Hi, I intend to be a Biology major at UCSD. I’m a bit confused as to what GEs are and why it’s necessary for someone who intends to specialise in Biology to take courses in History. Also which college would be the best for a Biology Major? Can someone rank them for me? Also is it possible to change your college preference after you’ve submitted your application?
All schools have GE requirements including History, English, Humanities etc… part of having a well-rounded education.
You can use this link to compare the colleges: http://provost.ucsd.edu/colleges/compare.html
I believe you cannot change your ranking on the colleges and trying to change after you are accepted is even more difficult. You can contact admissions and ask.
But what if I am certainly not interested in studying history or English in college. Does that mean UCSD isn’t the right fit for me? I am so confused.
Most colleges have GE requirements beside your major requirements. UCSD just has different GE requirements based on the residential college you select. If you just want to study Biology, then going to college in the US may not be for you not just UCSD. What other colleges/universities did you apply?
If you use the link I posted above, you can compare the GE requirements for each UCSD college to get an idea of what type of courses you need to take.
Here is a link to an explanation of the colleges regarding dining, location etc… by a CC poster:
Here is a four year plan for a Biology major. You pick the specific college at UCSD.
You are usually given options of which GE courses you need to take so there is some flexibility unless you have a required course that has be taken by all students in that particular college.
If you do not want to take GE courses as part of your undergrad degree, there are a few colleges with an open curriculum but only a few: http://collegelists.pbworks.com/w/page/16119530/Open%20Curriculum%20-%20schools%20with%20more%20flexible%20curricula
It’s not that I want to study just biology but I would be okay with biology or science related courses. I left history a long time ago in the 10th grade after a very horrible experience with the subject and I’m absolutely certain on not studying it again.
Well look at the UCSD college options if you are accepted and see if they offer another course as an alternative instead of History.
It sounds as if you are international. In the US, the majority of colleges require students to take a number of general education (GE) courses intended to give them a well rounded education. GE requirements will include a selection of history, language arts, fine arts, math and science. If you are a biology major, then the math and science you would take would be a higher level in order to fulfill requirements for your major. At UCSD, the university is so large that it is broken into 6 colleges, and each has a different set of GE requirements. You should look on line to find out what the required GE’s are for each college. You have to take those GE’s in order to graduate.
A side benefit of this system is that you may take a class outside of your major that you end up loving and wanting to explore that topic more. I know that at UCSD, my human biology major son ended up becoming a much better writer-something he used to dread- because of GE classes he had to take. If the GE system doesn’t appeal to you you might be better off not getting your education in the US.