General Bio or Principles of Bio?

[JamesJr]

Ok, so here are the pre-req for the medical school:
General Biology or Zoology with laboratory (Botany alone is not sufficient to meet this requirement),

Now, I read on a blog (not affiliated with medical school):
"For premed requirements, you are only allowed to take bio and chem courses that are suitable for someone who majors in the field, regardless of what your actual major is."

Ok...so my course catalog!
General Biology - 1050
"May not count toward BIOL major or minor. Molecular basis of biology, bioenergetics, control systems, reproduction and development, genetics, diversity, evolution, communication, and behavior ecosystems."

Principles of Biology - 1100
Molecular biology, bioenergetics, cellular structure, and physiology. Molecular basis of inheritance and control of gene expression.


So here is my question...which do I take?!?! It clearly says that general bio will not count toward a major, yet someone else said that medical schools require it to. My school has no general biology that counts toward a major. The biology major takes principles of biology.

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[unhappytnt]

Take the one that has a lab component.

 

[Isoprop]

Looks like principles of bio is what you want. Here's what you do:

go to catalog and look up the requirements of biology majors. one of the first requirements will be Biology class. that's the class you want.

 

[Isoprop]

another tip: it'll be part of a 2 semester or 3 quarter series.

 

[JamesJr]

Thanks so much! I apparently will be needing to take Principles of Biology 1 and 2. Why did my school switch the names?! So much confusion! Thanks for all your help and advice!

 

[Seven of Nine]

i have a different interpretation of the course catalog descriptions that you provided. i feel like the phrase indicates the course cannot count towards elective hours in the biology major/minor.

for example, i am a biology major with a concentration in microbiology. i took the honors introductory biology sequence at my school. these classes are pre-requisites for my major courses/general curriculum, but they are not actually counted towards my major.

the courses you have offered may be of acceptable rigor; science majors may be taking these courses too for their prereqs/satisfy basic application requirements but not for their major.

this is distinctly nuanced. i would just ask your advisor what classes are appropriate and would suffice.

 

[fahimaz7]

It makes no difference. Just get through Biochem and take a few higher level biology classes (cell, micro, genetics, immuno, etc). You'll be fine.

I don't think anything that I learned in a 1000 level class helped me thus far in medical school.

 

[cfx]

Do you have contact information for an advisor at your school? It couldn't hurt to drop them an email and be sure.

Alternatively, your school might have a pre-health website which will lay out all of the course numbers you need to take.

 

[girlofgrace7]

It makes no difference. Just get through Biochem and take a few higher level biology classes (cell, micro, genetics, immuno, etc). You'll be fine.

I don't think anything that I learned in a 1000 level class helped me thus far in medical school.

It could very well make a difference. Some schools require that you take a certain introductory-level biology course in order to enroll in the upper-level bio courses. For instance, I had friends who took a one-semester principles of bio class (which sounds very different at your school than it was at mine) before she declared her major, but she had to take both semesters of the general biology class when she declared as a science major.

As someone mentioned above, see which one is part of a two-semester (or three-quarter) series, but just to be safe, ask your mentor.

 

[deleted202457]

Sounds to me like you need Principles of Biology