Transfer Student, Interest Change, and Mathematics

Hi everyone, I just wanted to get some quick advice concerning my current academic situation and to see if anyone had any tips that might help me make a decision. I am currently a undergraduate transfer student at the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor with the intentions of graduating with an English Major Biology Minor. My issue is, that recently I’ve taken an interest in cellular biology and was considering getting my degree in that, so that I can get involved in some sort of laboratory/research work after graduation. After looking at the requirements for the Cellular and Molecular Biology degree, I noticed it requires Calc 1. I love the biology classes that I have taken so far but I know for certain that my mathematics skills are not up to par with university standards. Any advice regarding what I should do? I was considering applying at a community college and knocking out my math prerequisite requirements in tandem with my classes at the University but I was not sure if this was feasible. I was also just considering doing some “self-study” and learn everything else on my own independently. Let me know if you have any advice! Thank you.

If your math skills aren’t up to par, then I definitely recommend against self study.

See if you can take Calc I at your local community college during the summer, or possibly even winter semester. It will give you time to focus on one class rather than 3+ during a Fall/Spring semester. Depending on school policy, a C would normally suffice for credit to transfer over, but obviously you should aim higher, and I’m sure you know that it won’t affect your gpa. Definitely receive some sort of pre-approval for the course to transfer over to UMich prior to signing up for Calc I at your local CC, too–Get it in writing!

Thanks for the replies! I will probably end up taking the course next summer the satisfy the requirements.

Speak with the math department about the best way to get yourself ready for calculus. There might be a College Algebra or pre-Calculus course available to help get you up to speed.

Perhaps you are able to take a placement test at a CC to see what level of math you’re in. So if you place into precalc, then you can perhaps take precalc at the CC and then Calc 1 either there or at Michigan.

Calculus depends a lot on algebra, trigonometry, and pre-calculus. You need to figure out how strong your preparation is in these topics. If you are solid in these prerequisites, then it would seem that you could take calculus either at a community college or at Michigan.

I am also not a big fan of self-studying math, unless you are just trying to get back up to speed on something that you were already good at. I agree with @happymomof1 that if you ask the math department at Michigan they should be able to judge whether you are ready to take calculus. Michigan is quite good for math.

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/rur/rurci3.cgi may help you determine if you are ready for calculus 1, or need to review a few topics, or need to take precalculus before taking calculus 1.

Could you graduate with just exactly enough credits for the English major, and very strong minor in Cell & Molec Bio that includes all but the math? That would be a pathway to consider as well if you can’t fit the math in before you graduate.

You might want to look closely into what the job prospects are in research laboratories for people with bachelors degrees in cell biology. The research lab landscape is stuffed full of bio majors who didn’t get into med school. Would you be competing with them for lab positions? You may have a much better shot at getting into a lab and maybe even working with lead researchers if you come in as a science writer.

A good understanding of statistics would be helpful in biology and medical research. Many biology and medical research papers use statistics. Calculus may be a prerequisite for statistics courses for biology majors.