Biology

For those that don't know, I'm majoring in Biology with a minor in Business. During high school I always enjoyed science, especially Biology so I figured I would do something in that field. During my junior year in high school I decided that I wanted to focus on the ecology aspect of biology. This means that it could also make sense for me to major in environmental science or environmental studies. I started off majoring in environmental science but decided to switch to biology during the second semester of freshman year since it allows me to take more of the classes I'm interested in and a lot less physics and chemistry.

A river otter at the Biodome. Just one of many awesome bio trips.

Biology is one of the bigger programs at Saint Mike's so there are plenty of classes to pick from. I'm focusing on ecology and there are lots of classes that focus on that such as ecosystem ecology, population ecology, evolution, and animal behavior. In fact the first class that all bio majors are required to take focuses on ecology and evolution. In addition to that class you must also take another intro bio class that is focused on cells and genetics, Biological Communication, and Senior Seminar. You then get to pick six other biology classes to take.

In addition to bio classes, you also must take three chemistry classes and two math classes (either Calc 1 & 2 or Statistics 1 & 2). For chemistry you have to take one semester of general chemistry and a semester of organic chemistry. You can then pick what one you want to take a second semester of. If you are pre-med it is recommended that you take all four chemistry classes.

A lynx at the Biodome.

Although this may seem like a lot of classes it isn't really that bad. During freshman and sophomore year I took one bio class and one chemistry class each semester with the exception of second semester of sophomore year when I took two bio classes. As long as you get the required classes done early the second half of your time at SMC is really flexible. In fact I was even able to go abroad without taking any biology classes while in New Zealand which most people think is really difficult to do. One of that great things is that all the biology professors are really helpful and will go out of their way to make sure that you are doing everything that you have to in order to graduate on time and take the classes you want.

Learning about animal markings in an Animal Behavior lab.

My favorite thing about being a bio major is the cool labs that we get to do. I have gotten to go to the Biodome in Montreal, hiking through a wildlife preserve, and get to work outside a lot. In my favorite class, Animal Behavior we even got to go to the movies and see the chimpanzee movie that came out last year. Labs are always fun and I look forward to seeing what we get to do in my evolution lab next semester.