<p>My D will be a freshman at Frost. She's trying to fill out the forms for registration, and has a question.</p>
<p>She's looking at classes such as BIL104 or BIL 106, and it says: Not for Biology majors or minors</p>
<p>She doesn't yet know whether or not she'll do a double major, perhaps in Bio... or a minor, perhaps in Bio.</p>
<p>Does the phrase "Not for Biology majors or minors" mean it's going to be.... easy? </p>
<p>Does it mean that if she does, someday, decide to have a minor in bio, then the class won't count towards it?</p>
<p>They won’t be as intense. The purpose of the intro biology courses (BIL150 and 160) is to provide a comprehensive overview of the field of biology upon which students can build. They emphasise understanding and knowledge. I would imagine that the 103 and 104 courses will focus much more on knowledge, because the students in the classes will not need to build upon the material that’s covered.</p>
<p>If your daughter is considering a biology major, I recommend she take 150 in the fall, because if she chooses not to major in biology it will still count as a natural science credit, but it will also count towards the major. You are correct in the assumption that these courses will not count towards the biology major. Furthermore, taking the 150 and 160 courses will give her a more accurate introduction to the intensity of courses in the biology department.</p>
<p>D got a 4 on the AP bio test.</p>
<p>I’ve been updated to learn that she is not considering biology as a major, but possibly as a minor (her major is a BM in flute perf).</p>
<p>What do you recommend for Freshman Fall based on that info? Do you still suggest BIL150?</p>
<p>much thanks on your assistance</p>
<p>BIL104, 106, etc are gen ed classes for other students to fulfill science requirements. Fairly simple, a lot of people who don’t care about science (example: me). BIL150 is the intro class for biology majors and pre-med people. It is extremely difficult (half the people on my floor freshman year were in it and a lot of them dropped pre-med because of it). If she decides to take that and then not minor in BIL, it could hurt her GPA compared to just a general biology class. My advice for her would be to wait until she decides what she wants to do. Even if she wants to minor in BIL, she’d probably be better off waiting to take 150 since it’s a really challenging class for first-semester freshmen.</p>