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Q. What courses should I take during my first semester at McDaniel?
A. If Biology is your chosen field, then you ought to build your first semester around its introductory courses. These are:
- Biology 1111 and Biology 1101 – the introductory biology course, with its associated lab. You must register for both. You may not take the course (BIO 1111) without the lab (BIO 1101). The reason for separating them in the registration process is to allow you to mix and match sections to fit the rest of your schedule. Together, they constitute one course, Principles of Biology.
- Chemistry 1101 and Chemistry 1001 – the introductory chemistry course with its associated lab. Again, you must register for both. Some students choose not to take this course during their freshman year, preferring to begin the chemistry sequence as sophomores. It depends on how comfortable you are with your high school chemistry preparation. The choice is yours. Beginning the chemistry sequence adds flexibility to your schedule later in your college career.
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Q. Should I take biology and chemistry at the same time in my freshman year?
A. The answer to this question is one that varies among individuals. We do have a guideline for it, and there is one requirement.
The guideline: Generally students who score a combined total of 1100 on the SAT exam are good candidates to take both BIO 1111 and CHE 1101 as freshmen. This is a guideline only, use it in combination with what you know about yourself; how “good” are you in science and math? Do they come easily? The choice is yours, but your sophomore, junior and senior year schedules will be easier to arrange if you take both now.
The requirement: The Chemistry Department requires that you score well on the Math Placement Test (that you can take online) in order to register for CHE 1101. If you don’t, then you are not allowed to register for the chemistry course. Take the placement test and see how well you do.
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Q. What math should I take, and when?
A. Technically speaking, you’re not required to take any math to qualify for a Biology major, though you do have to score well on the Math Placement Test. This little fact doesn’t mean that you should omit math from your curriculum.
Biology majors (and all professional biologists) benefit from math training. The better your math skills, the better you are outfitted to analyze the data you collect from your experiments, the better you are able to frame hypotheses, and the better you are able to understand concepts at all levels of science. Math is a necessary language of science. You ought to be able to “speak” at least some of it. We recommend that you consider either Statistics or Calculus (or, better, both) in your study here.
As for when you should take the math, sooner is better than later, though you needn’t plunge into it during your first semester at McDaniel. Look to do so during your second or third semesters with us, though.
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Q. How important is physics to a Biology major?
A. Physics is an important, sometimes indispensable, component in the education of many biologists. The degree to which this is true varies from one person to another, but it is valuable to all. Most Biology majors choose to delay taking a Physics course until after their freshman year. It is not required for the major.
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Q. How can I get credit for my AP score in biology?
A. If you score a 3 or better on the AP test, you will receive college credit, but not necessarily waive a course. If you receive a score of 4 or 5 in Biology, you may waive the second semester of the two-semester Principles of Biology sequence. You’ll still need to take the first. This odd-looking situation arises because the AP test covers material more like the second half of our sequence than the first. Also, enrolling in the first semester of the Principles course allows you immediately to get to know classmates in your major field.
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Q. How can I get credit for science courses taken at another college?
A.The Registrar’s Office is the first place to find out about this, as many decisions about this are fairly routine to make. For example, if you’ve taken a Comparative Anatomy course elsewhere, it would transfer directly. More difficult questions are handled by the Chairperson of the Biology Department. The Registrar’s Office can refer you in that case.
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Q. What courses should I take at first if I want to become a Biology teacher?
A. Your coursework choice in the first semester is the same as it would be for any Biology major. You ought to get in touch with the Education department early in your first semester, as well as working with your advisor. They will help you to build an appropriate schedule for your second semester with us.
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Q. Can I use a biology course to fill my math/science requirement?
A. Yes.
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For minors: The Biology minor requires many fewer courses than does a major. Some choose to not begin the minor as freshmen, choosing instead to build their beginning schedule around their majors.
In any case, the first course for a Biology minor is BIO 1111, Principles of Biology. To take it, you would register for both BIO 1111 and BIO 1101. BIO 1101 is the laboratory component of the the Principles course, and you cannot take one without the other.
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For nonscience majors: Most nonscience majors who want to satisfy the Natural Science requirement choose from this list:
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- Human Heredity: A User’s Guide
- Biodiversity
- Human Biology
- The Impact of Human Disease
These courses require no particular training in science as a prerequisite. There are other nonmajor courses, such as Oceanography that are available in the General Sciences.
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Q. I want to enter a health profession. How can I begin?
A. The health professions vary a bit in their requirements and recommended course sequences. You ought to get into contact with McDaniel’s Health Professions advisor for this information. Email Dr. Sam Alspach (salspach@mcdaniel.edu ). Virtually all require the freshman sequence BIO 1111-1112.
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