daily schedule

[Guest darronolsen]

What is the daily schedule for a pre-med student???(B.Sc) (ie. how much free time?)

[Guest MDCY]

It depends what major you are going to get yourself into and at what college/university. I only know for UC and for Biochemistry but basically this is what my four years were like:

1st yr: It was nice and easy because most of the courses were covering high school material all over again. In the second semester, you might be learning new info. Free time wise, I think I had enough free time but it does take some time to get used to the university life/schedule. If you manage your studies/labs well, you will have a life outside school for sure.

2nd yr: This was the beginning of the weeding of the biosci majors and I had 10 courses + 7 labs in the year! It was absolutely brutal and the only thing that saved my GPA were options/elective courses. This year pressed me for time and I didn't have much of a life and free time aside from labs and school.

3rd yr: This was a tough year too but it wasn't quite as bad as second year was. We still had lots of labs and a courses but the biochemistry courses were much tougher as they were continuing to weed out people. Expect as much memory work as in second year. Free-time was there and it was definetly better than second year.

4th yr: This year was my second easiest year but I didn't take honors in bcem so it was easier. I had 7 options/electives and three biochemistry core courses to take in my last year and it was much more relaxed. I would even dare to say it was more relaxing than first year's pace. The core courses themselves were harder than the previous years but the options/electives helped out tremendously. There was quite a bit of free time in my last year so enjoy it before you either get into med school or into the work force.

 

Remember that this is only my opinion on my undergrad but I assume it would be similar to other people's undergrad. Anyway, I hope this helped you gauge your life in college/university.

Cheers!

[Guest aneliz]

How much 'free' time you have is definitely a function of how many labs you have. Labs eat time like nothing else -especially biochem and orgo labs! They are an extra 3 hours of class time on top of your lectures for that class plus you can spend HOURS (and hours) writing up lab reports and keeping your lab notes in good shape. I find that a lab easily adds 10 hours of work to your week. And, annoyingly, you usually receive little credit for your lab work. (For example: 102 hand-written pages of organic chem lab notes = 2% of final mark!) So, if you have a lot of labs in any given year, you will find that you have a lot less free time than if you have five courses without labs.

 

That said, this is how I found my time broke down over the past four years.

 

1st year: Material was not that hard (largely a review of OAC) but there was definitely a lot of it. At Guelph, 4/5 first semester classes have labs associated with them. (Hence you will be very busy doing work that counts for very little). Also, most first year classes have tried to avoid slamming people by only having a mid-term and a final. Because first year is a 'learning experience', most first year classes have a multitude of smaller on-line quizes, chapter quizes and term tests rather than a midterm. This gives you a chance to redeem yourself if you really #@$% up on an evaluation but will keep you really busy trying to keep on top of everything all of the time. In first year I had a lot of class hours but also a lot of *nap* time in the early afternoons. (People that have lived in residence will know all about this!)

 

Second year: My second year was a little tougher content wise but a little less frantic in terms of always having a quiz or something 'little' due. Second year courses seemed to move to more of the traditional midterm and final set-up so you had more time between things that you had to do BUT they were also worth a lot more. In my first semester of second year I took Intro biochem which had a lab. (Lots and lots of time-consuming work.) My second semester I got lucky and had NO LABS. So, I only had 18 hours of class! (and lots of nap/play time)

 

Third year: In third year I decided to take six courses per semester (NOT 'typical'). None of my first semester courses had labs. I was taking six courses so that I could satisfy the requirements of my major (which allows very little elective time) and get pre-reqs like arts courses for med school. I had a lot less nap/play time that semester. On Tues and Thurs I had classes back to back from 8:30 AM to 8 PM with an hour for lunch and an hour and a half for dinner. After adding my part-time job and my extra-curriculars/volunteering, I was out of my house from 8 AM to 9 PM most days. (Not much nap time!) Second semester I dropped back to five courses but two of them had labs (orgo and physiology) so I really didn't get any free time back!

 

Fourth year: Somehow I ended up with labs out the whazoo in fourth year! (Orgo chem, anatomy, histology, neuroanatomy). I also took a heavier than normal course load (6) to get another arts credit in. Again, I had very little 'free' time. I was in class, at the library, at work or doing extra-currics/volunteering from 8 AM-9 PM each day. I used my weekends to work and catch up on homework and study. Not too much naptime in fourth year.

 

That is my story. Whether I am a 'typical' pre-med or not I don't know. I know of others that are busier than me (insanely so...) and many others that slack off a lot more than me. If you manage your time wisely, you should be able to fit in just about anything you want to do!

[Guest tina]

Aneliz,

 

You mentioned that there are smaller evaluations i.e. quizes and term tests at university...(reminds me of good old high school!). I was wondering if this system is used at most school or only at Guelph. What is the typical system of evaluation for a science-based course? mid-term and final?

[Guest bad hombre]

i thin kthat at most schools (well atleast at mine) most first year courses will be

25-35% midyear/midterm

25-45% final

whatever is left (usually 30-50) for periodic assignments, quizzes, and/or labs

[Guest aneliz]

Tina,

 

I have no idea what forms of evaluation are used at other universities. I attended the University of Guelph and have never gone to any others. That said, the "traditional" course structure for a science course is a midterm, a final and sometimes a term paper or major project. In a class that has labs associated, there will be some marks associated with the lab for lab reports, notebooks and/or a lab midterm or final.

 

In some first year classes at Guelph, there is a different set-up. For example, first year physics does not have a midterm or any term papers to do. The course is divided into 'chapters' and there is a quiz for each chapter. These quizes are written in a quiz room which is open most days for several hours and is staffed by TA's. Each quiz is worth 5% of your final mark and is marked on a pass/fail system. How it works is, you go to the quiz room, you are given a quiz (there are hundreds of different versions) and you write it in the room. You are supposed to be limited to about 25 minutes I think but I have never seen anybody actually timed. The quiz is usually about three or four problems long. When you are done your quiz, you take it over to the TA's 'in box' and then wait until you hear your name called. You then go and sit with the TA while they mark your quiz. They will answer any questions that you have about the content or any problems you had while you are there. If you get 80% or higher on your quiz, you pass and get 5/5% for your final mark. If you fail (<80% on the quiz), you have to come back to the quiz room and re-write it. You can write any quiz up to three times before you get zero on the chapter. To reward people that know their stuff the first time there is a 5% 'bonus' given to those with a low number of quiz attempts that passed every 'chapter'. The chapter quizes and bonus 5% = 50% of your final mark in the course. The other 50% is a final exam. Another example is first year chem at Guelph. This course has two midterms, 5 online quizes worth 2% each and a final exam. First year calculus is also similar: there are two term tests and three lab tests rather than a midterm. All of these courses have a final exam as well. Intro stats has 'assignments' that are due every week (text book questions). These are marked and are worth around 2% each.

 

In contrast, a lot of senior courses have ONLY a midterm and a final and maybe a term paper. Third year nutrition has a midterm worth 40% and a final worth 60%. Pharmacology has a midterm and a final worth 50% each. The main difference I found between 1st/2nd year and 3rd/4th year courses is the number of evaluations that you have. Senior courses tend to have less evaluation opportunities worth more marks. Both systems of organisation have advantages and disadvantages. In first year you are ALWAYS doing something (quiz, assignment, etc) that takes a lot of time and gives you little reward (i.e. 2%). But, if you mess up an evaluation, it doesn't sink your battleship quite like it does in upper years where each evaluation is worth a lot of marks (30-50%). In upper years, you don't have as many annoying little things to do, but you sure better keep on top of things and know your stuff when those midterms and finals happen because it is VERY difficult to redeem yourself after you fail a midterm worth 50% of your mark.

 

That is what it has been like at Guelph in my experience. To find out about other universities you will need to ask some people that have gone there.

 

Good luck!

[Guest tina]

I hope I did not read what I thought I read... labs for Calculus... what is this about? I mean I can understand labs for chem but for calculus...

 

what is the timeline for evaluations? When are mid-terms and finals?

[Guest sunshinesmiles222002]

Yes, I had a calculus lab in first year. It was actually a computer program of calculus and doing assigned problems using the program. I recall that it was worth only 10% of your mark though. Not all first year calculus incorporates this. It all depends on your prof.

 

I went to UBC, and I remember in first year, my general chemistry final was worth 70% of the final mark. Usually, midterms are worth between 25-35%. It all depends on your course though. There are some courses where you'll have no midterms at all but a 100% final. That has happened to me once. I find that majority of science courses, the finals are worth more than 50% of your grade. In most of my courses, there are usually 1 midterm (2 if you're lucky), and 1 final. You might have small assignments. Though I find that small assignments don't do much. I had a few courses where we had 6 assignments but it was only worth 5% of the total mark which means that no matter how well you do, each assignment is only worth less than 1% (but I guess those assignments do add up). Usually, midterms fall roughly around October for 1st term and February for 2nd term. Some courses that have more than 1 midterm usually has one midterm just a few weeks before finals. It all depends on the course you take. Most courses, the final will be cumulative though a heavier emphasis will be placed on material after the midterm. If you're lucky, the prof may even say that the final will cover only after the material since the midterm.

 

How busy you're going to be all depends on what you major in, and how much time you want to spend on your courses. Yes, labs do take up a majority of your time. In first year, I had 5 courses per term where 4 of them were all labs. And each lab lasted about 3 hours. As you get into second year, you'll have to do formal lab reports (i.e. in organic chemistry) which do take up some time. But, in my major, I didn't have any labs after second year. So, it got relatively easier, and I found myself having more spare time in my upper undergrad years. I found that in my fourth year, I had a lot of term papers to write. It all depends on how you use your time as well and how you manage it. If you use your time wisely, you'll find that you'll have a bit more spare time for yourself to enjoy the fun things.

 

Overall though, in my opinion, second year is the toughest. I found after you get over second year, it seems a bit easier. Maybe because I didn't have much labs after second year..that could be it! Also, what a lot of my friends and I did was take a course in the summer. It's usually a lot more condensed (i.e. a 3 credit course in 1.5-2 weeks and a 6 credit course in about 3 weeks), but at least you'll get a difficult course done and over with. Think of it this way. Even if the course is condensed, you'll only have to think about that one course. But, I guess this is if you want to invest part of your summer.

[Guest aneliz]

Sorry Tina but there are calculus 'labs' at Guelph. They are 1 hour long problem solving sessions. You have a 'lab book' which has a 'lab' for each week. Each lab has an A Part and a B Part. The questions in part A are done as a large group during lab time and the B questions are your problems to do for extra practice. You are then tested on 'lab' type questions three times during the semester during your lab period. The lab questions are more applications of calculus than what you do in lecture. For example: a classic calculus lab question is the 'drug dose' question which uses an exponential decay formula to calculate the doses needed to maintain a steady blood concentration of a drug that is cleared by the kidneys at a certain rate. Other lab questions involve formulas to calculate the 'carrying capacity' of certain habitats. They are not as bad as they sound!

 

As for when evaluations are, it is a standing joke at Guelph that anytime people are not at extra-curricular activities (like orchestra rehearsals) that they 'have a midterm'. Evaluations occur on a pretty constant basis anytime during the semester (from about the second week of class on). Guelph has 12 week semesters followed by a 2 week final exam period. Here is how a 'typical' fall semester would go for a first year science student at Guelph:

 

First year science students take 5 classes per semester. You will take: biology, physics, chemistry, calculus and an elective (usually an arts credit).

You will have 3 hours of lecture for each of your classes plus three hours of labs for biology, physics and chemistry, an hour lab for calculus and possibly an hour long seminar for your elective depending on what course you are taking.

 

Guelph's classes start on the Monday after Labour Day. (Usually around Sept 10 depending on where Labour Day falls.) You then have 12 weeks of classes. Classes usually end on the first Fri of Dec. (Usually around Dec 5 depending on when the first day of classes was). (There are no reading weeks in the fall semester at Guelph) Exams start the next Monday and run for two weeks (all exams over by around Dec 18 - again depending on when classes started). Your five finals may be anywhere during that two weeks. Some people get them all over with in the first week and go home for Christmas early, other people have them all in the second week and get a week off to study. Usually, your schedule will be somewhere in between these two extremes. You will likely have at least one exam scheduled in each week.

 

Unlike finals, there is no scheduled time for midterms. Midterms are written usually around the middle of the term (go figure that eh?). This makes the busiest time for midterms weeks 5,6 and 7. Roughly mid-October to early Nov. Midterms may be written in class (during normal lecture times), during the university's scheduled 'supper hour' (5:30-7 PM) or on Saturday mornings (a favourite in large 1st year science courses!). First year midterms tend to be scheduled more on Sat and in the 5:30-7 PM time slot than senior courses which usually tend to be during your normal class time. If the course has multiple 'term tests' or quizes they tend to be scattered evenly throughout the semester. For example, chem has an online quiz roughly every two weeks throughout the semester. Physics quizes are weekly. They are not allowed to test you (according to University of Guelph policy) during the last week of classes (week 12) unless it is a lab final exam. These annoying evaluations are often written in the last week of class. So, in first year you will likely have at least one evaluation per week. You will also have very busy weeks that have multiple evaluations in them (quizes for several classes, a midterm and a paper due for example). The biggest difference that I found in adjusting to university is the speed at which things move. With only 12 weeks in a semester, they seem to be over almost before they start. If you goof off for the first three weeks, you have already missed the first 1/4 of the semester. It's equivalent to skipping about two months of OAC. Just think how behind you would be if you did that! This is where most people get in trouble. Make sure that you get on top of things at the very beginning and stay on top of things. It is easier to stay on top of things than to catch up later.

[Guest tina]

If you were to take summer school, would this be counted towards your overall GPA? COuld you do a prereq for med school in the summer and would med schools accept this?

 

Sunshinesmiles222002, you said that you took summer classes, I was wondering what you did once the classes were over? Did you take classes after first year? What kind of courses do you suggest taking in the summer?

[Guest sunshinesmiles222002]

Yup, after 1st year, I took 2nd year organic chem. Definitely one of the best choices I made! I was able to concentrate on it, do well, and never look at it again! That allowed me to take different courses in 2nd year since I didn't have to take organic chemistry anymore. I know one of my friends took organic chem in the summer after 1st year, and took physiology at the end of 2nd year, so, because she continued to do this through most summers, she was done with her required courses before 4th year. Which meant that the majority of her classes in 4th year were electives, and she totally enjoyed it because she didn't have to worry about the more difficult courses anymore.