CPB Weekly Post #5

Recently in class we have brought up the topic of registering for classes which, in all honesty, scares me a little.  I'm currently a psychology major which means I've already talked to the people I have to for this major; they've outlined the classes I'll have to take, how long it will be before I graduate, the possible grad schools I could go to and the grades I'll need to accomplish these things.  But the complicated part is I want to switch to a chemistry major.  I know how hard I would have to work for that major, but I really do like the topic.  But there are a few things that worry me going into this:

1. For a bachelor of science degree in chemistry, the first year requirements start off with with precalculus and general chemistry I as courses I would have to be taking now.  But because I am in mat 102 right now, I would be taking precalculus next semester which means starting late therefore I might not graduate within for years.  I would be willing to take summer and winter classes to catch up but since the main classes I will be taking are chemistry, biology and math, I'm not sure if they offer those.  If they do, would I be able to get a good grade in such a hard and fast moving class?
2. After eventually graduating with a chemistry degree, my goal is to move onto veterinary school.  Due to the fact that there are so few schools for that, it is a very hard program to get into and your grades need to be just about perfect.  I do put an immense amount of effort into my school work but that does't always mean I understand the material or come out of a class with a good grade.  What if my GPA isn't high enough?  Could I still get into grad school for a different, less competitive program?  I have looked at different things I could go into and thankfully there are a lot of options.  I could do something with biochemistry or organic chemistry or I could go a completely different path into pharmaceuticals.

I am very excited to start this new unit to see where I can go with everything.