FirstWave Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 Hello everybody, I am very glad to have found this place as I have a lotta questions and regrettably did not take the time to adequately research all of my options. Anyway, I am going into first year sciences with the following courses: BIOL 112(term 2),121(term 2) Chem 121(t1),123(t2) English 112(t1), 110(t2) Phys 100 (t1) Math 180 (t1) 101 (t2) I plan on applying for a Pharmacology major (and maybe Chemistry as a backup or BioChem) in the future and then for med school in the distant future. Now, my question is, which major offers the least path of resistance towards that goal? That is, which major is the easiest to get and maintain a high GPA, and doesn't consume all of one's waking hours? Secondly, I realized too late that BIOL 140 is in a prereq for med school and now it is too late to register for a class in the coming winter semester. I can take this course next year winter semester, right? And I hear taking summer courses is smart choice... so I am planning on taking Phys 101 and maybe an Arts elective next summer. Is that wise? Anyway, I would appreciate any feedback and I am certainly grateful for any help I can get. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittykat Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Hey there! You have lots of time to get all the prereqs in if you are just starting first year... don't stress about that . What is your rationale behind taking the summer courses? It really shouldn't matter what semesters you take your courses. No one can tell you what the easiest major is going to be. That depends on your strengths and what you are truly interested in. It is hard to do well if you are not interested in what you are learning. If you are interested in french, pharm, math, kinesiology, it all really doesn't matter as long as you get the prereqs in. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpringDrive Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 You should take the two biol courses in separate terms. Also, right now you don't have a full course load but if your goal is UBC med then it doesn't matter. Pharmacology, Chem, Biochem, none of them are good majors if you're looking for the path of least resistance. You have to take a lot of lab courses with those majors, and labs are time consuming and hard to get a good grade in. Try general science or integrated science. You can pick and choose all the easy courses and don't have to take any labs in upper years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstWave Posted August 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Hello, thank you for the replies. Hmm it seems like I'm one card short of a full hand... Oh well, for the winter semester anyway. I guess that's my rationale for taking summer courses, either to complete the course load or get credits for the other required courses like electives and any missing prereqs, but It seems as if I'll have to wait until next semester to take BIOL 140. To quote the words of someone else: "Only children get their summers off" lol. I was thinking of going into those majors I mentioned as a backup, in case the unfortunate event that I don not get into med school right away, besides biology and chemistry interest me, so yeah there's that. EDIT: Is not having a full course load a bad thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
advair250 Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Not having a full course load is bad for some other schools, but as far as I know UBC doesn't care. But nonetheless, you want to prepare yourself for upper years. I'd say do at least 30 credits, some of the majors(such as Pharmacology) will require you to do 38 in 2nd year(offset some of that into summer). But yeah, the path of least resistance is the one that is the easiest and gets you the marks you need. However the path of least resistance usually doesn't prepare you for anything either. You want to have a solid back up route, because not everyone gets into Meds. Do a lot more research, and feel free to PM me if you want to bounce ideas off me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstWave Posted August 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Yeah, thanks I'm beginning to have an understanding of the big picture, but still nothing will enlighten me more than an actual semester of classes. Anyway, just a broad question, what are some studying strategies that you guys find effective? I know I get distracted pretty easily, don't really read that much (seeing as how I get distracted way too easily) and don't really cram that effectively for tests. I need to kick my studying into high gear and commit myself into some sort of regular schedule of studying and review when I'm not working or sleeping or doing anything else haha. Any advice? How are some of the first year classes like? Hectic? Hard? Or chill as all hell? How are the assignments and exams? Thank in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmleo Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 lol they're most certainly not 'chill as hell'..well, to me at least.. but then again, they're not insanely difficult to the point where you need to study every minute you're awake either..so its manageable with good studying skills and stuff so have fun:D edit:if you're looking for tips on how to study effectively, try searching around some old threads. my advice is, 1.never postpone stuff like assignments and quizzes 2.try to get to know the profs early on by visiting their office and asking questions 3.dont go overboard with studying. balance it with things you like to do whether it might be hanging out or doing some cool volunteering 4.start early with your mid-term and final studyings cuz you don't want to cram for those 5.find people you can share notes and ideas with. they're also great to study with together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans_Krebs Posted August 6, 2010 Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 Yeah, thanks I'm beginning to have an understanding of the big picture, but still nothing will enlighten me more than an actual semester of classes. Anyway, just a broad question, what are some studying strategies that you guys find effective? I know I get distracted pretty easily, don't really read that much (seeing as how I get distracted way too easily) and don't really cram that effectively for tests. I need to kick my studying into high gear and commit myself into some sort of regular schedule of studying and review when I'm not working or sleeping or doing anything else haha. Any advice? How are some of the first year classes like? Hectic? Hard? Or chill as all hell? How are the assignments and exams? Thank in advance. not sure why but I just seriously laughed out loud with that description. But it all depends on how your study habits are and how well you learn the material. For one it could be "chill as hell" and for me, it could be "WTF I am definetly switching into arts." Just go in with a good mindset, work hard and you will find out sooner than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstWave Posted August 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 not sure why but I just seriously laughed out loud with that description. But it all depends on how your study habits are and how well you learn the material. For one it could be "chill as hell" and for me, it could be "WTF I am definetly switching into arts." Just go in with a good mindset, work hard and you will find out sooner than later. Haha yeah I guess it does indeed. Anyway, thanks for all the help. I've just registered into a waitlist BIOL 140 course second term and I was wondering if any one can give me the heads up on how the waitlist system works. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstWave Posted August 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 Hello, another question: how can I make up for absent lectures or lectures in which I know I'm going to miss due to uncontrollable circumstances? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 Hello, another question: how can I make up for absent lectures or lectures in which I know I'm going to miss due to uncontrollable circumstances? Thanks. School is your JOB- you should not be missing classes. That said, usually you can meet a few people who you can trust to take decent notes and pass the information on to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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