<p>over the course of your time at binghamton, you will have to meet the gen ed requirements, the requirements of any majors/minors you choose, and any other requirements for the specific college you are in (for example harpur has certain requirements above and beyond the gen ed ones – i am not familiar with the other colleges). </p>
<p>if a biology major has to take intro bio (and i do not know what a bio major in fact has to take) why would you think having ap chem credit would satisfy that? the fact that there is a science gen ed requirement has nothing to do with what your bio major requirements are. courses you take for your major can satisfy some of your gen eds – so intro bio can satisfy your science gen ed, but that doesn’t mean ANY course satisfying the science gen ed satisfies your major requirements.</p>
<p>think of the gen eds as the minimum distribution the school wants you to have – eg - they don’t want a science major to end up only taking science courses – they have to take a humanites, a social science, etc – so that everyone graduating ends up with courses in the range of subjects set out in the gen eds. but then students may go beyond what the gen eds require – a science major may take more humanties, a humanities major may take more science than required.</p>
<p>personally - i would suggest taking a course or two in the areas in which you think you might major (esp if you think you’d be trying to decide between two possible majors) – it can help you decide if you in fact are interested in the area and also get intro courses out of the way – and in many cases those may also satisfy some gen ed as well. your other courses should be picked with the gen eds in mind-- you don’t have to complete the gen eds by any particular date prior to graduation – but the sooner you get them out of the way, the more freedom you have in selecting upper level courses you want to take. </p>
<p>fyi – i know all these requirements sound complicated now – but one thing you will probably learn about at orientation is the DARS report – you will be able to run a report on line that shows you what all your requirements are and which you have satisfied. when you declare a major, those requirements show up on your DARS report as well. once your ap credits are processed, those show up as satisfying any gen eds they meet. so while you now have a lot of questions about what satisfies what, the DARS report will be your guide in the future and make things easier than they probably sound now. (don’t worry about the DARS right now – first semester registration isn’t that complicated, just be aware that as you go thru, the DARS will help you know what you still need to take)</p>
<p>the schedule of classes is already available – <a href=“https://buonline.binghamton.edu/banner/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched[/url]”>https://buonline.binghamton.edu/banner/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched</a> select fall 2009 and then you will get a search page to look up by department, “attribute” (which means gen ed), or other criteria. or you can also use bingbuilder.com – an unofficial tool created by a student. bingbuilder can be easier for looking up courses and seeing how potential schedules will look – but always double check with the official schedule to check course descriptions (don’t just click the link “course description” at bingbuilder, at least in the past this didn’t bring up the full description)-- eg, some sections of a class may be limited to students in a certain school (eg, sections of calc one just for engineering students) and this info doesn’t show on bingbuilder as far as i know. if you look at enrollment figures for classes – remember, current students have already registered, but spaces are opened (especially i believe in intro level courses) for freshmen – ie a number of additional seats may be opened just prior to each orientation for people attending that orientation. so you have to check enrollment right before you register. also realize, that even with the additional spaces opened, classes fill up – so you won’t necessarily get you first choices – best to be prepared with alternate schedules (bingbuilder lets you save up to 3 versions and makes it easy to play around with alternative schedules).</p>
<p>when looking at courses, remember also – some classes will have a lecture and also require a discussion, or lab section, or both – you have to register for one of each. this is one thing bingbuilder is really good at – it makes it very clear what types of sections there are.</p>
<p>you may want to start looking at classes before you go to orientation just to have some idea of what you might be interested in, but don’t drive yourself crazy – orientation is specifically designed to give you time to get help with planning your schedule. on the second day of orientation you will be walked thru the registration process-- it is done on computer. in future semesters, you will get a registration time and do it on your own, but for new students they have you come together in a computer room so there is someone there to tell you how to do it. (assuming they do it the same way as they have previously.)</p>
<p>in general – i would urge you to spend some time over the summer familiarizing your self with the info available on the binghamton web site. the orientation website is a good place to start – [Beginnings</a> - Binghamton University New Student Information](<a href=“Orientation | New Student Programs | Binghamton University”>http://orientation.binghamton.edu/) – specifically their resources link.</p>