I was accepted into the University of Florida’s PaCE program. I am thinking about doing it but I want to major in Biology and I saw that the PaCE program does not have that as one of the Major options. I saw that I could do Exploratory and then make sure I have Biology pre-requisites for when I transition to campus. However. if I do not stick with a PaCE Program provided degree, I may not be able to transition to residential college after I meet the 60 credit requirement. It said something about how I would have to apply as a regular upper-division transfer student. Does anyone have any tips on how to go about choosing my major? I don’t want to choose Exploratory and then apply for Biology college transfer and not get accepted. The whole reason I want to do the PaCE program is because UF is my 1st choice college and I wanted to be guaranteed admission residentially after completing the program’s requirements. Any help with this would be appreciated.
Lets assume you want to stick with Biology and not choose another Pace major (and that you’re a Florida resident).
Then you will need to transfer.
So lets look at the requirements. UF has two different Biology programs within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), the BA and BS programs.
Based on the number of credits you already have, it may be easier (scheduling wise) to attend a local CC, or even move to Gainesville but attend Santa Fe College.
The other option is go through PACE (Exploratory), but still apply as a transfer student. Make sure you can enroll in the Chemistry and Biology classes online (UF does offer an Online BA in Biology, so they do have online versions of BSC 2010 w/ lab and BSC 2011 w/ lab).
Why do you want to be a Biology major? There are other PaCE majors that can get you to any goal. So many students erroneously think Biology is needed for a pre-Health program that it does not have room for additional students which is why it is not a PaCE major.
What are some PaCE Majors you would suggest then? I want to go the pre-health route and the main reason I was doing biology is because it covers a lot of sciences you need for medical school. But I’d be ok with doing a different major if one was out there that interested me and still put me on the pre-health track.
Food Science or Microbiology/Cell Science are great prehealth processes.
From the PaCE FAQ:
http://admissions.ufl.edu/learn/pace/faq
It’s critical you talk with your PaCE academic advisor and get permission to take these classes.
Good Luck!
The PaCE program is not designed for students pursuing pre-health degrees and med schools do not view coursework taken online as competitive. If Biology and pre-health are your plans, the PaCE program may not be the right fit for you. This program is designed for students who wish to major in, and graduate with, one of the listed options. Residential status is only guaranteed in one of those majors.
I highly suggest you don’t try to force a square peg into a round hole. Find a program / major that fits your long term plans. If that can happen at UF, great. If not, consider other schools. What you don’t want to do is construct a program that will put you at a competitive disadvantage for med school. PaCE is an alternative track for certain things. It’s not a one size fits all program.