<p>My child is a freshman, who had intended on majoring in biology. However, now she is not quite sure that is what she wants anymore. She is considering using the spring semester of her freshman year to experiment with different classes (ones that she has always been interested in but are not related to biology or any other science major). My question is, if she does that but then decides that she really wants to go back to biology in her sophmore year, would there still be enough time to get in all the requirements of a biology major and graduate within 4 years? Thanks in advance for any help and/ or advice!</p>
<p>The best thing to do is look at the biology major in the catalog (available online), which will tell you all of the requirements for the major, and also look at the schedules of classes for this year and last (also online), to get a notion of how often courses are taught - there may be some courses that are only taught once a year (for example, many entry level courses in languages are offered only in the Fall). With all the good advising in the world, it is a good idea for students themselves to map out the requirements semester by semester, to avoid future surprises. Here’s the link: <a href=“http://www.oberlin.edu/regist/schedule.html[/url]”>http://www.oberlin.edu/regist/schedule.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you mamenyu! That’s a great suggestion. And, she has been doing that (and she has noticed how some classes are only offered once/ year. I think that is exactly what concerned her). She has always loved science and may end up staying a bio major. However, I think she wants to delve into other areas of study in order to make sure she doesn’t regret her decision. And, she feels that that would be better to do in her freshman year. However, I am concerned about her being able to graduate in 4 years if she does that. Therefore, I guess we were wondering if anyone had any personal experience with something like this?</p>
<p>Without having done the sort of research mamenyu suggests (which is a good idea), my instinct is to say that she should still easily be able to graduate in four years without taking any science courses this spring. Many students do not take courses in their major all eight semesters (for one thing, many students do not decide on a major until their sophomore year). The sciences are a little more restrictive, since courses often need to be taken in a particular sequence, but it should almost certainly be possible. I suggest she talk to a Biology faculty member for reassurance.</p>
<p>maggie48 - </p>
<p>As someone contemplating a biology major, I can tell you that the requirements for biology are much more flexible than, say, the requirements for a biochemistry major (a major I am also considering). Taking a semester off from biology probably wouldn’t prevent her from completing the major in four years. However, if she has not yet completed BIOL 102, I would strongly recommend she complete that course next semester, because it is only offered in the spring. If she doesn’t take it next semester, she won’t be able to take it for another year. Even if she didn’t take it until spring 2011, however, it would probably be okay.</p>
<p>If you want to see the requirements for a biology major, here’s a link:
[Program:</a> Biology - Oberlin College - acalog ACMS?](<a href=“Program: Biology - Oberlin College - Modern Campus Catalog™”>Program: Biology - Oberlin College - Modern Campus Catalog™)</p>
<p>I’m not a student there so don’t take my word for it but I think there should be no problem if she wants to sample different majors. From what I’ve gathered, double and triple major are quite popular and do-able within the 4 years in Oberlin.</p>
<p>on the other hand, if she isn’t ready to entirely give up the idea of a bio major, she might consider a compromise: take Bio 102 so she is on track, but take several other courses in whatever seems appealing, explore new things - i.e. keep the options open without the problem of a delay that would cost her a year of bio courses, if 102 is a pre-requisite for the next level of courses.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for all the advice! It was really very helpful!</p>