<p>I was looking through that big book they sent us trying to figure out which classes I'd be interested in taking, but I ran across a problem. I'll probably be tracking toward a biochem major, and that means I'll have to take the required natural science course and also use the "course five" slot for more science. The thing is, I want to study abroad, too, and I want to do it in Italy. I could go to a Spanish-speaking country, but I am sick and tired of study Spanish and want to learn Italian. Can freshman take one additional block of classes?</p>
<p>michelle, im in the same boat! biochem but i wanna study in....ITALY lol (weird)...im curious as well</p>
<p>that is pretty crazy, tjax...but hey, at least we'll be company for each other as we suffer through biochem and maybe explore Italy :)</p>
<p>friendships forged on college confidential.</p>
<p>aw</p>
<p>I would help but I know nothing about the freshman year of studies since I am a transfer. Here are some links that should help however.</p>
<p><a href="http://fys.nd.edu/admitted.htm%5B/url%5D">http://fys.nd.edu/admitted.htm</a>
<a href="http://fys.nd.edu/advisorsandstaff.html%5B/url%5D">http://fys.nd.edu/advisorsandstaff.html</a></p>
<p>Well I spent the first two years of my college experience here as a Biochem major. Definitely can fill you in on some aspects of the program, a lot of things have changed/did change while I was in that track so now all of my info may be current anymore. As to your question of studying abroad. That is a loaded one. The only people who I knew who studied abroad were a couple in their junior year, and they ended up going to Ireland actually. The main problem you run into is the science courses you need to be taking in each year and being able to study abroad at a location where you can take them. The only way to know for sure whether it would be possible or not is by contacting the not only your FYS advisor but also probably start talking to the BioChem advisor early on - that would be Dr. Huber. A lot would depend on credits you come in with, classes you take up here, and perhaps even whether you did summer school to get ahead. I would tell you this though - the chances of you getting to overload above either 15 or 18 credits depending on what college you are in - as a Freshman are probably not that good. They just don't like to do it historically.</p>
<p>I was just thinking back and honestly, most Biochem majors don't study abroad. The course load is pretty rough by Junior year.</p>
<p>Freshman year
-Bio w/lab and Chem w/lab for 2 semesters respectively
-Calc I and Calc II</p>
<p>Sophomore year
-Orgo w/lab for both semesters
-physics w/lab for both semesters
-also a one-semester chem seminar
-Calc III (for one semester)</p>
<p>-Junior year
P. Chem, BioChem w/Biochem lab, Genetics (all in the first semester)
P. Chem II, Intermediary Metabolism (Biochem II) and Biochem lab, Molecular Cell Bio (all in 2nd semester)</p>
<p>-Senior year
Analytical Chem w/lab (1st semester)
Molecular Biology (2nd semester)</p>
<p>Plus the Biochem majors are often the really motivated ones and end up taking things like a grad class senior year. Several friends of mine are doing things like structural elucidations and whatnot....</p>
<p>This isn't to discourage your idea of going abroad, but to give you some idea of what you are going to have to work with. Your best bet is to talk with the professionals when you get here and go from there.</p>
<p>ohh Nemo, there you go ruining my day....and me home sick with the flu, too; you should be ashamed :(</p>
<p>Ahhh mostly kidding of course!! Thanks so much for your reply and info and also thanks to Irish :) I have been told by many, many people that pursuing a biochem major would leave me pretty closed in for freedom to do what I want, so I'm not crushed but still a little sad...might just have to explore my options a little further is all.</p>
<p>There is a girl from my school who goes to ND as a freshman, and from what I've heard, she is working her tail off, so I will definitely take your advice about not overscheduling.</p>
<p>Personally I found Biochem to be an incredibly fun major at first, the only reason I got out of it was because I was no longer enjoying science (kinda a major reason to bail)....that being said, I found freshman year here to be easier than either junior or senior year of my HS. Consider though that my HS was a smaller, privte institution where sports where participation in sports was mandatory - and I got home around 6 PM after practice ended. </p>
<p>Actually I really don't think here is that hard to adjust to if you did a decent amount of work in HS...that and it seems to help if you don't treat the weekend as Thursday through Sunday...I've observed those are some of the freshman who find ND "so hard"</p>
<p>hmm I guess it's all relative and I'll maybe find out this fall, bc I've never considered high school very hard, but I also go to a 2000-student public school that only offers one AP course in Calc, and even that is prob. sub-par.</p>
<p>The girl I mentioned, unless she has gone completely off the deep end, would never do the Thurs. thru Sun. is the weekend thing (good advice that I'll remember, btw), but she always was something of a work-a-holic in the three years that I knew her--I don't think she was ever not stressed over something, so maybe it's self-inflicted :)</p>
<p>Nemo, what made you dislike the science courses? Oh and, do you know anything about or anyone who has taken the american ballroom dancing class as one of their phys ed credits?</p>
<p>And, I can't say it enough, thank you all so much for taking your time to answer our questions...it's wonderful to have such a resource, and it's like having the EA chat open all year long :)</p>