Whew!! Okay, entering as a sophomore still leaves you wiggle room. I was about to pop a blood vessel when I heard you were three years into your program.
Alright, let's talk about your environmental science degree first. Looking at your university's degree plan for it, it seems pretty solid, except for the bizarre lack of base chemistry coursework. I also don't like how general biology credits are left rather vague, but that's neither here nor there.
So first things first, you need to take general chemistry. As soon as possible. Most undergraduates (in the sciences) take it in their first or second year.
After general chemistry, you need organic chemistry. Preferably this should be also be taken by the end of your second year, as it lays a critical foundation for understanding important things like uh... molecules. As environmental science favors heavily into earth monitoring, knowing how pollutants or other chemicals work is pretty dang important. Any environmental science program that doesn't require organic chemistry from it's students has a total screw loose, in my opinion. So please, for the love of god, take organic chemistry. You will NOT regret it further down in your career path.
Next, let's move on to how to model your degree plan as a stepping stone for postgraduate studies in Biology. As mentioned in earlier threads, a certain level of *base knowledge* in the field is necessary. Graduate school in Biology isn't supposed to teach you about Biology, you're already supposed to know a fair amount of it. Rather, graduate school teaches you highly advanced concepts that build upon what you already know.
So you need several core biology courses. Take the ones I recommended earlier. Other than Introductory Biology, you'll need Genetics and General Microbiology. Following that,
at least 2-3 elective biology courses. These electives must be chosen VERY CAREFULLY, for they will very likely determine the sort of Master's degree in Biology that you want. Example; if you take Oceanography and Marine Biology, you'll want a M.S. in something to do with marine habitats or a marine environmental issue. Another example; taking Wetlands Ecology and Herpetology will gear you for a M.S. in aquatic reptiles, or maybe coastal resource conservation.
One of the reasons I recommended that you simply switch majors to Biology track, is that Biology majors do not normally have to so carefully choose their courses as they would apply to graduate school. Normally, they get enough credits to make them more jacks-of-all-trades, or select a particular focus concentration track within their major that caters to their future career paths. Examples of such focus concentrations would be tracks in Marine Mammals, Health Science, Ecology, etc... A lot of Biology departments in the U.S. these days now offer multiple tracks to their undergraduate majors to specialize in... these tracks are offered based on the university's own resources to teach such courses, and a perceived need to offer them in the first place.
Being an Environmental Science major rather than a Biology major, but wanting to pursue graduate study in Biology, places VERY tight limitations on your elective courses. Not only will every single one of them now be dedicated towards chemistry and biology courses, but it is extremely likely that you will require additional credit hours beyond your own degree plan's minimum.
Basically, you need to get a minor in Biology, and at LEAST 8 semester credit hours of general and organic chemistry (12-16 is preferred). For now, we'll just leave out Biochemistry. It's another *core* biology class, but corners must be cut
somewhere.
****
Regarding community college transfer credit, general chemistry will of course go through virtually anywhere. Organic chemistry may or may not. In any event, them transferring is irrelevant, as your degree plan doesn't require them anyway. What isn't important isn't that they transfer, but that you TAKE THEM. You need the knowledge that these courses teach you. You really do. :jump013:
If you're worried about *official recognition* for taking community college classes that do not transfer, don't. When you apply to graduate schools, they will ask for ALL college transcripts, not just the one you got your undergraduate degree from. In fact, many applicant screening committees
prefer students with community college experience. I certainly look favorably on such students.
so unless anybody wanna donate, that would be very very VERY grateful!
I'll come home a winner or a loser.
