Sarah ReillyMicrobio senior Important information and advice for class scheduling as a Biology (and more specifically, Microbiology) major!: As I find myself being a Microbiology senior here at Pitt this Spring, I have reflected on the last few years of classes (and scheduling classes!). Being a Biological Sciences major is no easy task, with the constant reading of primary literature, the research labs, long lectures etc., but it also comes with so many benefits including that amazing feeling when you complete a difficult course! As senior year approaches though, the classes begin to get more detailed-oriented and the scheduling becomes tighter for your desired major. And then of course it’s overwhelming because you are almost done with college, but we will all prevail, even in the COVID pandemic times. I am going to share some important scheduling information for the general Biological science major (exceptions for COMPBIO) and then more specifics about the Microbiology major! These first couple tips are already stated on the awesome progress trackers the advisors give to us, but they’re very important to reiterate! 1. You must have a grade of 'C' or better in your 32 credits of Biology courses for the BIOSC major! This means no C- or lower in a BIOSC course will be counted for the major. However, a C-, D+, D, D- can count towards your total 120 credits for the bachelor’s degree, and is averaged into your BIOSC GPA. {so for example, if you get a 'C-' in Human Physiology and don't want to repeat it, those 3 credits will count to your 120 needed to graduate, but not your bio major so you will need too take a different bio elective). Having a C or better in your biology courses is super important because you want to have a solid foundation in the beginning and not set back your schedule too much. BIOSC courses at Pitt are not easy but participating in lecture, talking and studying with other students, reaching out to the professor (and more) are all tips for success. 2. An overall BIOSC GPA (32 plus any extra BIOSC credits) of 2.000 or better. GPA is something that we are always looking at and worrying about, especially for graduate schools and internships. Keep in mind that your GPA across of ALL your BIOSC classes has to be a 2.000 or higher, so make sure you’re keeping an eye on how many credits certain classes are to try and do better in those to help bring up your GPA more. (so if you keep that C- in Human Phys, you will want something to offset that grade to ensure your BIOSC average is above the 2.0) 3. Your corequisite (Chem, Math, Physics) GPA must average to 2.000 or better. (Thus, a grade lower than C in one of the co-req classes can be used if the co-req GPA still averages to 2.000 or higher.) but there are exceptions!
4. One of the best ways to protect your GPA is by spreading out your science + math classes so you don't end up with too many in one term. Generally taking 2 science lectures and 1 lab in a semester is plenty - especially if you are also doing extracurriculars (UTA, research, mentoring, etc.). 5. If you can't fit all of your major classes in doing 2/semester, you might think about taking one or more in the summer. Pitt offers many of the 1st and 2nd year classes for bio, chem, physics, and math every summer (bio 1&2, genetics, ecology, ochems, physics, calc, stat, etc.) and these can be a great way to focus on ONE class at a time and get it out of the way. You can also take some of these classes at other schools in the summer (at a community college if you have less than 60c or a different 4 year school if you have less than 90c), but these need to be preapproved (Request to Take Summer Courses at Another College or University ). 6. Most department of Biological Sciences students receive the chemistry minor just by finishing their major (specifically taking CHEM 0110, CHEM 0120, CHEM 0310, CHEM 0320, CHEM 0345 and Biochem). To receive the chemistry minor, you must earn at least a 2.000 average GPA in the corequisite chemistry courses and BIOSC 1000/1810, AND at least half of the chemistry credits must be earned at the Pittsburgh Campus. All classes for the chem minor need to be taken for a letter grade. Specific tips and advice for Microbiology majors: 1. Make sure to make an effort in those co-req chemistry courses because a lot of it comes back with higher level microbiology courses (especially Organic Chemistry 2). Not only are these classes super interesting but you also can tell people you have passed Organic Chemistry 1 and 2; which is no easy feat! 2. Make sure to take the Microbiology major specific lab (BIOSC 1860) and not the 'regular' Introduction to Microbiology lab (BIOSC 1855). This is super important because this lab is more research based and helps prepare you for wet-lab work as well as writing correct lab protocols. This lab is really cool because you get to come up with your own research question based on the theme of the lab that year. My project was looking at different bacterial strains competitiveness with tadpole gut samples! 3. When planning your 2 elective lectures, 1 elective lab, and writing Intensive credits for the MICRO major, make sure to look on back of major progress tracker sheet for your options. Although many of the Biology majors are quite flexible, there are still certain classes that are limited by each major. Make sure when you’re planning your schedule that you look on the BACK of your MAJOR PROGRESS TRACKER sheet to see the options you have; which are a good amount and include Medical Microbiology (fall), Genomics (spring), Virology (spring even years) etc., so make sure to take a look. Also double check which semester they are being offered to not miss them (hint: see above and on the BACK of your MAJOR PROGRESS TRACKER!!). 4. Put Microbial Physiology (BIOSC 1865) in the FALL semester of your senior year and be sure to take Biochemistry and Microbiology beforehand since they are important pre-requisites. Microbial Physiology is notoriously a daunting class, but with the proper preparedness from Microbiology and Biochemistry courses, it will seem a lot clearer. Fall semester of your senior year is generally the only place it will fit into your schedule so plan ahead. Some people take Biochemistry over the summer beforehand (which I did) and found it relieved a lot of pressure and helped a lot. There is a plethora of information provided by the Biology Advising Department so to make sure to take all these tips and resources provided to you into consideration. I hope you see you at my office hours. I am happy to answer any questions or talk through any concerns etc. every Tuesday with Sarah Hartill from 3pm-4pm.
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January 2022
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