tayrosie

May I ask what state/country you are in? California has a website called ASSIST that shows you what classes to take if you want to transfer from a community college to a CSU or UC. Also, may California communit colleges have Engineering, but you probably will want a bachelor's degree for jobs. The UK has more majors, but if you can't afford to leave the country then I guess that's not really helpful. I was in a similar position myself (I wanted to go to University of Glasglow because of their Parasitology major, but my family would never forgive me if I left the country). There are also some UK schools that take FAFSA, so if you qualify that would reduce your cost (Glasgow is one of them). As long as you take the right classes, it is definitely possible to transfer into any of these majors (except maybe Parasitology since that it hard to find). Try to find the program you want to transfer to first so that you don't waste time taking classes you don't need. If your state has a system like ASSIST, use that to look up the classes you need to take to transfer or look on the websites of the programs you want. You might also want to meet with a transfer counselor at your community college for some direction. For example, you wouldn't just take a bunch of Earth science classes for Meteorology. Think about what the first two years of a four-year program is like. You will take general ed like writing and humanities, as well as your core science like chemistry, biology, and physics, and college level math like calculus or linear algebra. The upper division classes are usually the more specialized ones, like Meteorology classes or Microbiology classes, which you would take after you've transferred. You will probably end up taking fewer higher level classes than you would like, but after you've transferred is when you get to the cool stuff. Make sure you complete any breadth or general ed requirements at the community college because colleges want to see that you've taken equivalent classes to what a lower division student would take at their university. They will also want to see that you are likely to succeed at a four year university and are not starting out behind, so you will need a high GPA and have completed all the classes required for transfer admission. Does this help?

I will be starting at UC Riverside soon as a Microbiology major and I am very interested in Plant Pathology. Luckily, the university has a great plant pathology department and the professors seem very open to letting undergrads in to their labs. The dean of the college I am in told us that some of the plant biology and entomology faculty have a very low student to faculty ratio, so those are probably my best shot for mentoring or research experience (although you usually need a year of chemistry before getting a position in a lab). Although upperclassmen have assured me that it is very easy to get into a lab as a sophomore or above, I am having trouble figuring out exactly what area of research interests me. I am also now rethinking my major. Since I was a little girl, I wanted to be an entomologist, and recently I have become more interested in plants. I originally chose Microbiology because during high school I thought I wanted to go to medical school and be a pathologist and I thought Micro was very versatile, although now I have 100% realized that is not what I want. (Mainly pressure from my family.) I basically need advice with regards to the following: How should I approach faculty for mentorship/internships/shadowing? (I will be a freshman this coming Sep so I will not be in any of their classes.) If I wanted a career in Plant Pathology, what major would be most helpful: Microbiology, Plant Biology, or Entomology? Should I do a minor? (Microbio, Plant Bio, or Ento) What should I do after graduation? Grad school? Are there entry level jobs in either Microbiology, Plant Biology, or Entomology for someone with just a BS degree? If so, what would those jobs be like? I realize that these are a lot of questions, so thanks in advance. I really would like a better idea of what I will be doing so that I can make the most of my four years and also just for some peace of mind.

I am a high school senior and I am very interested in becoming a microbiologist or an epidemiologist. I am applying to colleges now and am looking for suggestions. Here are my main questions: Does anyone know of good undergraduate programs in Microbiology/Epidemiology or schools that offer undergraduate research opportunities? What can I do in high school to be successful in this kind of program? What educational path is best for a research career in Microbiology/Epidemiology? (Medical school? PhD?)

About 4 years ago, I was bitten several times (by mosquitoes and little green flying insects). All of the bites went away except for one on my leg, which ended up staying for a couple months. Every few months it comes back for a couple hours at a time and is very swollen and itchy. I've asked doctors too and they hadn't heard of it before either. I've been looking on the internet but can't seem to come up with an explanation that fits. If you find out anything...let me know.