[SilentLoner]

I am about to start my senior year of college this fall. I recently (and relatively late) declared a focus in biological anthropology for my major and as part of that I will be taking BIO 105, a basic biology lecture and lab for science majors. Before I declared my focus I took a non-science major version for core requirements but have been told the science-major one is much harder.

What triggered this was that the professor for the class sent out an email that detailed the textbooks we were supposed to get, but added a blurb that basically warned us that the class was known to be difficult and that many students, even those who passed AP biology in high school, did poorly. Gee, thanks for the extra stress, prof.

I managed to get a B in the non-science major lab, and it wasn't easy. I have a hard time with labs, flat-out-failed general chemistry (luckily this was at a summer community college and not my main one so the grade didn't transfer). I enjoyed biology in high school but didn't take it at AP level (chemistry was a prerequsite and I avoided the class).

I need to pass the course this semester. What really worries me too is that I'll be taking a statistics course that I need for my double major - and math is my #1 weakness. I can't delay any of them as both are prereq courses for classes I need in the spring and to make a 2010 fall graduation.

It doesn't help that I'm hoping to switch sections to a professor I've heard is nicer (zero people on the waitlist so there's a chance) and now I'm stressing about wether or not to get the textbooks since her email stated that "some sections" we not required to buy it.

Has anyone been through similar courses with little prep? Please, I really need some reassurance that I can do this.

 

[Perfectionist]

I wouldn't stress over the professors warnings. I've heard that countless times in my three years at univ. Welcome to organic chem, this will be the hardest class in your science major. Welcome to cell biology, half the people failed last semester. Welcome to stats, the midterm average was 40% last year. Blah blah blah.

If you work hard and put in enough effort, I believe you can succeed in any class. If you're concerned about bio because you don't feel prepared for it, put in some extra effort in the early weeks. Yes the course is probably hard. But it'll be doable, so have confidence in your academic abilities and totally surpass this pessimistic prof's expectations.

As for the textbook, they usually give you two weeks to return them at full price to the bookstore, right? So if you buy it from there, just keep the receipt and if you change to the better prof just return it.

If it helps, I took phys 100 without having taken a day of high school physics. I was missing two prereqs and emailed the prof and he let me in anyways. Every other single person in the class had a leg up on me and I had no idea about anything the first few weeks. I ended up doing very well in the course. It's definitely doable.

 

[solasum]

You can do this. You probably won't feel as nervous once you get in the class and start doing work. I worry about everything, but feel better once I actually do it.

By the way, passing the AP Bio exam means little. I somehow passed the test, yet I knew nothing about biology.

 

[SilentLoner]

Thanks guys. I'm feeling a lot better about it - I've had warnings like that before and done alright. Don't know what got to me this time.

 

[rctriplefresh5]

i had a panic in my math course that i just finished. i am currently a 4.0 student and i was struggling in this math course. i had been able to maintain a 93 average the whole math course however we had a test coming up that was 30 percent of our grade i kept panicking and panicking but some how i still do not know how i did it i got the A.
whats funny is that the first day of class i had a panic and said i couldnt do this and im gonna FAIL this class. however i got an A in the class. every time i start a new class in my college i always tell myself i am going to FAIL and i wind up getting A's in my courses. i just cant convince myself that last semester iwas wrong about failing and actually achieved an A and that this semester will be no different. it just gets harder and harder but you've got to do it.
i always talk to my professors though and make friends with them it helps i guess. lols.