<p>I am going to Rutgers this fall and am majoring in biological sciences on a pre-dental track and I'm not sure which classes to take this upcoming semester. I know that all freshmen are required to take Expos (which I have heard is not a great class), and then usually three other classes.</p>
<p>I placed into Calculus 135 or 151, but I'm not sure which one is the better option. Also, I have heard that taking General Bio and General Chem at the same time is not a good idea, but I have also heard for my major it is recommended -- do I take the two at the same time, or wait to do Chemistry at a different time?</p>
<p>I may have AP credits for Calc AB (will find out in July) -- if I do have these credits, do they automatically place me in Calc II? I also have credits for history classes, but since I'm not majoring in history, can I still use the credits? As you can see, I'm really confused with how this process works, and any help is extremely appreciated!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Most pre-med/pre-dent students take general biology and general chemistry at the same time unless they are engineers. Engineers’ schedules are so structured that it doesn’t give them much freedom to choose what to take. If you are enrolled in SEBS as a pre-med/pre-dent, definitely I would take general biology and general chemistry simutaneously.</p>
<p>Calculus 151 is specifically designed for engineers, so it tends to be more rigorous and in depth compared to 135. It really doesn’t matter what you take, but if you can take the easier one, why not just take it? In the end, it’s same old calculus.</p>
<p>If you placed out of calculus 1, then go ahead and take calculus 2. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your help! I will probably put down Calc 135 and if I were to place out of it, just go from there. I am going to actually be at SAS instead of SEBS – does that change anything or is it basically the same? I had figured that I would probably need to take chem and bio at the same time, which are both labs right? Is the grading separate, as in a grade for lecture and a grade for lab, or just one general grade? Thanks again!</p>
<p>It doesn’t change anything if you’re in SAS instead of SEBS. It only matters when you are in a specialized program such as engineering or pharmacy.</p>
<p>Biology is a 4 credit course each semester that comes with the lab. Chemistry is a 3 credit course per semester, and the lab is not included; so if you wish to take chemistry lab, you have to take chemistry 171 (introduction to experimentation), which is a 1 credit course, and it only lasts for 1 semester.</p>
<p>You will get a separate grade for intro to experimentation (chemistry lab) while for biology, the course grade includes your lab grade. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>That is very helpful, thank you! I’m sorry, but just one other quick question in regard to the intro to experimentation: is there any specific time to take that 1-credit course? If I am in Calculus, Expos, Gen Bio, and Gen Chem my first semester, do I take the chem lab at the same time, or do I wait for my second semester or even at a later time?</p>
<p>And just for anyone familiar with AP credits: if I receive a 4 or 5 on an English Lang or Lit exam, do I test out of expos? What would that put me in? And if I have other 4’s or 5’s on other AP exams not related to my major – I will not be taking history, for example, this semester – can I use those credits for another class or an elective? Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>It really doesn’t matter when you take intro to experimentation. But, here is the thing. The experiments you do in the class is heavily relevant to the first semester of general chemistry (chemistry I). By the end of the day, it is your preference; would you like to do the labs that relate to the 1st semester of chemistry while you’re in chem I, or would you like to wait until 2nd semester when you are taking chem II?</p>
<p>Here’s the thing about English for pre-med/pre-dent students. Med/dental schools want to see students take 1 year (2 semesters) of writing intensive courses. So if you AP out of Expos, you would want to take 2 upper level writing intensive courses in the course of your college career. Of course, you don’t HAVE to take 2 semesters of writing intensive courses, but it won’t do you any harm if you do.</p>
<p>If you decide to AP out of Expos, however, you may move right on to the next level writing course or just take an elective in that place. Since you have the luxury to architect your schedule the way you want, it totally depends on your preference.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your help! And last question – if I place out of Calculus I and take Calculus II during the first semester, am I required to take Calculus III or some other math course (like Statistics) during my second semester, or is my “year” of math done (as Calc I and II will be done)?</p>
<p>Placing out of calc I and taking calc II is the same thing as taking calculus for 1 year. So it’s perfectly fine to place out of calc I if you want to, because they are giving you credits for it.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is an option for you, but instead of taking Calc II, I took Basic Stats for Research. I took Calc I my first semester as a freshman though. For a bio major, Basic Stats for Research fulfills the same requirement as Calc II, and it’s supposed to be a lot easier, but if you’re planning on majoring in any math related sciences or majors, taking Calc II might be more beneficial. :)</p>
<p>If you are 100% on predent i would not advise to use your AP credits cause a lot of dental schools dont accept AP credits for their pre-reqs. You need 8 credits of math courses for acceptance into dental school. Calc 2 is the notorious hard calc of rutgers. If you believe you can ace calc 1 i would say take it and ace it(calc 135). Then take an easy math course to fufill your other math requirement for dental school. No need to take calc 2 if you don’t have to unless you want to major/minor in it.</p>
<p>*My advice</p>
<p>Hey Versa17!!! I’m also a Rutgers student and have just completed my freshman year. Like you, I am also a biological science major at SAS and am planning to go to Pre-Dental afterwards. I know that if you AP out of Calc I or if you decide to take Calc 135 then all you need after that is either another upper level calc (such as Calc II) or an upper level statistics (Basic Stats for Research or Basic Prob and Stats). I have already taken Calc 135 and will be taking Basic Stats for Research next semester. From what I have heard, Basic Stats for Research is a much easier course than Calc II.</p>
<p>ALSO! If I am not mistaken, Basic Stats for Research will also fulfill one of your SAS requirements. So you’re basically killing two birds with one stone by fulfilling not only a bio major requirement, but also an SAS requirement. </p>
<p>I hope this helps!</p>
<p>Oh and one more thing, I know they say you should take Bio, Expos, Chem, and Calc your freshman year. Personally, I only took Bio, Expos, and Calc my freshman year. I found this load to be a perfect fit for me. I have decided to take Chem, Basic Prob and Stats, and Physics my sophomore year, and Organic Chemistry my junior year. I know many of my friends on a pre-med path decided to take Bio, Expos, Chem, and Calc their freshman year and struggled or even failed some courses. However I also know people who have had great success! So basically, I just wanted to let you know that it’s ok to try either path. It’s all a matter of how much time you spend studying and knowing the material. And as long as you fulfill all your required courses you’ll be FINE :D</p>
<p>Good luck! Let me know if you need any more help :)</p>
<p>Hello! I am an incoming freshman to SAS
and im focusing on predmed.</p>
<p>my freshman year schedule that i preplanned consisted of: chem, basic comp, calc</p>
<p>i have a question regarding the english requirement. Is basic composition the lowest a freshman could take? and is it ever so possible to move up to expos writing frosh year? and does taking basic comp look kind of bad on my transcript?</p>
<p>THank you!</p>
<p>i replied on your other thread about advancing on expos. </p>
<p>You can not take biology unless you are taking expos so you would have to take bio sophmore year which is not harmful to you and you can always take it in the summer. </p>
<p>Also, basic comp is the lowest credit obtainable writing courses meaning you get credit it for it. There are courses under basic comp but you get E-Credits which don’t go towards your degree.</p>
<p>thank you so much shipponz!</p>
<p>Can I still take Chemistry even if I am in basic comp?</p>
<p>Hey lovcat101</p>
<p>Yes you can take Chemistry even if you are in basic comp! No worries :)</p>