Sammie asked 3 years ago
Hi! I just got a class permission for physics 135 which will expire within 2 days.
I need help deciding. Would taking Orgo 1 + the lab (chem 210,211) and Physics 1 without lab (just Physics 135) be the move. Or would that be too hard? I’ll take Physics 136 fall semester if I do that option. (Sidenote: I have taken AP physics 1 [ the easier one] and have friends who have taken both orgo and physics I could ask for help if that makes a difference)
Or would I be better off taking just Orgo + lab or Physics + lab plus a low course load 3 credit Econ class?
The first schedule would be more ambitious for sure but it would also make my course load during the Fall//Winter school year lighter. I want to know if it is doable without suffering greatly and doing poorly in the classes.
Thanks in advance for the input, I really appreciate it!
Pre-Med Hub Staff answered 3 years ago
Hi Sammie!
I’m assuming that you are planning to take these classes within the spring semester. All spring semester classes move at twice the pace of the regular semester, so taking one 4 credit class would require the time of 8 credits. This year is unique since all the classes will be online during the Spring semester.
If classes weren’t online, I would have recommended that you take Orgo 1 + the lab and leave it at that so you would have some free time to do extracurriculars . Furthermore, the difficulty of Orgo 1 varies greatly between students so I wouldn’t recommend directing moving into taking Orgo 1 and Physics 1 at the same time, because they are both fairly difficult science classes at Umich.
However, since lab classes will now be offered online, as well, they may not be as time intensive. I would advice that you consider what the new format of Orgo lab is and Physics lab is. They may require more/ less time than what is usually required during the school year. If you believe the new format would leave you with more time than I believe taking Orgo or Physics + lab and Economics could work out as a balanced course load (15-17 credits equivalent).
As far as taking Orgo and Physics and lab, that would set you up for a difficult spring semester. However, if lab is easier due to CO-VID 19 , it may be manageable for you in terms of workload if you do have strong background. I would suggest going over the class curriculum so you know what you are going into, to see if you can manage. In Orgo 1 and Physics, a lot of students learn a lot through collaboration, and face-face learning resources. If you have access to a coursepack this will help, but you need to consider how you will be impacted from lacking resources.
I hope this helps!
Ruchira