Advising Index

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Program
387 Thimann Laboratories
UC Santa Cruz,
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Phone: 831.459.4143
Fax: 831.459.1568
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PREPARING FOR BIOLOGY: High school students

Many motivated high school students ask how they can best prepare for their degree program in Biological Sciences. Well here are some helpful tips on how to get a jump on your studies in biology:

Advanced Placement courses: by taking these advanced courses and passing the affiliated exams, you can satisfy some introductory requirements for your Biological Sciences degree. The Advanced Placement Calculus AB and BC exam (scores of 3 or better) can satisfy one or more of your calculus requirements. The Advanced Placement Chemistry exam (score of 4 or better) can satisfy the first course in the general chemistry series. Biology AP exam credit gives you credit for BIOL 3 Concepts in Biology, which allows you to enroll directly into the biology introductory series.

More information about Advanced Placement exam credit...

Community College courses: truly motivated students may considering beginning their college course work while they are still in high school. Learn more about which courses satisfy general education and introductory degree requirements under Transferring credit: California Community College.

Are you interested in our Health Sciences major? The Health Sciences major requires proficiency in the Spanish language. Demand for Spanish courses at UC Santa Cruz is high, classes fill quickly. Become as proficient as possible in Spanish before entering UCSC. Achieving proficiency early will allow you will a more flexible schedule and will afford you more options when selecting a Health Sciences Internship. NOTE: Proficiency is assessed by a Spanish placement exam; all students are required to take a Spanish medical terminology course.

Still have questions???? The best way to get your questions answered is to come to summer freshmen orientation. If you attend freshmen orientation, you will meet department advisers, college advisers, you can get a feel for the campus, enroll in courses, take placement exams, etc. Spring is the most busy time for the undergraduate advising office and the advisers do not have time to meet with prospective students individually. If you are unable to attend orientation and still have questions after reviewing our website, please feel free to email us.

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