Advice on When/Which Pre-regs To Take

[jtom]

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I have four pre-reqs that I have to take: microbio + lab, biochemistry, animal science and animal nutrition. I am applying instate to UF and they say that I can take the animal science course and nutrition as late as the summer right before matriculation.

Now at UF I cannot take any courses as I have already graduated and I have been told that it is so difficult to get into classes after graduating that it is not even worth applying. I live halfway between UF and UNF and I applied to unf and was denied for a second bachelors degree due to the fact that they were full for the upcoming fall term. I am applying to UNF for the spring term and will have to take microbiology in the spring there since it has a lab and I cannot obviously take a lab online.

My question for you guys is when and which pre-regs would you recommend me taking for the upcoming fall, spring, and summer terms if I am applying this cycle. Now microbio in the spring is a definite. I was not sure whether I should take biochem with it (assuming its offered at unf) and take the animal science/nutrition courses this fall as online courses through okstate or take biochem online somewhere (any ideas?) in the fall and the animal classes in seperate terms. Obviously there are other ways to do it. One more restiction: I cannot take nutrition next summer as I am applying to ncstate and have to have it done by the end of the spring term. I am also not sure if it is a good idea to take biochem online as it is a diffcult course and while I did well in organic, it have been about two years since I took it.

Thanks!

 

[RunTheWorld]

Well, personally I would take biochemistry and microbiology in separate semesters if I could. I would think they'd be much more difficult then the other two, but I never took the other two so I don't really know. I heard nutrition isn't too hard, and that it's kind of like an easier biochemistry, so maybe it'd be a good idea to take biochem and nutrition in one semester and then microbio and animal sci in the other semester.

 

[breenie]

Well, personally I would take biochemistry and microbiology in separate semesters if I could. I would think they'd be much more difficult then the other two, but I never took the other two so I don't really know. I heard nutrition isn't too hard, and that it's kind of like an easier biochemistry, so maybe it'd be a good idea to take biochem and nutrition in one semester and then microbio and animal sci in the other semester.

I really agree with taking nutrition/biochem at the same time! I did this last semester, and it worked well. Both were upper level courses and challenging in different ways, but they really complimented each other. Biochem helped me understand the smaller details of nutrition that we didn't always go over, but nutrition was GREAT for giving you a "big picture" for biochem, which is hard to see on your own if your professor doesn't make it a priority.

 

[jtom]

I will definetly consider taking biochem and nutrition together.

The unfortunate thing is that I am having trouble finding a microbiology course. I applied to a few schools for this fall and they are full and it appears microbiology is only offered in the fall semesters in my area. As I said, UNF is full for second bachelors and I will call them tommorow to inquire about non-degree (their website says they dont consider apps after the deadline however). I am also calling their biology department to see if they know if they will offer micro in the spring (last spring they didnt).

UF does not accept second bachelors, non degree nor post-bacc students so they are out. There is only one other four year school in my area that offers microbiology and their fall term is full (I am calling tommorow to see if i can apply for non degree and wait and see if i can get a seat) but they do not offer it during the spring semester.

It looks like I might have to sit out this cycle unfortunately. Biochemistry is another issue as well: Oddly enough, UNF offers two biochemistry courses, one doesnt have organic as a pre-req and the other has another chemistry pre-req that i dont have. The other school in town has a biochemistry course listed in the catalog (not offered in the fall) but i am calling them tommorow to see if they know if they will offer it this spring or not.


My main issues now are if I can get into any micro or biochem courses, the animal science/nutrition courses are not a concern of mine. I could always take biochem online but I am fearful to do so as biochem is difficult and I really valued in person courses/help throughout undergrad. The only other options at this point are to take microbio at UCF but that would be about 2 1/2 hour drive 3-4 times a week each way. I would prefer to take microbio in the fall as I am still trying to get as many experience hours as possible and thought taking the easier class in the fall would give me more time and then take biochem in the spring when i have maxed out the number of hours I could obtain before admissions decisions/interviews. If I took microbio at UCF, my hours each would would be cut by at least 50%. Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[nyanko]

If you take microbiology at UCF be aware that it is most definitely not an easy class. It requires a lot of studying and you can't skip lab. Personally to me it seems like too far to drive that often.

 

[milkmaid]

I took biochem online as an 8 week course during the summer - it was tough and took a lot of time, but I'd do it over again. Also - at my college - biochem felt like a really advanced microbiology course with some chemistry added in, so it was beneficial to have taken micro first. Our animal nutrition class had biochem as a pre-req, and I took it after biochem - I felt like it made it easier for me, but my friends who hadn't taken biochem also ended up with A's in the class.

I took micro my sophomore year and followed it with several advanced pathobiology classes, so for me, I needed to take micro early in my college career. If all you need is micro, then that would be a non-issue for you, but if you will be taking other classes like immunology, virology, etc before applying, then you may want to take micro early so you have plenty of time for the other classes.

Your best bet is to talk to students at both schools and find out what classes are best (ie, is online biochem with a great teacher and on-campus biochem with an awful teacher?), which classes build on each other and which do not, and then fit the classes into your schedule after that. Your best input is going to come from folks who actually have taken those classes with those teachers.

 

[jtom]

Oh I agree that microbio is not an easy class; i was simply comparing it to biochem. I also agree that it is too far of a drive to warrant doing so but that might be my only choice. I still have a few calls to make etc so not all hope is lost but it appears there is a good chance I will not be able to finish all my courses in time to apply this cycle.

You are right about online biochem, I could have a great professor but I guess I am fearful that asking for help over email might get complicated at best. I currently like UMN's online biochem because you dont have to deal with applying to the university. Any other recommendations for online biochem? I have read the other threads on this but there doesnt appear to be many. I saw that umn's online biochem is harder then the in-class course.