Math Courses...Which ones should I take

idealistical
Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:13:41 +0000

Hey I’m currently a freshman who’s unsure about majoring in bio, but still taking all the bio major courses, so maybe I can help a little bit.


If you get a 5 on either AP Lit or AP Lang, you have the option of dropping one semester of FWS.
Not sure if you’re aware, but AP Bio isn’t accepted anymore for the Biology Major requirements - to fulfill Cornell’s major you have to take the intro classes ([Cornell Biology :: Core Requirements](Biological Sciences | CALS)). Most people take BIOG 1350 and BIOG 1440, as far as I know. There’s also a Bio lab (BIOG 1500) that’s required for Bio majors that you might want to consider taking during your freshman year.
I haven’t taken the higher level math courses yet, so I don’t know first-hand how difficult they are, but if it was me, I would take Linear algebra, Multivariable, or Calc III, since it seems like you already know Calc I and II really well. If you’re willing to work hard, I think you can probably handle it, especially since it looks like you’ll have a 15 credit schedule, which is pretty normal for first semester freshmen. I mean, of course the classes will be hard, but it’ll probably be more worth it than sitting through yet another class on derivatives haha, especially since you like math. Of course, it’s completely up to you (GPA is important too! though I’m sure you could get an A/A- in Multivar too if you just try your best And you also want to think about how much you want to “take it easy” while you get adjusted to college life/make friends/check out extracurriculars)


Oh and I’ll throw this in too, it’s a guide on planning your first semester schedule if you’re a bio major (Biological Sciences | CALS). You’ll probably get it later, but maybe it’ll help you now.