How Difficult Are Science Courses?

I found biology to be difficult. I don't have knack for that sort of thing and then there was just NOTES and NOTES and LABS and LABS. Jeeeez

It will depend on your school and how strong the program is. Where I went to college, we didn't have a Biochem major, but we did have the class. I have friends that took it and did take similar classes that you took in high school, were smart and talented in science and math but did struggle at times in the biochem college course. However you'll find that with ANY college class. It's not the same kind of material that you'll get in high school, but if you feel you are good at science and math currently, then give it a shot. After all, if it becomes a challenge for you, then you can always change your major to something else you enjoy.

For now I wouldn't stress over it. It is a tough thing to major in I'm sure, however it never hurts to try.

there was just NOTES and NOTES and LABS and LABS. Jeeeez

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Definitely!
Your advisor will probably suggest not taking more than one lab class at once, and then sign you up for two or three per term. A lab can be like taking an additional course.

The nice difference between what you've done and what you plan to do, is that some of the people in your class really want to know the information, not just finish the course. One of my Chemistry friends found permission to use the lab to work on his own experiments.

It sounds like you might have taken some Advanced Placement courses. If so, notice that you might have taken them stretched out over a year, where a college will put them into a 10-15 week block.

The content for AP is very regulated, so one (ethically) should not be harder information than the other. But a high school teacher will work very hard to make sure their students succeed, and will make more of an effort to design material in a way that students will absorb it.

If high school students do poorly in testing, then that reflects poorly on the HS, and discourages students from taking AP again. The program disintegrates. If college students do poorly in testing, the low grades help weed out those who might not be able to successfully complete future classes. There is still a concern over attrition, but the college appears more rigorous and competitive when not everyone succeeds.

College testing is internal; AP testing is standardized across the nation. Normal high school courses are internal but nationally standardized for content. Colleges determine their own content, except when programs come under certifying agencies like ABET... business, engineering, nursing, etc.

I know this wasn't exactly what you're asking, but it all plays into what you could expect. Get lots of sleep, and value your time and health. What you do for your body and mind will pay off or cost you, when demands don't let up.

It's great that you've worked hard so far -- in addition to having good grades, you have all of that knowledge as a foundation for the next set of information! The more you learn now, the easier it will be later.

If you're worried about fall, grab a used textbook from a garage sale or Craigslist, and skim it. Or go to Google Books Beta, Amazon Search Inside and read the table of contents. Or order your books early, and get a visual overview. Just establishing a comfort level with the book can help alleviate stifling fears, and make you feel more confident with the material.

Put in the time and you'll make it. Study daily--don't put it off for later. Review the material before its covered in class, you'll process the lecture a lot better that way.

Science classes just take more time and mental fortitude. Stick it out, don't get frustrated, and ask questions about what you don't understand.

At least in my experience, biology courses aren't all that bad, but chemistry courses can be pretty hard. My college's chemistry program has a little bit of a reputation, but I think that might just be because chemistry is hard (at least for me; I am not the most mathematically inclined person in the world, though, and math skills would be really helpful).

biology courses aren't all that bad, but chemistry courses can be pretty hard

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Biology seems more direct observation, and has ties to things we're familiar with. Even when terms or processes are complex, there's a bit of relief in knowing where they can be found (both nature and physiology).

Chemistry has more invisibility to it, so labs are important. X substance interacts with Z substance and creates an unexpected reaction when atoms fly off as leftovers. All chemicals exist around us, but we don't always see them for what they are. So less of an anchor to reality.

IMO.

Depends on the person. I have a Bachelor degree in Biochemistry and the Biology courses were much more difficult than the Chemistry ones. A good thing about starting in Biochemistry is that makes it easy to transition over to Biology or Chemistry if you find liking in one or the other.

Kalvar said:

Are science courses really as hard as they say in college or do people exaggerate?

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I think people exaggerate. They are harder, but that is to be expected. If you study you'll have no problem. If you can, find out who the professors are ahead of time, sometimes it helps getting a better professor.

I'm mainly in the bio dept. Studying chemistry and bio are faves. I've always been this way though.

I do think people tend to exaggerate...The natural sciences and mathematics are highly analytical and often very abstract, conceptual based subjects. It takes a certain kind of mind and intelligence to really excel at it. I hear from a lot of people that are business majors or political science majors that they barely passed the gen ed biology course they were required to take.

Now, I'm not going to say it's totally easy. They require a lot of work and a lot of hours that don't get factored into the units. For a standard class that has 5 hours of class time a week, you will be spending 4 additional hours in lab, making that class a total of 9 hours of your time a week not counting time for homework and studying. When you take 3 of those at once, you don't really get a break. Sometimes you spend additional hours in the lab or field working on research projects. Sometimes classes have field trips that require an entire weekend.

But if you're science minded, it's really not that bad. I finished my BS in Biology last year and now I'm working on my MS in Biology. It's just what I love...It's a challenge, but it's fun and it's what my mind is programmed to understand.

I would certainly ask for God's guidance and direction in the matter but I don't think you should be afraid to go ahead, especially if you believe that you have God's blessings on your proposed course of study. I do think that we need more Christians to step up and pursue mathematics and science. For the last several decades there have been too few...

You have gotten a lot of good advice here. I would only reiterate that the study of math and science (and don't be afraid to take all of the math that you can!) takes perseverance. Persistence is probably more important than brilliance. Other folks (who may not even be as smart as you are) have learned these things and you can too if you stick with it.

Ask for God's guidance and help and go for it!

Hey there! I'm a senior Bio major. I've taken bio, biochem, organic chem, gen chem, and physics. I've done well in pretty much all of them, but it was a tough road sometimes. Depends A LOT on the college in my opinion. (I've taken a few classes at other colleges aside from my "home" one.)

What are your career aspirations?

PM me if you want some one-on-one advice.

Good luck!

Science courses are, in my opinion, much "easier" to do well in than humanities or social sciences. Tests are based on material presented and on your ability to use that information to arrive at valid conclusions. If you have good familiarity with the material, you should be okay.

For labs and reports, learn the expected format right away. All through undergrad, I've basically kept with the same expected format and do well.

However, even though it's easy to do well, there is still a huge amount of work involved; probably moreso than other areas. You can't bluff your way through a science test the way you can on Shakespeare or something.

Science classes are hard if you don't keep up....read the text BEFORE the lecture and be studying all along...this stuff just doesn't fit into a "cram before the exam" type of mentality. Personally, I like the sciences...the answers are fairly black and white and don't require the "what do you think" aspect of things like the humanities. I managed to get "A's" while taking both microbiology and second semester Anatomy & physiology. (I also took psychology and that is the class I hated).

PS: Go to RateMyProfessor.com to find out which professors are preferred by other classmates and why...and avoid adjunct professors unless they come with a very high recommendation. Since this is your major, you want the best professors and not necessarily the easiest. I also found this site very valuable when I was taking other classes like government and wanted to have a professor with my political leanings...(I needed A's for nursing school and not intellectual discussions). I've also been able to avoid professors who are very vocal about their atheistic worldviews.