I was perusing the 4-year university where I plan to take prereqs and was confused as to which biology course I need to take.
These are the choices:
BIOL 2002 - Foundations of Biology for Biological Sciences Majors, Part I (BIOL) (There is a Pt.II)
(6.0 cr; =[BIOL 2002H]; Prereq-[[CHEM 1021 or equiv], CBS major] or %; calculus I or equiv recommended; A-F only, fall, spring, every year)
BIOL 1001 - Introductory Biology: Evolutionary and Ecological Perspectives (BIOL)
(4.0 cr; =[BIOL 1001H, BIOL 1003]; fall, spring, every year)
Biological diversity from genetic variation to diversity of species/ecosystems. Genetic, evolutionary, and ecological processes governing biological diversity. Genetic, evolutionary, and ecological perspectives on issues concerning human diversity, human population growth, health, agriculture, and conservation. Lab.
BIOL 1009 - General Biology (BIOL)
(4.0 cr; =[BIOL 1009H]; Prereq-high school chemistry; 1 term college chemistry recommended; fall, spring, summer, every year)
Major concepts of modern biology. Molecular structure of living things, energy recruitment/utilization, flow of genetic information through organisms/populations. Principles of inheritance, ecology, and evolution. Includes lab
I’m not sure if there is a part 2 to the last 2, so I am kind of confused. >.> Any help would be appreciated.
You need the one for Biological Science Majors - and you need to take both parts with lab.
sadako - Do you have a pre-health advising team at the 4 yr university you are applying to? They can confirm the course number for you.
But as emergency said it is Gen Bio I and II with labs for Biology majors.
Looks like you’ll need bio 1009 - General biology.
As to General Biology II – I pulled a different stunt as the prereqs said I needed 4 semesters of biology, not specifically Bio I and II…
I did General Biology, Anatomy and Physiology I and II and Genetics which were all under the Biology domain…worked wonders rather than plant taxonomy…
- In reply to:
I disagree. Based on the descriptions above, the course he most likely needs is BIOL 2002. Typically, the pre-med pre-reqs for Bio and Chem are the intro level courses for Bio and Chem majors. However, that being said, I agree with the above poster that said you should call the pre-health office and find out what courses are recommended for pre-med majors. Many schools put out a sheet of the courses that they consider "pre-med".
Ohio State had a similar set up: there was an Intro Biology (your 1001) that was geared as a general education pre-req for non-science majors, a General Biology (your 1009) that was geared towards nursing majors and a few other health type majors and then a General Biology (your 2002) that was listed at the general biology for Biology majors and was the one that pre-med, pre-dental, and pre-vet majors took.
You cannot get it wrong if you go with the course for the science major.
It might be a good idea to meet with a counselor in the science department at the university to work out a degree plan. This will help clear up the confusion. Also, you can look up some medical schools website for discripton of the pre requiste courses needed. Further,you can glean much information about the classes you need to take by reading some of the thread on this forum. Hope this help.
- Idalyn Said:
So, I tried calling the School of Biological Sciences (which was the track 2002 was intended for) and I was basically told that the U didn't have a formal pre-med track. She directed me to the University of Minnesota Medical School website which stated the following for biology courses: "Biological sciences coursework with emphasis on general principles, cell biology and/or physiology."
So, now I'm thinking General Biology but am still very confused. I e-mailed a professor at my alma mater to ask her as well. I also called the Assistant Dean of Biological Sciences to ask her to which I never got a reply. No one seems to know.
Here is the description for 2002:
First of two foundational courses. Core biological concepts, from biomolecules to ecosystems. Emphasizes evolution, organismal diversity, and genetics within context of problem solving and application.
- sadako12 Said:
Whether or not there is a formal "pre-med" track, I'm sure that the pre-meds are encouraged to take a particular course. Is there a pre-health/pre-med advisor at this school? If so, they would be the person to ask what course pre-meds should take. If they aren't able to tell you which course, I personally would err on the side of taking the more rigorous course (2002) unless it is specifically limited to biology majors.
- sadako12 Said:
First of two foundational courses. Core biological concepts, from biomolecules to ecosystems. Emphasizes evolution, organismal diversity, and genetics within context of problem solving and application.
In my experience, most universities have a biology requirement for graduation along the lines of Introduction to Biology. This is typically a freshman-level (1xx/1xxx) course, often with very large classes (since almost everyone takes it).
For biological science majors, premeds, and other interested parties, the college of biological sciences will also offer another class that fulfills this minimum requirement but is somewhat more rigorous. This is typically a sophomore-level (2xx/2xxx) course with a much smaller and more interesting (and intense) class experience, with a name like Principles of Biological Systems.
This is only a guess, of course, but it sounds to me like the two classes you describe are in the above classifications: The 1xxx class is a general freshman-level class offered to everyone to fulfill the minimum requirement, while the 2xxx class also fulfills the requirement but is basically for people who actually care about biology (biological science majors, premeds, predents, vets, weird engineering types who like biology).
EDIT TO ADD: On rereading your original post, it looks like you have two freshman-level biology classes offered. My guess is that the 1001 Introductory Biology class is for people who never had (or understood) their high school biology, while the 1009 General Biology is for the bulk of students who just want to check that box off of their graduation requirement. The 2002 class must be the biology-major-focused class, and is almost certainly the one you want to take.
One thing that might help is to look at the prereqs of other biology classes higher up. I can almost guarantee that the 2xxx class is the one that feeds into to those. I bet if you take the lower ones, you will have to take the 2xxx if you want to take genetics, of cell/molec. ect. Also I have been told by pre-med advisers to always take the higher level of a class offered. Where I am we have two Micro-Biologys, one for nursing students and one for Bio majors. I was told that taking the one for nurses would not help in the application process.
My school has a “Biology for Majors” both I and II, then they have the Gen Bio. I’m sure it can get quite confusing. I have taken the Bio for Majors and at my previous school I took a Gen Bio course. The for Majors course was much more in depth and specific.
What is your major? Or are you doing a post-baac?
- RAdamson Said:
I am doing this post-bacc.