<p>Is the science program a top program or just average?</p>
<p>Are you referring to the sciences in general (which are very strong) or do you have a specific department in mind?</p>
<p>Chem, bio.</p>
<p>The undergrad programs are top notch, and if doing lab work is your thing most research labs are small. This means lots more interaction with your PIs and you won’t get used for scut work. The grad programs aren’t great, but your not going here to get your PHD.</p>
<p>Are you looking at med school or PHD?</p>
<p>Med school</p>
<p>ND’s a great place if you want med school. Traditionally most do ALPP, SCPP, or Bio but there’s always a few Biochem/Chem who do so as well. The Bio dept. boasted a 90% acceptance rate and the school as a whole posted an 80% acceptance rate. ND really pushes community service which is a must for med school and you have access to research as well.</p>
<p>I’m actually applying to med school right now so ask any questions you want answered.</p>
<p>What’s alpp and scpp</p>
<p>Oh got it. Science or arts and letters college preproffesional</p>
<p>Biodomer, what was your major and what classes did you take freshman year (including total credit hours)? thanks</p>
<p>Biology:
First Semester : Intro Bio 4 credits, Gen Chem 4 Credits, Western Civ 3 credits, First Year Comp 3 credits, Honors Calculus I 4 credits </p>
<p>Second Semester: Intro Bio 4 Credits, Orgo 4 credits, Theo 3 credits, Philo seminar 3 credits, Honors Calc II 4 credits</p>
<p>Honors calc was what made freshman year difficult. Look out for mid term grades in Organic, they’re based on a curve reflecting the half of the class that drops.</p>
<p>Sophomore year is where the Bio major gets hard especially if you do the Cell Bio research lab with Whaley.</p>
<p>How difficult was the 18 hours? I have the same Bio and chem classes with Latin 2 (4), Intro to Psych (3), and History Seminar (3). Thanks, and do I have to take Orgo second semester frosh year?</p>
<p>That’s a very normal schedule for a bio major. Intro to psych from what I’ve heard isn’t bad and your history seminar is professor dependant. ND uses the first semester to get you acclamated to college so don’t worry about it. Unless you want to do it over the summer I’d do Organic on sequence. If you have to drop you can take it with the Chemical Engineers.</p>
<p>Could I stay on track if I drop Intro to Psych and take 15 hours 1st semester?</p>
<p>To graduate you need a social science class. This can be done with sociology, econ, or psych I think. That psych class is known for being an easy A, and if it’s the independant study one you can finish it before the semester’s half over. Don’t let the 18 credits fool you. It’s not bad. Second semester freshman year or first semester sophomore year is where people generally drop bio.</p>
<p>My advice is get as many requirements out of the way now as possible. You may need to retake orgo, fit in extra classes to study abroad, or want more space to take interesting bio classes as a junior/senior as we’ve added a ton of new faculty. Don’t freak out, everyone’s on a level playing field class wise in the bio major.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice Biodomer. My only concern is not being able to enjoy the ND experience (football games, having some free time, socializing, etc.) if I take the Bio route. Also, what is different between BIOS and SCPP as far as classes and total credit hours? Thanks</p>
<p>SCPP is easier than Bio unless you do something weird with your classes. They don’t take Bio freshman year, and the bio they do take soph year is easier. You will likely have less free time, though you will still have enough time to have fun. Unless you have good time management the lab second semester may cause an all nighter or two.</p>
<p>So you mean scpp will have less free time</p>
<p>I think BioDomer was referring to Bio students having less free time. Keep in mind that SCPP is a program and not a regimented major so SCPP students all have different schedules. Most do the bare minimum and have lots of free time. But some take a proactive approach and use the SCPP framework to create a program that is both rigorous and very much appealing to medical school admissions. As you can imagine the SCPP students who do this do not have a whole lot of free time.</p>
<p>SCPP gives you a lot of freedom. The thing is, med schools really don’t care how tough your major is. They like unique applicants. If a Chemical Engineer had a 3.4 and a Peace Studies major had a 3.7 they’d take the Peace Studies major most of the time. The thing to remember is they really want research. It’s harder to get that as SCPP. Not impossible, I know quite a few SCPPs doing research. But some profs as a rule do not take SCPPs. (some even dislike premeds in general)</p>
<p>It’s not like you can’t take another major in addition to bio. I know a few Bio/Psych dual degree people. I also think an explanation for the high med school acceptance with Bio is that you don’t get a med school calibur GPA in bio without being prepared for the MCAT(The advisor said bio GPA is below ND’s average med school applicant, but the MCAT average is far above). Most med schools have no idea what major is hardest or don’t care. This really hurts Engineers, and others in more grade deflationary majors.</p>
<p>As a rule it is almost a must for med students to have research experience and a major, minor, or some sort of definable interest in arts and letters. It is interesting to note that most med school interviews rarely focus on curriculum or science research. They instead tend to focus on volunteer work, interests outside of science, and background.</p>