@aveagle04
Thank you for being so wonderfully helpful!
Do you know if it’s possible for Applied Psych major to work toward teacher certificate program?
It seems only the elementary and secondary education major are eligible, so I wonder if it’s workable to perhaps double major or minor in Applied Psych while majoring in Elementary education to enroll in the certification program? I know this may sounds way too crazy as the Elementary education major itself already requires a double major in MCAS, am just trying to find a path toward the state certification program while not wanting to give up my interests in Applied Psych major/minor.
@aveagle04 We went to freshman orientation earlier this week. Things went great, nice people, seminars, food, weather too! One question, do you remember if some students had 17 credits as first semester freshman? Is that too much?, Chem or Biochem major. I’m trying not to ask him about it or convey stress.
obviously, 17 units depends on the kid and preparation, and courses.
But note that college Lab classes are a time-sink. Lab writes ups, done properly, can take hours to qualify for an ‘A’. Generally much more effort required relative to the units earned.
As a parent, I would not recommend that heavy a load for first semester. (Don’t forget, the College will have lotsa social things going on fall quarter, including football games…)
Do you know if you’re able to change majors right before registering for classes fall semester freshman year?
^^highly unlikely that you can change intended majors within the same college (fuhgedditabout changing Colleges) before orientation when you register for classes. But not sure that it much matters since you should be taking mostly Intro/Core classes anyway. Just go thru the Orientation course Planner and take new-Intended Major 1 as a elective.
I think changing majors within the same college is a nothing thing to do and as @bluebayou says, just register for core now anyway so you are not limited. You should also have an advisor to help you with this and can probably reach them via email/phone now if you need help with this.
Changing schools is a different story. I think transferring to Morrissey is possible but they want you to wait a year. Transferring to CSOM is very, very hard. Not sure about Nursing and Education…I think the programs are capped so it depends on the spots that open up.
Good luck!
@3sonsmom I am glad you had such a great orientation! I hope your son enjoyed it as well 
Like someone above said it all depends on your son’s stress level and how he handles academic work. I took 17 credits my freshman year (which included chem, chem lab, and calc) and I personally thought it was a manageable workload. However, it is also important for you and your son to consider that calc and chem have discussion sections so in addition to your 5 classes and lab, there will be 2 additional “classes” a week for discussion. Again, lab is 3 hours a week and does not include pre and post lab write-ups. It was definitely very time consuming. Also, I know many premed/bio/chem students tend to do bio, chem, and calc all in one semester. I chose to do chem and calc and then completed my bio sophomore year which I thought was better for me. However, students that want to apply to medical school after their third year, typically do all three in one semester. Hope this helps!
@aveagle04 thank you for the reply. I checked with twin (both brothers will be BC freshman) Chem son has chem and lab but not calc first semester, molecules/cells, Perspectives and maybe one credit writing makes it 17? I don’t think Chem son on pre-med track.
^^personally, I would not advise that rigorous a schedule first semester of 1st year. A really strong student can handle that rigor, but one never knows how one stacks up against the competition until the first couple of tests come in. If your S has attended a high quality HS with a strong science component, he might be fine. Or, if your S took AP Chem and aced it with a 5, and is just taking Gen Gem for the ‘easy A’…(you’d be surprised how many kids will repeat Gen Chem after AP Chem.) OTOH, learning to do a lab write up the scientific way is foreign to most Frosh. It’s all about preparation.
Perspectives is a LOT of reading’ & writin’. My D knew several kids who took Perspectives and didn’t do as well as they would have liked and ended up with a double B. (Its a double course so one grade x 2.)
Grades are paramount for premed, and overloading and ending up in a GPA hole is not a good place to be.
Good luck. BC is just awesome. My D keeps in contact with several of her professors years after graduation.
@aveagle04 @bluebayou Would like your feedback on my schedule if you don’t mind. General chem and lab, molecules cells, philosophy of person, first year writing and intermediate Spanish 1. It’s 16 hours. I’m pre-med and live science and research. I’m guessing I’ll have to take calc next year. I got a 5 on AP calc AB so not sure if that counts or not. Do you think my schedule is ok? I’m excited but also nervous. Can’t wait for football and hockey games! Hope I have time to enjoy them.
^^Personally, I’m old school and prefer Bio after Gen Chem, as a lot of Bio is no longer just memorization but biological reactions, and having a Chem foundation can help. Then double Bio and Bio lab.
The rigor of Span depends on your HS background. Make sure that you take the pretest.
If you plan on tail gating on Saturdays, you might consider swapping Bio for another elective, such as Psych or Soc. Or, take Calc an get it done.
I’m staying on Newton Campus, do a lot of kids bring their own bikes or is it a waste of money and time to have one? Also, do you think it would be a good or bad idea to bring my ps4 system to game? My parents don’t want me to
Hi bc bound maybe. I’m glad you got through the door! I was anxiously rooting for you and the last minute acceptance felt like my own kid has gotten in. I think your perseverance and determination is what won the day for you.
That being said I would listen to your parents. Now that you are in you will be competing with the other elite students and bc expectations. As a first year in a new environment the gaming may not be the most productive use of your time. And will also keep you in the room and not participating. You’re on Newton where they have things planned all the time. Join clubs and meet people. And study hard. Don’t want you to blow the chance you fought so hard for with needless distractions.
Game when yo go home or once in awhile in a friends room.
I’ll offer a contrarian pov: my D did say that few kids have bikes on campus. OTOH, she knew a bunch of guys – and they were mostly guys – that had game machines. Perhaps split the difference with your parents: don’t take it for fall, but revisit the decision over the holiday break.
Hi @BCBoundMaybe ! Sounds like you have a good mix of classes that will introduce you to the college lifestyle at BC! Again, it is hard to give an accurate opinion on your schedule because I do not know you as a student, but it sounds like a typical freshman schedule that many students are able to handle. Who do you have for gen chem? There are professors with completely different calibers of difficulty. Honestly, lab can be a bit annoying to go to but you have to do it and I often found myself enjoying the lab once we started. I didn’t take first year writing because of an AP Test but I think that should be fine. I would just make sure you know when your papers are due and when your lab reports are due because it could be a lot of writing when combined. I started at CCR1 so I didn’t take intermediate but I have heard it is pretty easy, again, I am not sure of your past experiences with Spanish. Yes, a 5 on the AP calc exams counts towards your calc core, at least it did for me. I would double check in case something has changed since I was a freshman. I definitely think you can handle chem and bio as well as enjoy the athletics! And your professors are there for you, so never hesitate to meet them if you have any concerns about the work load. Best of luck!
@BCBoundMaybe Not sure how you feel about Newton, if you have any negative thoughts, please don’t. I was not on Newton but everyone that lived there loved it and they definitely have their own sense of community! I am not sure about how many kids have bikes. It might be a good idea to have so you don’t have to deal with riding the bus. There have been times I wish I had a bike on campus. I don’t see why it would be a bad idea to bring your ps4 as I know a lot of people do. While it could prevent you from leaving the room, it could also help you make friends as you can all hang out in your room. As long as you have self control and don’t play it all day you should be good haha
@privatebanker just getting back online. Thank you very much for rooting for me. BC is awesome!!!