Discussion: The differences between Biology 114 & 118

<p>DS & I were hoping that someone might be able to shed some light on the differnce between or recommendations of taking Bio 114 or Honors Bio 118. Thanks!</p>

<p>Honors classes are smaller. You are expected to learn and synthesize the material in a more advanced way. This means there is less hand-holding (less busy work) in the honor classes and the expectation on the assignments you get are higher. For example the tests will be more short answer and essay instead of all multiple choice in non-honors.</p>

<p>Exactly the information we were looking for. Thanks Feenotype. Would you suggest taking honors bio? Or better yet, would you suggest taking Honor Bio and Honors Chem? I know it depends on the student…but…is it too much for an incoming freshman?</p>

<p>Honors Bio is often taught by Dr. Guy Caldwelld, who runs the premier bio research lab on campus, also known as the Worm Shack.</p>

<p>Even though my daughter had AP bio credit, she still took the first semester of Honors Bio so she could take the class with Dr. Caldwell. Someone else taught the second semester, so she and most of her friends just used their AP credit for that semester.</p>

<p>It’s advanced but it’s still a freshman-level course. I would say it’s equal in terms of difficulty and expectation with the sophomore-level course, BSC 300 - Cell Biology. (300 is often the course recommended for students skipping the intro level biology due to college credit.) Neither is not too much for the freshman with strong academic skills (self-pacing, self-discipline), but that isn’t something that comes automatically to everyone, even so-called “high stats” student. It’s up to you and your student to be honest (to yourself) about their academic skills.</p>