Class and Research Inquiry

[kwm]

Okay, so I am not sure if this is the right place for this topic, however, I am sure someone will let me know. I will be entering my second year of undergraduate studies this coming fall in Biochemistry and Biotechnology. I will be applying to the College of Medicine this coming year and I am really hoping to get it. I've wanted to be a doctor from a very small age- I suppose the reasons for that are a bit personal.

 

This past year my average was 87.2% which isn't bad but I know I could do better if I had applied myself more. I am hoping to attain a two year overall average of 90% after this next year. Judging from the statistics, I am guessing that you need at least a 90% in your second year to be considered for admissions after only two years of undergraduate studies, but I could be wrong. I will be taking Latin 112, Medical Terminology 103, Philosophy 236, Nutrition 120 and BMSC 200, 210, 220, 224, 230, 240.

 

I am guessing that the majority of people on this site have taken at least a few of these classes. If you have any information you can provide me with them-how hard they were, how mentally rewarding they were, which professors are good, which to avoid- anything really would be a great help!

 

Lastly, I was hoping to attain some information pertaining to researching. Are there any research opportunities-even assisting in research- that are open to undergraduates at the University? I do know of some summer research programs, but are there any that run regularly throughout the school year? I have been researching online about VIDO and Intervac. I have also contacted my academic adviser, so I am hoping to gain some information somehow.

 

What kind of research, if any, did you do as an undergraduate? Did you do any volunteering? If so where? I am volunteering at RUH in the ER at the moment as well as taking Kendo classes-which is insanely fun-working and have a music/performing arts background.

 

I think this is the majority of the questions I have at the moment, I am sure I will think of something else to ask eventually. Anyways, whatever information you guys are able to give would be incredibly beneficial and appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

kwm

[Plasma]

Concentrate on getting good marks, don't spend too much time with extra things because they are not needed at the U of S. They don't care about what degree you are doing, your volunteer work or your research.

 

Regarding the classes:

Phil 236 is a hard class to get above 90% in. You should take courses which will give you good grades, don't worry about your degree in second year, because if you get in, you won't be finishing anyways.

 

Instead of Phil 236, i suggest you take Phil 140 with professor Eric Dayton, and no one else. Easy class, with minimal work and a good grade.

 

NUT 120 sounds interesting and easy but in reality it is quite a challenging class. If you are up to the task then go for it, but I stayed away and many of my friends wished they had done the same.

 

Med terms is a great class with an awesome prof.

 

Regarding the BMSCs, i would be vary of 240. I took the course when it first started and it wasn't a pleasant experience. You can get good grades but its tricky, perhaps they have changed it for the better during this time.

 

BMSC 220 is interesting but requires a lot of work, the rest are alright.

 

Good luck, and your average is fine, practice hard for the interview!

[lilprodigy]

Like Plasma said, choose easier classes!!! You need to focus on getting good marks, not impressing them by taking "medically related" subjects - the admissions committee won't care either way. why not try some psychology classes.....in my opinion they were pretty easy and generally very interesting. don't get caught up in trying to impression schools by taking harder classes...this won't benefit you marks wise and it will make your job harder to get into med school. i'm happy to hear that you are keeping up with physical activity - that is very important! but seriously, lay off on the hard courses and choose some easy ones this year, get stellar grades and who knows, maybe you'll get in after your 2nd or 3rd year....good luck.

[Venice]

Like the others said, take some easier classes so that you can get stellar grades.

 

I wouldn't look at research if I were in your position. Instead I would look at perhaps increasing the amount of extra-curricular activities or volunteer hours I have. During the interview, the interviewer has likely heard the same answers for an hour straight. You need to stand out and the way they will remember you is through an EC that no one else has done. For example, being the president of a club or winning a medal in a sport. Insert these tidbits as often as you can.

 

Taking easier classes also means you have more time to concentrate on practicing for the interview. Remember it is worth 65% of your admissions grade!

[kwm]

Oh wow!

 

Thank you so much for the quick replies! I am definitely taking some into consideration. I think I will be substituiting Philosophy 236 for Philosophy 140. I will take it in during third year, if I need to. As for the BMSC's, I think I will be keeping them just because they are pretty standard for any science-related degree and I will try my hardest to do well in them.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for easier classes then? I know there are a lot of people who will say: "an easy class is something that you are interested in", but are there any classes that are generally interesting and easy as well?

 

As for extra-curricular, I think I will lay of the research by the sounds of it and focus on doing some things that I enjoy. I will be getting back into the performing arts and will most likely begin taking music lessons just for fun, with minimal work.

 

If you guys have any other suggestions, please feel free to post them! They are quite helpful and greatly appreciated.

 

kwm

[lilprodigy]

i suppose it depends on your strengths for which classes to take. i am very good at researching and writing, so i consider psychology classes to be easy 90s. some people are naturally good at memorizing a large quantity of facts (without getting bored and sidetracked lol) and therefore take science classes in undergrad. i started with the science route in my undergrad but quickly realized that grades seemed harder to get this way. i subsequently switched to more humanities and social sciences. i found that in psychology, i was able to get easy marks in participation and finish up with solid papers to secure 90+ grades.

is there lab work in the classes you are looking at? if there is, don't forget to consider the extra time this will take up.

by the way, online classes seemed to include more work than you would think in my experience.

[lilprodigy]

also consider what you will do in case you don't get into medicine. if it is a science related field, then stick with heading towards completing a science degree. but, if you can't imagine yourself continuing in sciences (unless it is in medicine), then maybe you should consider an alternative degree route (as your plan while continuing to apply to medical school.

[kwm]

i suppose it depends on your strengths for which classes to take. i am very good at researching and writing, so i consider psychology classes to be easy 90s. some people are naturally good at memorizing a large quantity of facts (without getting bored and sidetracked lol) and therefore take science classes in undergrad. i started with the science route in my undergrad but quickly realized that grades seemed harder to get this way. i subsequently switched to more humanities and social sciences. i found that in psychology, i was able to get easy marks in participation and finish up with solid papers to secure 90+ grades.

is there lab work in the classes you are looking at? if there is, don't forget to consider the extra time this will take up.

by the way, online classes seemed to include more work than you would think in my experience.

 

 

Definitely agree with you there. Um my main strengths lie in the sciences. I enjoy memorizing and anything science related. I'm not so much for writing papers. While I am fairly good at it, it's not something that really peaks my interest. I was considering taking Anatomy and Cell Biology 210 this coming year but it seems like they have cut it out? Now they offer ACB 310 which has the same course title, but I am not sure if it is the same class. Any ideas?

 

I am also considering taking some language classes,just because I love studying them. So far I'm looking into Latin, German, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish.

 

Also, I have created some tentative schedules for the coming year and one of them has 4 BMSC's in one term( 210, 230, 224 and 240). I am thinking that this will not be a good idea, but I am not sure how hard they are. I was thinking of taking 3 BMSC's per term, but is it doable with those four?

 

I do have a back-up plan just in case. If not accepted, I will just continue with my current Biochem degree or transfer to Pharmacy.

 

Thanks again.

 

kwm

[failingtothrive]

Why is switching to Kin your back up plan? Why not just start Kin now if you like it?

You definitely need to have a back up plan, and they (the admissions committee) don't like it if you take a bunch of first year classes just for easy marks. Getting in after second year is rare, not to mention that I found the learning curve between second and third year of university to be quite steep.

[Sebriz]

what all these guys say is true forsure. Dayton is a good person, pretty funny and an easy class. You would prob wanna take 236 eventually but not in the avg raising years. I wish I knew back then what I know now, I took all the prereqs for med and such in my first two years at the same time as taking the easy classes. Taking all the easy ones at once would have been a much better plan. This is why I now have a degree but am starting up in commerce to get a good 2 yr avg!! hope that helps

[tombomb]

Latin 112, Medical Terminology 103, Philosophy 236, Nutrition 120 and BMSC 200, 210, 220, 224, 230, 240.

 

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Regarding some of your class choices, I'm sure you could find easier ones. If you really want to get into medicine you might as well make it as easy as possible, even if the classes aren't that useful for another program (and really, what is the big deal if you have to take an extra yr of class)

 

BMSC 200 and BMSC 230 require studying, but since that seems to be your forte there should be nothing to worry about in those two courses, plus they are prerequisites. I would maybe go a little lighter on some of those other BMSC courses, especially if they involve a lab component. Maybe one or two of those other BMSC courses aren't too bad, , but from my experience BMSC classes require a fair bit of studying).

 

Here are some classes which I thought weren't too bad or have heard are easy to get high marks in.

 

Econ 111 - lots of memorization

Econ 114 - lost of memorization

Most Geography courses aren't too dificult and some count as sciences while others count as humanities

Psychology - I've heard of people getting above 100 percent in Psychology courses. I personally have never taken one.

Kin courses - I've heard of some pretty easy, yet fun courses in kinesiology

Anthropology - I've heard of people getting great marks in Anthro 90+

 

Also, If you are able to achieve a two year average near 90 % you should have no problem getting into med.

[Plasma]

^^ A lot of those courses might be easy, but only because a certain prof makes them easy. Selecting the correct prof is as important as choosing the course itself.

 

Some easy courses you might want to consider:

Kin 121, easy 90+

Kin 122, have head its an easy 90+ but have not taken it myself.

Sociology 111 with prof William Boateng also a 90+ class.

 

Of course these grades are for people who actually want them and study hard for them. They wont come magically, but since you're going into 2nd you, you'll be well aware of that.

[kwm]

Thank you guys!

 

You comments have helped me quite a bit in determining quite a bit about classes. I have one more problem that I am seeking a bit of advice on.

 

I applied for the College of Pharmacy this year and I just got my acceptance letter today. While this is a great opportunity, I find myself hesitating. If I accept, I will have all my pre-requisites completed by next year and will still be eligible to apply for medicine if I want. However, I am not sure about the program and how hard it is. I do not want to accept it and then have it bring my marks down at all. However, I do realize that much like all other programs, it is possible to do exceptionally well as long as you study and do the work. Is it possible to attain an overall average of 90+ in first year Pharmacy or does the general trend hint towards a decline of marks?

If I do accept my invitation to the College, I will be taking BMSC 200, 230, Chem 255 (mind you I got a 94% in Chem 250), Physiology 208, Pharmacy 200, 201, 203, 216, 280, Nutrition 120 and another humanities, fine arts or social science. I know this is kind of random and out there but I suppose I am trying to gather as much information as possible to make the best choices in order to attain acceptance into Medicine, because that IS my ultimate goal, to be accepted into Medicine.

 

 

If I decline Pharmacy, I will be taking BMSC 200, 210, 220, 224, 230 and 240, Latin 112, Music 101, Classics 103 and Stats 245(very easy actually and need for my degree that is an added bonus), this coming year.

 

Once again, thank you so much for the advice and assistance that you have been giving,

 

kwm

[Plasma]

Not sure about Pharmacy but Chem 255 is a killer course! I don't know how i managed to survive it. Totally not advised, Chem 250 is nothing compared to this course. Most of my class was still sitting in the gym after 3 hours had passed!

 

Pharmacy is not your second plan anyways so don't go for it and take easy courses, get 90 average, just pass the interview and you are in!

[kwm]

Not sure about Pharmacy but Chem 255 is a killer course! I don't know how i managed to survive it. Totally not advised, Chem 250 is nothing compared to this course. Most of my class was still sitting in the gym after 3 hours had passed!

 

Pharmacy is not your second plan anyways so don't go for it and take easy courses, get 90 average, just pass the interview and you are in!

 

Thanks Plasma! I decided not to take it. I want to get into Medicine and that is exactly what I am gonna do!

[Plasma]

Smart move, you wont regret it. I could have gotten a 3 year degree if i had taken a couple courses related to my major, but my average could have suffered. I decided that med was more important and went for some other courses, and it worked out well!

 

Just practice hard for the interview, don't listen to people who tell you that there is no need to practice!

[kwm]

I will do! Okay, on to Professors now. I am taking a few classes that I am not sure about how good the Professors are. I have been using RateMyProf.com, but I find that the comments on that site aren't always correct. One Professor that I am curious about is Pedro J. Chedrese. He is teaching my second term BMSC 224. Has anyone here ever had him? Is he a good proff? My Latin class is with John R. Porter, whom I've heard is a hard Classics proff but a good Latin Professor. Lastly, has anyone ever had Kyle J. Anderson? I have him for BMSC 240.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

I would also like to congratulate you Plasma on your acceptance this year! I wish you all the best. Be sure to keep me informed on how things are going for you if you have the time!

 

kwm

[TheBoss]

My brother took BMSC 240, it was a new class this past year. He said it was really tricky and therefore hard to get a good mark in.

 

I also heard CHEM 255 is a lot harder than CHEM 250

[kwm]

Hay! Thanks for all your input on the classes! I just registered this morning and got everything I wanted!

 

This is what my terms look like:

 

Term 1 - BMSC 200, BMSC 220, BMSC 240, Classics 103, Latin 112.

 

Term 2 - BMSC 224, BMSC 210, BMSC 230, Classics 104 (with Stiles), Stats 245.

 

I'm pretty confident in this classes and am going to be working my butt of this next year!

 

I'll most likely post more questions about the interview when it gets closer to that. All the same, feel free to post more advice if you have any! I will be checking this site on a regular basis!

 

Thanks and have a great summer everyone!

 

Kwm

[TheBoss]

I actually did my undergrad in Chemistry and I found 255 a lot easier than 250.

 

Thanks for saying that I'm actually taking it this upcoming year, because I decided I needed it too badly to skip it, and the things people were saying had me scared silly.

[reminisce]

Term 1 - BMSC 200, BMSC 220, BMSC 240, Classics 103, Latin 112.

 

Term 2 - BMSC 224, BMSC 210, BMSC 230, Classics 104 (with Stiles), Stats 245.

 

That sched looks pretty good. Work hard and I'm sure it'll pay off. I took PLSC 314 instead of the Stats 245, but the classes were equivalent when I took it. 80% of the class was with working with mean, median, mode, and Z-score. It got a bit tougher towards the end of the year but definitely manageable. If you're interested, take the course with Krista Wilde(?) (I think that was her name) Good luck!

[TheBoss]

Yeah, profs are Palmer and Edward Krol (who I know nothing about), and I have taken BIOC (BMSC now) 200. If you say the exams are really fair, I think I should be okay if I work hard.

 

For STAT 245, I think Laverty is the only one who teaches it. Some things can't be helped.

[kwm]

Who are you taking Stats 245 with? Is it by any chance Laverty?

 

I took it with him last year and wow, that class was a joke! Terribly boring in lectures but he lets you take in anything to the exams, even laptops. Honestly, I don't know how he prevents cheating when people have access to the internet the entire time...

 

Yeap, I am taking it with Laverty. I have been warned that he is a bit slack, so I am keeping it in the back of my mind to still work hard in order to get a good mark. But an easy class is always a good fine too. Hopefully it won't be too dreadful!

 

kwm

[Plasma]

No guys, seriously. You should reconsider Chem 255. Its takes an immense amount of work and you are still not guarenteed a 90+. There are plenty of other classes in which that amount of hard work will get you a 90+.

[TheBoss]

Alright, thanks pastinpresent!

 

No guys, seriously. You should reconsider Chem 255. Its takes an immense amount of work and you are still not guarenteed a 90+. There are plenty of other classes in which that amount of hard work will get you a 90+.

 

I appreciate your consideration, but I really don't think I can avoid it.