People in Bio majors confuzled about Bio112 and Bio110

<p>This just a quickie. </p>

<p>As I may have mentioned on other threads, UR has two tracks for freshman biology. Bio112 with prof platt and Bio110 with prof Olek.</p>

<p>Bio 112 is a course about scientific research that has been pretty important in the past 50 years. Including research by Prof Platt and Prof Goldfarb (they split the load of teaching). They use the book vaguely, but use the Bio250 book more often (Lehnigger's Biochemistry [Prof Platt is the prof for bio250 and that is offered at the medical school]). </p>

<p>As a peak into what you had to learn this is my first test last year (with answers of course) </p>

<p><a href="http://courses.ats.rochester.edu/platt/BIO112/documents/ExamKey.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://courses.ats.rochester.edu/platt/BIO112/documents/ExamKey.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Now as for bio 110. It's just AP bio if you know it. So if you did well in AP bio take 112. THough it will be a challenge from the get go. </p>

<p>I highly recommend 112, it will prepare you for 250 and beyond. Though tehy say 110 will, you'll just end up in shock when you have to learn what GEF and GDPases and Insulin receptors, and their pathways and what not. </p>

<p>Also if you think the test is intimidating, don't. He gives you a list of questions that could possibly be on the exam, so you have time to study and formulate good answers for them. Although he then expects them to be perfectly right and concise since you had time to write them. </p>

<p>Any questions about Biology / Sciences please ask! I can give you some information before the academic fair.</p>

<p>So for the pre-med track, it would be advisable to take Bio 112, correct?</p>

<p>Well it's advisable to take 110 or 112. But if you've taken AP, 112 will be more useful. 110 will end up being a review. </p>

<p>Especially if you scored well and was bored to begin with in AP. </p>

<p>It boils down to whether or not you've taken AP and or used Camble and Reese. If you have taken AP and scored a 4 or better, the department will recommend that you take 112. Persoanlly If you scored a 3 and you think it was a fluke because you did well, I would go for 112 as well becuase 110 will be right out of the camble and reece book and is horrifically boring. </p>

<p>But if you haven't def take 110 or else you'll be confused every year on. and if you really get it, you can always take hte higher course 113 Spring semester.</p>

<p>yea i took ap bio this year and i took the test, it was fairly easy i think i pulled a 4 or 5. So i m planning to take bio 112 and 113 and chem 131 and 132. P.S I also heard Olek isnt the greatest of teachers, but I m glad Krugh is teaching chem, since I heard he is a nice guy</p>

<p>when are the 2 hour workshops typically offered for 112? i can't find that on platt's website at all?</p>

<p>The workshops you pick on the first week of classes. You choose what fits your schedule. </p>

<p>he's really flexible about it, so you don't have to worry about when things are. </p>

<p>As for Krugh, yea he's a nice guy. But as an extensioon to what i mentioned before. If you got a 4 or 5 / real understanding of AP chemistry. You will be bored to death in chm 131 and 132. </p>

<p>Olek isn't bad, it's just that he has to teach...well crappy material. </p>

<p>But back to the bored to death in 131 and 132. I Think of all...30 weeks of chemistry my freshman year. I attended...2 weeks. And I have a 4.0 in 131 and 132. I got a 4 on my AP chem and I thought I was going to be so far behind in college chemistry. Turned out I was wrong, and I regret not taking Quest Orgo. But now I know my chemistry inside and out...instead of just inside...</p>

<p>Do you know how the classes are for physics? I took both IB Bio and Physics, but I took the Physics standard level test...so I guess I won't be able to skip anything. But we have lab portfolios, and I've heard of past students taking their portfolios to their colleges and showing the department heads...and getting some credit that way.</p>

<p>what's the chance that they'll offer quest orgo for us? i am NOT taking intro to chem for my 4th straight year. or, even better, can i place out of two semesters of freshman chem and go straight to a normal orgo class (in case they don't offer quest)? i'd be using hl chem to place out, if that's important at all.</p>

<p>why wouldn't they offer Quest Orgo?</p>

<p>wrxstiav: With most departments at the UR, if you can prove that you know the material they will give you "exemptions." As for credit, that varies between departments even more so. Some departments are willing to give you credit with sufficient testing, others are not. </p>

<p>Also, from a business standpoint, the univerrsity (not the department) may deny you from getting credit becuase that means you probobly will leave earlier and thus they get less money (by the way...all universities do that, so don't think UR is being cheap or anything, it's just business). </p>

<p>Chemaddict: Quest Orgo has been a pretty stable. so I don't expet it not being offered. </p>

<p>You can try and prove your way out of freshman chem, but like wrx they may or may not give you <em>credit</em> for freshman chem. You will get credit for chm 131. They may or may not give that for you for 132. </p>

<p>As a forewarning, things like this that go beyond the scope of "I got a 5 on AP chem can you sign off for me to take Quest orgo?" will probobly require a bit more time with a department Rep. </p>

<p>During the academic fair, there will be a <em>huge</em> line for advising, so if you have time before or after the academic fair, set up an appointment with the department reps and see if you can work something out.</p>

<p>heh. they better let me out of freshmen chem. i looked on the websites for the two classes and felt a bit cheated. and the whole 'environmental' and 'energy' oriented chem stuff is... nonsense. </p>

<p>looks like i have a looooot of academic advising to do, what with trying to place out of CAS (which i hear is horribly difficult), placing into orgo chem, and trying to get into advanced russian classes first year.</p>

<p>CAS isn't technically "horribly difficult." the work load is quite light compared to other classes that are similiar (i.e. history classes). However, it's just how they grade is on the insane scale. </p>

<p>They expect perfection of perfection. It's rediculous. Like you can consult with teh teacher and edit to her liking and make sure there are no grammatical mistakes. and you can still get a B on it. It's incredibly frustrating and ambigious. The teachers are all grad students, rarely will you see a prof teaching....well...english.</p>

<p>by horribly difficult i meant getting out of it, not the class itself. </p>

<p>but that gives me one more reason to try and place out.</p>

<p>oh getting out of it is easy-ish. </p>

<p>If you don't take a CAS course your fall semester and take some sort of history course that involves essay and do well. Usually you can show the work that you did (and the grade that you got) to the CAS department and they'll say yea you can skip.</p>

<p>At least that was the case with my friend (damn her....her semester wasn't filled with frustration with teachers who you try and please and you still do poorly, instead hers was filled with editing my horrible essays...<em>sigh</em>)</p>