<p>I am asking for any advice. I would like to hear from people who know about the Biology major at NYU. Or who have any familiarity with graduate school and admissions. Questions I have are: Do I major in Anthropology and simply pick and choose biology courses that interest me most without obtaining an official degree, or should I double major in Anthropology and Biology? Will the former make it difficult for me to get into grad school biology programs? Is the NYU Biology major what I imagine--is it mainly chemistry, quantitative skills, and lab work? </p>
<p>Here are the details:</p>
<p>I am a rising sophomore at NYU. Since I was a kid, I have wanted to study nature--plants, animals, ecosystems. In high school, I was one of the top students in my class. During my freshman year in college, I received straight As and made the Dean's List. Though I undoubtedly excel in the humanities, mathematics, though not impossible, is usually a struggle for me. I did well in high school biology, physics (with struggle), and college environmental science. I received a B in high school chemistry. </p>
<p>My university does not offer an undergraduate degree in zoology. Naturally, the closest degree is Biology. I am very interested in whole organism/integrated & evolutionary biology, however, it seems to me that Bio at NYU is more focused on sending students to labs and that many of the students are premed. I have been told the intro classes are heavily focused on chemistry and a look at the major's curriculum shows a future of molecular and cell biology classes and quantitative skill courses (math, computer, etc). Though of course there are options to take classes in physiology, evolution, etc they do not seem to be in the majority. So, you can see my dilemma. I am worried that given that math is my weaker subject, the class, its labs, and the major will ultimately get the best of me and make me miserable</p>
<p>At the moment, I have decided to take a major in Anthropology. I am truly excited about this. The program is very strong and does an excellent job of integrating biological anthropology (meaning primatology, evolution, etc) classes into the curriculum. But I know it won't fully satisfy my desire to learn about the plant & animal (beyond primates) kingdom and I don't want to rule out graduate programs in integrated or evolutionary biology. </p>
<p>Of course , I would just take Bio I and see if I like it. Unfortunately, it has worked out that I need to take both Bio I and Bio II to get the science credit I need. To take Bio I, I will be dropping the science course that allows me to obtain this credit in one semester. So I do feel a need to commit if I decide to change. This too is making my decision difficult.</p>