So I’m not necessarily bad at math, I guess, but it takes me a bit longer to understand it than it does most of the class. In high school, I’ve taken geometry, algebra II/trig accelerated, and honors pre-calc. I got an A in both semesters of geometry, a B in the first semester of algebra II/trig acc and an A in the second, a C in the first semester of honors pre-calc and a B in the second. This year, I’ll be in AP statistics, but that’s a second semester only class, so I have no grades to report yet. So, while you see I’m not horrible at math, it worries me. Are my current math grades good enough? What sort of math will I need to improve in to be better suited for marine bio?
Most biology majors are required to take calculus, and some are required to take statistics. This will, however, vary by school. Biology majors can sometimes take math courses designed for life science majors, which may be considered easier than the corresponding courses for engineering or other science majors, but that’s going to depend heavily on what your school offers as well.
I wouldn’t be too deterred by math courses required by marine biology. Many biology majors aren’t huge fans of math, but they still survive. If you’re major requires calculus, you can always give it a shot in your first semester and decide then if the math is really too difficult for you (or you just aren’t interested anymore). The good thing about calculus is that there are often many resources for it, including online tutorials and practice problems, many textbooks you can use for explanations and additional problems, and on-campus tutoring services, as well as the usual professor’s and TA’s office hours.
@baktrax Thanks! As of now, I’m pretty certain I want to do marine bio and if it takes math, I guess I’ll just have to improve. Not that it’s necessarily hard, really; I just take a while to get it sometimes. I did pass honors pre-calc and I wasn’t horrible at it, but if it takes calc, I’ll survive.
Math? Are you going to write original research papers on Population Biology or haul the plankton trawl and rinse out the little net?
Any science major is going to require some math. In research, one of the main things you’ll probably end up doing long-term is stats. From my experience, the math becomes easier when you case about what you’re doing with it. If you have a reason for learning and doing the math related to something you’re passionate about, you’ll enjoy it more and be more likely to put in the effort to do well.
@JustOneDad I don’t appreciate your sarcasm when I’m asking a serious question
@nanotechnology When I’ve done stats units in the past, I’ve generally done pretty well on them (somewhere in the 90-95% range), so that’s good to hear! And I hadn’t considered that I’ll probably come to enjoy the math more once it’s applied to something I enjoy, but that’s probably true. Thanks!