to take Calc 2 instead of Calc3 because I am not so confident about Calc 3. Hope it is OK.</p>

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<p>No clue if you’d be allowed to retake it or not. Can’t really answer that for you. My only hesitation is that the 5 will grant you automatic credit, and you can’t get credit for it twice.</p>

<p>That being said, I would seriously recommend taking Calc III. Don’t retake II - you’ve clearly shown that you know the material. Calc II will bore you, and you may actually overthink some things and not do as well as you’d like (ie not studying “because I already know it”). On top of that, the professor, Jack Shapiro, is MISERABLE. He’s dry, boring, and mumbles into the chalk board for 3 hours a week. He is one of the worst professors I have ever had at this school. You can avoid him. Do so.</p>

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<p>I’ll second the fact that Shapiro is horrid, and I’m one of those people who will stop going to a class if the professor is bad. I don’t think I went to Shapiro’s class past mid September, but skipping class in general is not a good idea. I still got an A, albeit barely.</p>

<p>As for your schedule, I’m going to deviate and say that having all your classes on 2-3 days isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if you can handle it. For example, this upcoming fall semester I actually have all my classes from 10 to 7 on Mondays and Wednesdays with a 1.5 hour break from 2:30 to 4, and that’s it. No class Tuesdays/Thursdays/Fridays. It’s generally not a good idea to go into freshman year first semester with this mindset, but afterwards, if you feel like you can pull it off, you can have quite a few off days, if you desire.</p>

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<p>You already got your credit for having the 5 on AP BC. Taking the class wouldn’t add any credits, and as such is rather pointless. You’ll be fine in Calc 3. While it’s okay to do, it just really isn’t worth it.</p>

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<p>I should take two math classes for premed, right? if I take Calc 3, what elase math class can i take? I am planning to major in psychology. Please suggest any good math course to take after calc 3. thanks much in advance.</p>

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<p>Stats would be a great class, it’ll go great with psychology and pre-med.</p>

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<p>Psych Stats is actually a requirement for the psych major, and I’m fairly certain it counts in that whole “math for pre-med” thing. </p>

<p>If you’re curious and want to look it up, it’s Psych 300. Also of note - it’s painfully easy. I remember looking at my roommates textbook/exams and thinking “… this is their final???” while I was in engineering ProbStats. Translation: it’s low stress.</p>

<p>For the overview of major requirements: <a href=“http://bulletin.wustl.edu/artsci/psychology/#majors[/url]”>http://bulletin.wustl.edu/artsci/psychology/#majors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;