What should I take for college?

What classes should I take before transfering to another college 2nd semester?

• So I got into the University of Miami. The downside is that I got accepted beginning in the spring semester. While I am in no rush to graduate from college or leave home, my parents are insisting that I take some classes at a local college or university so as to get the idea of what college is like and earn some credits that would be transferable at Miami. Most likely I will be working towards medical school which I am well aware is very science heavy. My problem is this, I don't know what classes to take for a semester. I'd clearly want to get mostly As taking four classes. But I'm unsure if I should take English, History, Science, or Math classes. If I took science I'd fear that taking it at a much smaller, less prestigious university would hurt me in the long run when I go to take higher level classes at UM and when I prepare to take the MCAT. The history and English classes are much more subjective and I'm unsure if a professor would like my analysis of a particular book or my writing. While I understand that writing is part of the college experience I just fear that when it comes time to apply to medical school they will see that I haven't gotten a 3.75-4.0 at some Community College and look down upon me for that.

• Answer:

  The first thing you need to consider is not allowing your work to be wasted. Transfer of credits between institutions is a complicated mess, and you need to be sure that anything you take will actually transfer. That decision is in the control of the University of Miami, not the local colleges. It's fine for you to ask locally, "Will this course transfer to the University of Miami," but you cannot necessarily trust the answer. The person who tells you "yes" may be answering off the top of his head, may not realize that the rules have changed, or may be mistaken. Can you afford to spend a semester sitting in a class which will not transfer? If possible, communicate with the admissions office (or counseling) at the University of Miami and find out which courses they recognize from the local colleges. Get the list in writing. Then choose your classes only from that list. As far as your second concern goes, you must come to terms with the fact that you will simply be unable to control all the factors which will be involved in your application to medical school, and while it is wise to bear it in mind, you're only going to give yourself an ulcer by stressing about every little decision and worrying about how it might come back to haunt you later. You can do nothing about those things. If you are destined to go to medical school, you will, and your current decisions should be based on what you think is best for you at the moment.