<p>Hi guys,</p>
<p>I am a pre-med doing MCB. I was just wondering what courses pre-meds take in their first semester of sophomore year. I am signed up for bio1b and chem 3b right now, but i hear that a lot of my peers are taking chem 3b and physics 8A. I plan on taking the MCAT next year around this time, so am I going on the right track if i take the above courses and bio1a and physics 8a in the spring?</p>
<p>Also is bio 1b harder in the fall or is physics 8A harder?</p>
<p>Thanks guys</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/663837-general-premed-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/663837-general-premed-advice.html</a></p>
<p>You are on the right track and I must say I was almost on the exact same track as you were a year ago. A bit of advice from me is to hold off taking the MCAT until spring jr. or fall sr. This would mean (I realize unfortunately) applying to med school after graduation. I know this sounds crazy to most premeds at Berkeley, but these days adcom welcome more candidates who are older and show greater depth of maturity in their application. pm if you have any additional questions</p>
<p>Hi babydragon, </p>
<p>First of all, thank you for answering me and congrats on your incredible GPA. </p>
<p>So here is what I have taken and what i plan to take:</p>
<p>Freshman Fall: Chem 1a/Math1A
Freshman Spring: Chem 3a/math 1b
Sophomore Fall: Chem 3b/ Bio1b
Sophomore Spring: Bio 1a/physics 8a
Junior Fall: Physics and probably MCB 100 or 102
Junior Spring: upper divs</p>
<p>Now my questions:</p>
<p>-do you think that chem 3b and bio 1b would be too much work? I also plan on adding one more course like a breadth. do you think that this would be an overload?
-I also plan on waiting a year an applying. But, I want to be ready to take the MCAT next year by this time. now, I see some of my peers not taking Bio1b and directly doing chem 3b and physics 8a. Would this make them more prepared for the MCAT? or is it because bio is easier in the spring? </p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate all the help.</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>Answers to questions:</p>
<p>-do you think that chem 3b and bio 1b would be too much work? I also plan on adding one more course like a breadth. do you think that this would be an overload?</p>
<p>I did chem 3b/l, bio 1a/l, and 2 other classes and it went well, so as long as you don’t go in with the mindset that it is impossible, you’ll be able to handle 2-3 lower divs a semester plus w/e breadths or research you want to take on. </p>
<p>I was a ugsi for bio 1b in fall and spring this year, and spring is definitely easier than fall because the professors are better quality. I suggest you take physics 8a with deweese (easy professor) and chem 3b this fall; save bio for spring. Regardless, the difference isn’t enough to lose sleep over… so don’t worry if you can’t get into physics this semester.</p>
<p>-I also plan on waiting a year an applying. But, I want to be ready to take the MCAT next year by this time. now, I see some of my peers not taking Bio1b and directly doing chem 3b and physics 8a. Would this make them more prepared for the MCAT? or is it because bio is easier in the spring?</p>
<p>Bio is easier in the spring. The professors are a lot better at writing tests and staying organized, and this makes the course run smoothly for faculty and students. I took it in Spring 08 and it was great. Honestly, this scheduling has little effect on how you will prepare for the mcat because if you plan to take a prep course with Kaplan or Princeton Review, you should take it during junior summer when classes, research, etc are at a minimum. That way, you can cover physics 8a and 8b during your junior year and still have it fresh in your mind. I took physics 8a my freshman spring and if I had to do it again, I would have held it off until junior year because it just makes more sense. If you are antsy to do anything ahead of time, I suggest taking a physiology course (mcb 136 or the ib version) and mcb 100a/102 because these courses, while not required for the mcat, are said to be helpful for the test.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Hey. So I’m a second year currently I’m enrolled in physics 8A, bio 1B and chem 3b/l for the fall. This is only 13 units, but do you think I’m taking on too much, doing three lower division science course at once? I’ve already done math 1a/1b, chem 1a and 3a/l.</p>
<p>Regarding Chem 3B/L: In an ideal scenario, you should not take EITHER Biology 1 course with this course. You definitely should NOT take Bio 1A/L with this class. Also, this class is better in the Spring. Vollhardt teaches this class in the Fall, Pedersen in the Spring, Viernes in the Summer.
Pedersen is better than Viernes who is better than Vollhardt.</p>
<p>Regarding Biology 1A: I know people get uber-stressed by the Spring genetics professor, so that might be a cue to take the class in fall. I took this course in fall, the professors were great. </p>
<p>Regarding Biology 1AL: This class is the same every term, as Meighan is always the teacher.</p>
<p>Regarding Biology 1B: I used to say that Biology 1B is easier in the spring, but now that it appears Mishler is not teaching Bio 1B in the fall anymore, I cannot definitively say much</p>