<p>First, I have multiple interests in Biology, including Genetics, Evolution, Zoology, and I'd like to take courses such as anatomy, physiology, mammology, evolutionary genetics, etc.</p>
<p>Since I have such a wide range of interests, would it be wise to major in just simple Biology and not do something like 'Zoology', 'Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science', 'Evolutionary and Environmental Biology', etc.? </p>
<p>Also, are Biology major typically less demanding (required courses for the degree) than these more specific Biology programs?</p>
<p>And could you take a look at this link and tell me if how demanding it is (course load-wise)? I want to basically get my requirements for my Biology degree done ASAP and just explore while in college and learn what I want to learn. An education on my own terms.</p>
<p>Well a biology major sure won’t make you stand out from the crowd. I always found biology easier than chemistry. It involved more memorization and the concepts seemed more concrete and easier to wrap your head around and relate to. </p>
<p>Chemistry the concepts were more mathematical and theoretical. Sometimes the material was so dense I wound up reading a page 10 times before I could relate to and assimilate the information. </p>
<p>The thing with biology is it is a very common major and their are not a lot of decent jobs in it. If you do not get into a professional school you will be screwed taking $12 an hour temp lab grunt jobs. There are some decent areas, however you need to somehow obtain very specialized experience, know someone who can pave the way for you, or you will never break in.</p>
<p>For your particular range of interests in biology, a major in general biology is very appropriate. However, you probably could accommodate those interests just as well in a zoology or ecology/evolution major. </p>
<p>The major requirements for the WSU biology program to which you linked seem pretty standard. Typically, required credit hours range from 30-40 for most majors, including the introductory sequence. WSU’s credit requirements is toward the higher end of this range, possibly because several of the courses are 4 credit hours. Not all comparable programs will require a Micro course, but that requirement makes sense as it’s a biomedical track. Overall, it looks like a solid set of major requirements.</p>
<p>See if there is a Bioinformatics program like at UCSD. People with interest in evolutionary genetics must know significant programming and math modeling. If med school doesn’t work out you can always develop software, something you can’t do with a regular bio degree.</p>
<p>Being a biology major means different things at different schools. I went to Tufts, where there were a ton of bio majors, and there weren’t any specific majors you could choose within biology (for example, I wanted to focus on cell biology, but still had to take classes in physiology and population bio in order to graduate). So it depends on where you go to school, and what’s available.</p>
<p>I figured out that I liked cell biology just by taking intro classes and realizing that I wasn’t really interested larger scale bio. But I still have far-ranging interests; I like developmental bio, I love immunology, and I currently work in retinal cell biology. All pretty different.</p>
<p>I recommend taking classes that you’re interested in and that you think you’ll like (and with good professors–the most interesting subject will be totally not worth it with a bad prof), and decide your focus later.</p>
<p>In terms of exploring college, I wouldn’t major in something if you want to blow through it right away. Major in something because you LIKE it. College is often a great experience for a lot of people, but if you’re not invested in your field of study because you’d rather be partying or exploring a new city, that’s not a good sign (not that you shouldn’t have fun and explore–just not to the point where you try to get your major out of the way immediately).</p>