#with no statistics or programming prereqs

[opisasodomite]

Somehow got an A in both classes this semester, including my data mining class where I do somewhat suspect the professor went easy on grading our final so more of us got good grades since she was real hard on the midterm exam lmao

[wolfwarrior142]

hii um this may sound totally weird but i was just wondering, and you totally dont have to answer if you're not comfortable, but was it really hard to do the schooling to become a nurse? did you have to do any residency the way doctors do? did you have to do a lot of hard chemistry classes in school?

im just a college student who's trying to switch majors and i just needed some advice and i keep seeing that you're a licensed nurse and you can totally shut me up now.

again dont answer if you're not comfortable, no worries!

Hello! Oh it's totally fine to ask! Nothing wrong with it at all. I'm no expert on this and may not give the most helpful or concise answer, but I will try my best. And you're more than welcome to also message me to ask more about it, I'm happy to say what I know (and imma post this so other people who may be curious can read it too).

I'll be totally honest. Nursing school is worth kt for those who are interested in the field, but it is also extremely taxing to most people. Depending on your school, you will take 1-2 years of prerequisits, then 2-4 years depending on if the school has an associates or bachelor program. If the school has only an associates program, you will most likely need to complete 2 years beyond that school to earn your bachelor's. Most hospitals prefer or even require RNs to have a bachelor's degree, so unless you work at facility that's desperate for staff or don't want as broad of job options, you'll need the bachelor's. So that's 4 years in actual nursing school, plus 1-2 years of prerequisits if you don't already have some done.

For what prereqs you'll need, that depends on your school. Chemistry was by far one of the hardest prereqs I took, and statistics suuuucks. I'm usually decent with math, but stats has SO much word problems that it's just as much deciphering written problems as it is math. Its very confusing, and the teacher I took it with was new so she didn't have the best grasp on explaining stuff yet. Definitely recommend finding someone to work with in that class cuz you may need the extra brainpower to figure shit out.

Anatomy and Physiology really depends on where you go. Some places have great teachers for it, some have decent ones, some have teachers that make you wonder if the teacher only got their degree so they could torture and shit on students (I had the latter. Our teacher's average class grade was a C. When she started, most people failed the class. And she was proud that her students had such low grades. She made it seem like it was out fault, despite the fact that basically everyone had shit grades in her class. I'm pretty sure I somehow passed with a low B and I hated that class).

That's only some of the prereqs, there are many more and they depend on the school. Thankfully a lot of schools are good about transferring credits between institutions, so if you took the class at a different places the credit should still be mostly good.

Now for the actual program. Do objective research on what nursing school is actually like, preferably from people who have actually done it. Look at multiple sources. Ask students at the place you'd take it at if possible. Get an idea of what it's like. Then think on it for a while and decide if you're willing to deal with that.

Nursing school is tough. It kicks your ass. It changes you as a person, both by making you more nurse-oriented and just as a person in general. It is very worth it, but it is also very intense and taxing for most people. If you are truly hesitant on if you want to pursue it, don't. At least not for right now. I'm serious. Nursing school takes a ton of work, and if your heart isn't in it you may have an extremely hard time passing. Or may not pass at all. And if you are any kind of neurodivergent, you'll likely have an even harder time. Trust me, I know.

Most nursing teachers are nice or at least chill. Some are mean. Some are absolute assholes. Doesn't mean they won't be beneficial, but they may make things harder for you. If they offer to help, then take em up on that offer when needed. There's a lot of things that take a lot of practice and studying to understand, and if theyre willing to help explain shit, that can make it easier. Besides, we were taught early on that being curious and asking questions and vital for nursing. You'll ALWAYS be learning new things, no matter how long you've been a nurse. And while you're in school, teachers who are willing to help you when needed are lifesavers. But be prepared that most of em will not help a ton as they do not want to hold your hand.

Find friends to study/work on stuff with. Figure out your learning style (hearing, reading, writing, hands on, a combo, etc). Develop a studying technique, and be prepared that you may need to alter it. Be prepared to spend most of your days engrossed in reading stuff for classes, as otherwise you're not gonna learn enough and you'll struggle. However, youtube videos from credible sources can really help.

The tests are brutal. They're different than most tests. There's literally a whole textbook made to help you figure out how to properly understand and answer NCLEX questions for a reason. There's a whole damn process on how to answer NCLEX questions. There have been many times where while answering questions at work for training (questions that are given to Medical Assistants (MA) as well as nurses), my MA coworkers will be confused by the question and why there's multiple right answers. And I just laugh and say "Oh I can immediately tell from the style of this question that it was written by an RN in NCLEX style. I'm so sorry." Questions on nursing tests are a whole other breed of questions, and that's because they help your brain think through things in a way that is beneficial when dealing with real pts. Which is useful, but also a pain in the ass.

You will HAVE to get used to understanding the process of stuff rather than just memorizing a single answer. Rarely are questions just about remembering a simple answer. They're mostly about understanding a process of how something works, and using that knowledge in the context of the question to answer it. If that makes sense. Like I said, nursing school rewires your brain. And when it actually works and you realize you're able to think about stuff and process it in that way, it is SO rewarding.

There's a lot. Nursing school is intense. Like I said, if you're truly hesitant and have strong doubts, don't commit to it for now. You have to be truly determined to give nursing school your best shot to start it, because if you're hesitant then you're mentally not gonna be as prepared as you should be to complete it. You still can, but it'll be difficult as shit and there's a solid chance you may not be able to.

I HIGHLY recommend getting a job in healthcare first if you don't have much experience with as a healthcare professional and are hesitant on if you want to do it or not. You can earn your CNA license, or go a step above and earn your MA license. Then work in a setting where you get to utilize that license. Then if you do decide to advance to get a nursing degree, you'll have a major leg up as you'll have medical knowledge and experience that will be very beneficial. Besides, many programs require students to earn a CNA license first, so you'll probably have to anyway.

There is nothing at all wrong with waiting a few years to get into nursing school. Tbh, a lot of my classmates were in their mid to late 20s or older and they seemed to have an easier time than us younger people did. They had their head on their shoulders better. They had an easier time focusing in school it seemed. Plenty of my classmates were also my age or younger and also did very well, but it really seems that being a bit older helps for a lot of people in nursing school. And the more prior medical experience they had, the easier it was for them.

I will fully admit that I didn't complete Registered Nursing school. There were multiple things that made me withdraw when I did. But I completed enough to obtain my Licensed Practical Nurse license (in my RN program, it's the first full year and first quarter of second year, as what is taught there is essentially equivalent to what an LPN class it). So I didn't finish yet, but I'm still making use of what I did learn. And after a few years, I plan to complete an LPN to RN bridge course. Currently I'm working as an LPN in a clinic to help build my knowledge in prep of that, and because my LPN license is still extremely useful and shows that I did at least something. Doesn't stop the absolutely raging imposter syndrome, but at least I am still a nurse and have something to show for what I did complete of nursing school (I withdraw close to the end of 2nd quarter of 2nd year, so after almost 5 quarters in. Just 1 quarter shy of a full RN license, which sucks, but I was struggling SO bad).

Do research. A lot of it. Look into what nursing school is like and what is required at the school you want to go to for it/at the school you're currently at. Nursing school is not for the faint of heart and it is not an easy degree. Some schools are a TON easier, but those schools tend to also not teach their students as well and produce people who have a harder time passing the NCLEX as a result. My program was very tough to get into, with hundreds of students applying each year and only 150 being chosen. And they grilled us HARD. But the harder programs tend to also produce more knowledgeable nurses. Hell, I passed my PN-NCLEX first try after only having to complete half the test before the computer program determined I didn't need to do anymore because of the score I already had (there's an algorithm that runs during the test that gives you harder or easier questions depending on if you get them right or wrong, respectively, and eventually it ends the test early if it determines that you've answered enough that you'd either pass/fail the rest of the test if you were to finish it. If that makes sense. It's super cool). And I hardly studied before the test because I was a nervous wreck (thankfully you can take it multiple times with not penalty except cost, which is SO comforting). And I like to think that the way my program taught us helped me have an easier time passing. Compared to some other people I know, who completed their whole nursing program from other schools and had to take the RN-NCLEX multiple times before they could pass it. The programs that are easier to get into are also easier to complete, which is SO nice, but they'll also probably leave you less prepared for the standardized state NCLEX test and nursing in general.

Still absolutely nothing wrong with completing an easier program, tho. You can only learn so much in nursing school and you leave it with only a basic knowledge of nursing in general. They cram a LOT into your brain and make you drink it from a fire hose, but there's SO much about nursing that is learned after you graduate. And you'll always be learning. ALWAYS. So the program you choose is only a starting point. Just your choice which one you go for.

I'm sorry, that's a lot. Nursing is a LOT. There's a reason why one of the phrases I adopted and used a TON in nursing school was, "It'll be worth it in the end, but god at what cost." (Also started and still frequently use "It's better to be safe than sorry.") It was tough, and I'm not super looking forward to when I complete my RN degree. But for those who are determined enough, it is so, so worth it. Its impossible to know what it'll be like until you're there, but just know it takes a lot of determination and accepting that it'll kick your ass. Your life will be Nursing School Only while in the program. You will leave a changed person. But if you're willing to do it, especially after doing some of your own research into it, I highly recommend it. It kicked my ass but I don't regret it for a second, and I definitely want to complete my RN at some point.

I'm driven to help people and have always wanted to do something in a medical field (animal or human), and nursing is one of the main ways I saw myself doing that. And even with my LPN license, I'm still in a position to help people. I have helped some people and always strive to do so when possible. I have no regrets. And despite how hard it is, I highly recommend at least considering it if it speaks to you as well. It is not a light, easy decision, but it's a worth-while one if you choose it and set your mind to it.

[rnofthefuture]

Day 1 of Fall Semester:

It finally hit me that this is my LAST semester of prereqs! I’m so excited to continue the process of (hopefully) getting accepted into the nursing program!

I woke up too early and then felt more tired than usual when I finally got out of bed. Started my first class, Statistics, which just involved reading Chapter 1 of the textbook — hard to do when you're too tired to absorb what you're reading. Then I made some tea when I had finished that and started taking notes on the first lecture of my favorite subject: Anatomy & Physiology. I’m so excited to continue this class and my professor is a doctor so he gives so many medical examples for things and I love it!

After that I was too tired to do much else, even though I’d originally had plans to do some cleaning. If I can get to sleep early enough tonight I will try to do that tomorrow.

Forgot to mention that Gen Chem I over the summer sucked because my professor refused to teach but at least I passed with a B+!

I hope everyone had a great start to their fall semester!

[counter-example]

hi! I'm currently a math + cs double major and I saw that you like applied things and I am also someone more interested in applied side, specifically sig processing, but all the courses in my program(s) are on the theoretical side to the point where I feel like i need to do a grad program in engineering to get the knowledge i need to get my foot into the door for what I want to do. Do you have any advice? (also good luck on ur pset! take ur time answering i have time)

Hi anon,

As someone in the midst of job searching, I don’t think most places are hiring you for your specific knowledge, but because they believe you can learn things. If you have a solid grasp of how to solve problems in a mathematically rigorous way and can code well, you’ll do fine. Also, a whole lot of companies will pay for you to get a master’s degree (and if they won’t, I’d personally not look any further into them, because that tells me they don’t value education or investing in their employees). 

My university also tends to be heavy on the theoretical side. To get some more experience in applied things, I’ve done a few things:

1. Look for topics courses or courses in other departments that focus on topics you’re interested in. If you’re an upperclassman, don’t rule out graduate classes if it seems like you have the prereqs. Specifically, in your case, I’d look at trying to pick up some intro EE classes. At my school, some EE classes can count as CS electives, so maybe you could look at that.

2. Search for internships that focus on your area of interest. Highlight your coding skills and problem solving skills. If you want more detailed notes about how to talk about being a math major in interviews and whatnot, feel free to poke me about that because I’ve had lots of practice.

3. Look for clubs, undergraduate research opportunities or pick up personal projects that allow you to gain signals processing knowledge. If your school has any sort of car/boat/whatever racing team, that could probably get you some experience. Any sort of robotics team or rocketry would also probably have opportunities to do some signals processing. You can do undergraduate research with departments besides what you’re majoring in and plenty of labs would be happy to have someone who’s a competent mathematician and programmer, so see if there are any labs doing work you’re interested in.

Also, for signals analysis, I’d make sure to take numerical analysis, complex analysis, probability and as much differential equations and linear algebra as possible. Other useful classes could include optimization and statistics. If you can code and your mathematical foundations are solid, I see no reason you should need to do a graduate program before working unless you really want to do something that requires a PhD. Hope that helps!

[adultlescents]

Tryna plan out some sort of path for the next few years. I've completely out video editing to the side as a hobby and will be going to grad school for psychology.

There are a few things that I need to keep in mind:

Cost: being unemployed because of the pandemic has put a pause in a stable income. Unemployment benefits is helping but I definitely need to make more money. Full program tuition ranges from 20k-60k

Location: what makes the most sense is to live at home and go to a uni that's close by. Living at home is a blessing and a curse. My mental will suffer but I feel like this is probably the most realistic decision.

Program: Keeping the previous two in mind, I also have to look for a program that fits my interest. Most psych programs in SF (or bay area) are good. SFSU has a good program and budget friendly (20k) but because of that it's one of the most competitive programs. They only accept 8-15 people. CIIS has a good program but is around 65k. Palo Alto is further and cost around 45k.

Prereqs: most programs require classes like statistics, behavioral psychology, Personality psychology and abnormal psychology from a community college. This will take around a year to complete. I would need to talk with the prof consistently and ask them for guidance. They could potentially help me get an internship/volunteer work. They could also help with a letter of rec for grad school. Many programs also requires ~3 letters of rec from academia and counseling related fields. The letter of recs would probably take the longest of the bunch because of the work/time in the field.

I'll talk more about this path later once I've done more research.

[mathematicianadda]

Switching FROM math to another major

If this is the wrong place to post this, I'm sorry, please direct me to the right subreddit.

I got my ADT in Math 2 years ago, transferred to UC Berkeley to study Mathematics as I loved Calculus, and found I absolutely hated upper division math. Then I tried taking some statistics and wasn't a huge fan of that either, but that could possibly have been more of a professor thing than statistics. Proofs infuriate me to no end. Thus, while I am currently taking a break due to the combo of wanting to switch majors/colleges and online learning, I'm trying to figure out what to change my major to (and figure out where to go to school).

A couple of my friends are civil engineers, and their coursework looks more enjoyable than mine. I'd probably prefer something more math heavy (by math heavy I don't mean proofs, but more calculus and the like). I looked at some coursework examples from a friend in electrical engineering and that also seems good. I'm not huge on computers so computer science/programming has never really peaked my interest. Any other ideas of majors to look into? I'm trying to get an idea before sending in college apps for the upcoming fall semester. No matter what I decide to do, I know I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do in terms of prereqs, so I'm honestly not really worried about that.

submitted by /u/bcharriere4398 [link] [comments] from math https://ift.tt/2GTua7u https://ift.tt/eA8V8J from Blogger https://ift.tt/3nIb9Wp

[miss-sassmaster]

Hey Sass, I just found your blog and I've been enjoying it immensely. I'm wondering what you mean when you say you came from a non-science background. I'm pursuing a master's degree in library science with a concentration on medical science libraries, and I'm eventually hoping to apply to med school after a couple of years working as a librarian. What advice do you have for applicants with somewhat atypical backgrounds looking to go to med school?

Hey anon, 

I’m so glad you’re enjoying my blog! I have more I need to post but…life you know?

Anyways, when I say I’m of non-science background that really means two things in my case. The first is that up until college my entire life was heavily focused on art. I went to an arts high school, I worked in just about every medium you could think of. I took some science classes in high school but honestly couldn’t have cared less about them. It all kind of fell apart though when I did a summer program between my junior and senior year of high school. I think I’ve written about that somewhere else so I won’t bore you with those details. But that sort of ended my art as a career situation.

Technically the second reason falls within science because I was a psych major and heavily involved in medical based research but I did a lot of data collection, article writing and statistical analysis so none of it was actual medical science. So besides my prereqs, volunteering where I basically took vitals and discharged people and some shadowing I really walked into medical school blind but enthusiastic. 

So for one with an atypical, non-traditional person wanting to go to med school, here are some tips from someone who already made those mistakes;

This first stuff is a little more general but easy to forget once you’re no longer immersed in an academic setting

Make sure you have all your basic prereqs done to get into medical school, and if you don’t and you’ve already graduated look into post-bac programs. Because in the absolute short all that’s absolutely required are certain classes and an MCAT. Oh and don’t be a convicted felon I guess.

Continue to do some volunteering and shadowing in the medical field if you can just so you’re not totally removed  

Map out a time line whenever you’re ready to start applying because late is BAD and that way you don’t get overwhelmed with process and the cost

Use the AAMC and AOA websites to find exactly what schools you’re interested in want; know average scores, if they like research, want specific letters of rec, or like a butt load of volunteer hours for example

This stuff if more for the non-trad

Reach out to a medical professional and learn more about what medical school consists of to know if making a full switch makes sense to you since this is HUGE commitment in all facets of your life 

Don’t be super focused on saving as much money as you can because unless you’re in a situation that makes bank your loans will far exceed what you can save up in a few of years. I’m not saying be dumb but don’t think you need to live off rice and ramen for the next few years. Be smart, save some but live a life. Especially because you’ll be much more restricted later

Know your demographic, especial as a non-trad with a non-trad major. While they’e way more open to people are not 22 or a bio major it’s still a minority group. So check out school stats as well and major disbursement 

Have a solid rationale for why you wanted to do something else first and what drew you to medicine despite having another career first and why you picked something not in the medical field if you planned your final destination to be medical school; it’s not that doing something else is bad, but they want to know that you’re dedicated to sticking it out and that you really want this

Relate what you’ve learned in your current field to medicine and how your experience can make you a great physician 

Don’t try to cover it up! Be proud of what you did and accomplished because you have a another view on life that really can give you a unique and interesting perspective 

There’s probably some other tidbits I might be missing but I think I got the gist. I hope I was able to help and good luck!

[cimness]

Now the department is in the barcode, and the store/chain know what was sold, how long it was on the shelf first, what it cost, etc, and they use this to produce statistics. And as a result of this, the cash registers can be programmed to automatically discount a whole department, like Women's Clothing or Furniture or Sport, all at once. This is useful for promotions like "ALL CLOTHING -50% THIS WEEK ONLY" - nothing for the cashier to do. (In contrast, with something like Buy Two X, Get the Cheaper ½ Off, the cashier has to check which it is and click 'Discount'.) Well, this week, my department, Accessories, is on sale. The problem is, my department doesn't have a department in the store like the others. Socks, undergarments, and pajamas are in their respective clothing departments. Hats are there and also in sports. Scarves are in 4 different displays. Jewelry, wallets and sunglasses are in 3 displays unless they're designer or for special occasions. Swimsuits everyone just forgets about until the season. And most of the cashiers can't pass a test on whether all these items are part of the Accessories department or not. Unfortunately, they need to know, because some (undergarments and swimwear) are officially categorized as clothing instead on the tag according to edicts from the chain level. So these have to be individually discounted anyway (and why not just leave them off the sale? Nobody asked me, that's why). BONUS: we just discovered my coworker in Accessories has been mistagging everything, up to and including jewelry, as clothing. So that's hundreds of mistagged tiny items scattered throughout the store for the cashiers to (a) identify as accessories and (b) remember to check to make sure the discount rings up and individually discount it if not. Being a cashier here doesn't have any educational or experience prereqs, but it certainly requires certain abilities. For bonus stress, I'm a cashier as well, and all week when I was at the register it meant I wasn't putting out stuff for the sale.

[thechemistrynerd]

Hi I am a chem major at UNCC and I got a C in both gen chem 2 and calc 2!! should i retake them if i want to get into med school or should i just do better in future classes? Im a freshman btw

First off, it’s so awesome to meet someone on here in my department! Pretty please keep hush about my blog because I post private stuff on here! :-) Though don’t feel shy messaging me off anon if you want any help with future classes. I can guide you to the best professors and what to expect out of research if you’re a B.S. major!

Regarding your question, if you are able to take or afford summer classes then you should try to get a better grade in at least gen chem II. (Take Dr. Asala if possible, she’s AMAZING!!) Before I decided on my career path in teaching, I wanted to go to veterinary school. They can be pretty strict about your prereq GPA. Though, I’m not sure if one or two C’s are really going to make that big of an impact when you have other factors in play like research, clubs, awards, etc… (Which helps a lot on your application and can partially mask that one bad grade!) Also, if you feel like you could’ve done better then go for it! It would be helpful to start looking at potential medical programs you want to apply for and check their past accepted GPA average, MCAT scores, or other entry statistics. All of this applies to your calculus II class too. Pick which one (or both) you want to retake. Maybe try to get one of the grades up so you don’t have to feel stressed if you possibly make another C in a higher level class. Otherwise, just try hard to make only A’s and B’s in future classes if you don’t want to retake them. Bring your GPA back up and finish your degree with good grades. Some schools like that you kept strong throughout your semesters and didn’t start to slack! 

Hope this helped, xx 

[realtalk-princeton]

what is a good engineering gpa if i want to go to grad school?? :( i took 3 departmentals this (soph) semester and got 2 Bs and an A- now i feel absolutely dumb :((( i feel this way because everyone told me that “oh after prereqs youll really start to do well with department classes” but my gpa is being buffed most by intro phy and cos so its just like.. i must be stupid? Now my department gpa is a 3.2 :(((

Response from Clipper:

If you want to go to grad school, talk to your advisors/deans/dep reps about the process and get their input about what steps you need to take to be a good candidate. Look online at programs and use their admissions statistics to see what you may need to do. But for this type of question, this is the wrong spot to ask. We are students who have minimal knowledge about applying to grad school beyond the individual stress. They are academic administrators who have seen years of applications from loads of students and will give you information rather than speculation. So go speak to the right people so you don’t get misinformation.

I’m not gonna handhold you here on the rest of it. You’re not absolutely dumb or stupid for getting better grades than I do. That’s insane. I know you’re venting anonymously but, Jesus. Ugh. 

[robinsoncenter]

Open spots in INFO/CSE/STAT 180

INFO/STAT/CSE 180 Is a new class for the autumn that is an introduction to Data Science and currently has about 200 spots open. See the instructor’s blurb below about the class for more information. Please note that INFO has changed some of its admissions requirements and this course may be used instead of CSE 142 for applying to the program (see https://ischool.uw.edu/programs/informatics/admissions/current-students/prerequisites for more about those changes)

Although the class currently has a variety of math/stat prerequisites we are petitioning to remove them. If a student runs into a registration block for this course due to those prereqs, have them email informatics@uw.edu with a subject header of “INFO 180 – Prerequisite block” and we will override that.

---------------------------------------

INFO/STAT/CSE 180 gives you the essentials of data science: • Data integrity including the ethics and social context of data • Data methods including using tables, graphs and other visualizations • Data analysis including statistical methods and machine learning The course is designed to provide hands-on, interactive skill-building to learn how to answer important data-focused questions in social sciences, humanities, arts, medicine, economics, and related fields. No experience in programming or statistics is required.

[realtalk-princeton]

I'm a freshman and i'm currently taking BSE prereqs, and realizing that it may not be for me (the classes are nothing I'm interested in, and as a result, my GPA is slacking heavy). I don't know whether to wait till I take departmentals (I was planning on COS/ORFE) or just switching into AB Econ. For any of you who know about either BSE ORFE or AB Econ, what is it like? What are the classes in each respective department like (hard? interesting). Any general advice would be helpful!

Response from Sushi:

BSE ORFE is essentially a misnamed applied math major. So you will be taking departmental classes like statistics, probability, monte carlo simulation, etc. AB Econ is your traditional economics major, with focus on both micro, macro, econometrics, and their applications to world economies in departmental classes. Maybach can speak to the econ department. 

My suggestion would to be to look through the departmentals later on (like 300 and 400 level courses) and see which ones you like better. Look at the required classes for each major too, and see which ones you would like better (ORF 245, 307, 309, 335 vs. ECO 300/310, 301/311, 302/312). Also, you don’t have to be in the ORF/Econ department to take ORF/Econ classes, so maybe choose a department based on what’s more to your strengths and take classes that you are interested in that are in the other department later on. Another thing is the difference between AB and BSE: do you want to take all of the distribution requirements as an AB? Do you want to have to fulfill the language requirement if you switch to AB? These things are way less important than finding a major that fits you, but are definitely still things to consider.

Back to right now–Are you struggling with chem and physics? Neither of those apply to ORFE very well, so I wouldn’t worry if you’re doing badly in them. Cos and math are much more applicable. But math at Princeton is difficult, and I’ve known many people who did not do well in math who did perfectly fine in ORFE. You also don’t actually need cos beyond 126 to do well in ORFE. Even though some classes have a programming component, it’s pretty basic, so don’t let that deter you from pursuing ORFE if that’s what you really want to do.

I’ve taken a couple upper level ORFE and Econ classes, and I will say on average the ORF classes are harder than the Econ classes. It’s also hard to make blanket statements about all classes in a department since they are so varied. I would look at course reviews for specific classes you are interested in to determine how interesting or difficult they are. Other contributors can also add their opinion to this.

Lastly, GPA doesn’t really matter all that much in the long run unless you’re trying to apply for grad/med school. 

Response from Nick Carraway:

This is such a great answer! All questioning BSEs should read it.

[realtalk-princeton]

Re: finance certificate, so far I have a b- in one of the prereqs, a c in the other and currently enrolled in the third. Am I screwed?

 Response from Maybach Renntech:

I would talk to the certificate representative to be sure, but that’s not on the right path so far. This is directly from the website. “For ECO and ORF students, a minimum B- average in the three prerequisite courses (mathematics, statistics and microeconomics) is required.”

Also, even if you’re admitted you need to keep up the performance. “A minimum C+ average computed over ECO 362-363, the 3 elective courses, and the independent work will be required to earn the certificate.These requirements apply to all students admitted to the program, regardless of major”

Are you sure you really love finance and/or have a deep interest in the markets? Because that should be why you want to do the certificate. Don’t do it for a banking job, it’s not necessary.