Hello, all!
I am pre-med, FYI.
I am currently a Freshman in college and I am majoring in chemistry. These are the classes I have taken thus far:
Psychology
College Algebra
Sociology
English
College Intro Seminar
Freshmen Interest Group Class (This was one credit hour class for a freshman in the same majors to sort of get to know each other).
I ended that semester with a 3.81
It’s probably weird that I haven’t taken chem my first semester, but my math skills are relatively weak so I am sort of building them back up.
Here is my courseload this semester:
CHEM 1
CHEM 1 LAB
Anatomy and Pathology
Anatomy and Pathology LAB
Political Science
Trigonometry
Mythology
My question is this: as a chemistry major, you should typically be in calculus 2 by the end of your freshman year, whereas I have yet to take Calculus 1. Having this in mind, should I take calculus over the summer? I feel like I am behind a lot of my peers; they seem to be naturally good at these kinds of subjects whereas I am putting in 40+ hours of work per week and getting minimal results. The reason I didn’t take chemistry in my 1st semester was because College Algebra was a prerequisite to taking the class, so that already makes me an outlier. “How can a chemistry major not have taken chemistry 1 in their 1st semester?”
I refuse to believe that I can’t succeed in these classes but I constantly have the feeling that I am playing catch up with everybody else and it can be exhausting sometimes.
Would it be a smart move to take calculus over the summer? Or would that make me look like a fool in the eyes of medical admissions committees? I would be taking these classes next fall for a grand total of 15 credit hours:
BIO I
CHEM II
Calculus 2
I think taking Calc 1 over the summer is an excellent idea. You are playing catch up with your peers. They have a much deeper math background than you do and so they have a big advantage over you in your science classes. Chem is very math-intensive major.
I would stop worrying so much about what adcomms will think about your schedule. It’s really not relevant to your decision. You need the math skills to be successful in your classes.
Your fall schedule seems a bit ambitious. Before committing yourself to 3 math & science classes, wait and see how Calc 1 and gen Chem 1 goes. Most people find Calc 2 substantially more challenging (and time-consuming) than Calc 1.
Does your budget allow for a five-year plan? If you’re weak in math, the pace of summer Calc might be too much. A five-year plan would also let you spread the science classes out a bit until you get a feel for how much you can handle.
If you have a will, you have a way. In the summer, classes will be compacted and you will be very busy.
In my college years, I always took two classes in each summer session and often not in my own school because I’d like to adventure. One summer, I was stupid enough to sign up Calculus 2 in one of the top state schools, without even thinking Calculus 1 is the prerequisite for the class and our school approved my proposal without even ask. So here I was, 1000 miles from home, I went into a class that I could not understand what the prof was talking about. On day one, the professor notice I was totally lost and called me on side and asked my situation. I told him the truth and he said, “may be we can catchup Cal I in my office hours. I will be in my office every day from 2 to 4, be sure to come.” So, I went there every day for the duration of the class, with the help of the professor, I actually caught up with the class and got an A in Calc II without any background in Calc I, or prior calc classes in HS.