Deciding Between Environmental Science vs Integrative Biology Major: Please Help!

krickadoodle
Wed, 06 Jan 2016 05:39:11 +0000

Hi all,

I’m a sophomore deciding between Environmental Science or Integrative Biology major. (I know they’re in different colleges. I’m currently in L&S and have spoken to the CNR advisor about everything so its all good there.) I came in thinking I was an IB major but Chem 3A was just horrible and I hated it. I was going to do the ecological tract of IB anyway and that side of biology interests me more than cellular, health, etc (the other side of bio).

I’ve looked at the upper division courses for both majors and I feel like I’m more interested in ES than IB. I am not pre-med or pre-health, really. I don’t have any concrete idea about my career goals, honestly sometimes I just feel so hopeless about it all! I am doing an education minor and am planning to get my teaching credential through one of the programs here at Cal so I would be able to teach shortly after graduation. Teaching is my ‘back-up’ option and my safety net–I love working with kids.

I have to decide what major within the next few weeks because currently I’m enrolled in Chem 3B&L and Econ (Chem 3B is for IB, Econ is for ES) so once I decide on a major, I’ll drop the other class.

I realize IB is ‘broader’ and gives me more options but since I’m not too particularly interested in the health care field, or pre-med, and that I prefer the ES upper division courses more, it makes sense for me to pick ES right? I also hated ochem and felt like I hardly passed 3A so 3B will definitely be an uphill battle for me. Gahh.

Would just like input from others, thanks.

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