I need help deciding between these two. I have good reasons for taking both, but I need to choose one. Here are my pros (+) and cons (-):

3Y03:
+ I liked plant biology and was interested in it, would like to learn more and explore further topics
- i heard that her slides for transgenic and new research are the same as in 2D03, but that's what I want to know more about
+ Having never done an inquiry/project course, the PBL project might be a good way to improve research/inquiry skills
- PBL project is marked hard by TAs

3A03:
+ i'm not great at writing, have never done an inquiry/project course. it will help me prepare for doing thesis and improve my scientific writing and research skills
- the course is mostly self-directed, and if I suck at writing then I won't be able to help myself that much and/or will get a bad mark.
+ no final exam
+ I can pick a plant bio topic or whatever topic I'm interested in
- I am indecisive and the course may be time-consuming

So for both, my +s and -s cancel out and 3A03 ends up winning only because it doesn't have an exam, which I don't think is a valid reason to choose it over 3Y03... I really want to choose the more valuable course. I know that's a subjective claim but I'm really stuck at this point.

Thank you!

Edit: This would be in term 2, along with Mol Bio 3V03 (supposed to be time-consuming) which is why I'm worried about workload and difficulty. Also, I'm not taking 3M03 anymore but still need to choose between these two courses.

Originally Posted by rkb12

I need help deciding between these two. I have good reasons for taking both, but I can't since I've already chosen to take Mol Bio 3M03. Here are my pros (+) and cons (-):

3Y03:
+ I liked plant biology and was interested in it, would like to learn more and explore further topics
- i heard that her slides for transgenic and new research are the same as in 2D03, but that's what I want to know more about
+ Having never done an inquiry/project course, the PBL project might be a good way to improve research/inquiry skills
- PBL project is marked hard by TAs

3A03:
+ i'm not great at writing, have never done an inquiry/project course. it will help me prepare for doing thesis and improve my scientific writing and research skills
- the course is mostly self-directed, and if I suck at writing then I won't be able to help myself that much and/or will get a bad mark.
+ no final exam
+ I can pick a plant bio topic or whatever topic I'm interested in
- I am indecisive and the course may be time-consuming

So for both, my +s and -s cancel out and 3A03 ends up winning only because it doesn't have an exam, which I don't think is a valid reason to choose it over 3Y03... I really want to choose the more valuable course. I know that's a subjective claim but I'm really stuck at this point.

Also, if anyone can comment on the difficulty/workload of Mol Bio 3M03, and whether the labs are EOW or every week that would be great. I want to take this course because we've never done development and I don't know if I'm interested in it or not.

Thank you!

Edit: This would be in term 2, along with Mol Bio 3V03 (supposed to be time-consuming) which is why I'm worried about workload and difficulty.

I haven't taken either course so I could be way off, but based on your pros and cons it looks like you should take 3Y03. Your pros for 3A03 are only that you've never done an inquiry/project course so that might be good for you, and it might improve your writing/research/inquiry skills, but it seems like you'll get all of that from 3Y03, as well as a topic you're interested in, and additional help in areas where you're weaker (ie writing).

Originally Posted by nerual

I haven't taken either course so I could be way off, but based on your pros and cons it looks like you should take 3Y03. Your pros for 3A03 are only that you've never done an inquiry/project course so that might be good for you, and it might improve your writing/research/inquiry skills, but it seems like you'll get all of that from 3Y03, as well as a topic you're interested in, and additional help in areas where you're weaker (ie writing).

I forgot to mention that the undergrad calendar for the program includes 3A03 as one of the prep courses for a thesis. I think I should look more into the PBL project and see if it does give me skills that are helpful for the thesis; 3A03 would definitely do that. Thank you for your input!