<p>So I applied for spring 2012 to CALS and have still not heard back from UF: the deadline was the 15th of November. I felt like I had a good chance of acceptance, but I have pretty much decided I do not want to stick with the major I applied as. I wish to change to a different major within CALS. However, I know that as an incoming transfer this won't be permitted; that is, that all transfers are told they must satisfy all transfer prereqs before entry.
Here then is my question:</p>
<p>What if I was to start at UF under the major I applied under, and then tried to change out once I was there? Does anyone have any experience with or info about this?
The obvious alternative would be to finish up those needed prereqs and then reapply under the different major; however I then risk getting rejected under the basis of having too many credit hours and being told to finish at my home institution. I will likely have to do this anyways, but I would love to come to UF instead just because of the opportunities that UCF does not offer in the way of research etc.</p>
<p>I know that changing majors after transferring is completely acceptable at other universities like UCF.</p>
<p>From what I know, as a transfer myself, you’re allowed to change your major if it’s in the same college. But you wouldn’t be able to switch from Engineering to Journalism or something.</p>
<p>It would be a change from food science/human nutrition to biology, both within the college of life/agricultural sciences. I really would love to attend UF for this. Initally I applied to UF because UCF didn’t offer the nutrition major, but I’ve only become more interested in biological sciences and UCF does not have nearly the amount of research opportunities that UF has… Maybe it won’t matter as much for my undergrad degree, as long as I find a great program for grad school.</p>
<p>There’s a small chance you could since it’s in the same college, but I don’t think it’d be easy. Honestly biology is a very broad major, I don’t really think it’s necessary for you to change majors. I just looked at the curriculum for nutrition and you have a lot of classes that I had to take as a bio major and plenty of room for bio electives, so I think you could still get bio research opportunities. Why do you want to switch from nutrition to bio, what would you want to goto grad school for? (just curious)</p>
<p>I started college initially as a nursing major, and fell in love with my anatomy/physio and microbiology courses. I started the nursing program, and basically left because I missed the science. I considered nutrition because of the interest I have in the field, and this term I took the final required transfer courses for the major at UF and applied for spring. One of these courses is biology 2 and I have just fallen more in love with the subject. I really enjoyed microbiology, but I have found that I enjoy the macro level of things even more. I actually want to take botany and evolution courses, and currently I have changed my major at UCF to biology for this reason. Biomedical science (formerly molec./microbiology) was the other option, but I really like the idea of field work and studying things on the macro level that biology offers.</p>
<p>I always planned on going to grad school, even when I was a nursing major, and I had considered medical school as well due to my love for science. I have been leaning away from the medical/health professions field however, looking into grad programs more directly related to biology. I would love to study evolutionary biology or something similar in a grad program, although I am very open to new possibilities that a biology undergrad would surely expose me to.
I just feel like if I do anything else, that I will end up looking at options more involved in science because it seems to be quite a passion of mine…
I realize that fields such as medicine and nutrition offer many opportunities to study science, but I want my career to involve it more directly, rather than having to focus on patient care for example.</p>
<p>Ah yeah. I understand… I was originally majoring in pharmacy but also loved biology so I decided to go on and get my bs in biology at UF instead of going straight to pharmacy school… I’ve learned a lot. I’m taking Evolution right now actually… if you’re a biotechnology track bio major it’s required or you can take it as an elective. I would suggest taking it, it will definitely make you realize the scope of evolutionary biology. I didn’t really realize what it entailed from my bio2 class alone. It’s pretty intense.</p>
<p>My only advice is to look for a lab to get into asap. Waiting only puts you at a further disadvantage… a lot of them want a time commitment so being an upperclassman, especially a senior, can often times put you at a disadvantage. Even if the lab isn’t going to be what you decide to goto grad school for it’ll be important for your resume to have that lab experience.</p>
<p>I agree, and most likely I will end up taking classes at UCF next term just for that opportunity (I am a student at both UCF and the local state college), when I could otherwise still take some remaining core requirements at the state college: organic chem, physics, calculus.
After a comparison of UF’s and UCF’s research opportunities according to their websites, I feel like I won’t be given nearly the opportunities at UCF that I would at UF, but I agree fully that it’s just important to get something and I will certainly take what I can get.
I may also pick up a minor in technical writing…although I keep eyeing UF’s botany minor; UCF doesn’t have anything like this. UF just has so much more to choose from; UCF has two or three bio type majors and a couple related minors.</p>
<p>I can’t wait to take the evolution course, as well as other electives such as mammology, animal behavior etc…</p>