[Green_Hoody_Guy]

Just a question to anyone studying the biology course in Aberdeen. What's the course like for the first year? Is there much human biology in the course?

[Sommerfugl]

apparently theres only 1 compulsory course in first year biology including human biology- the cell. you can look up all the courses in the catalogue.

[LollieOstrich]

In first semester you'll have compulsory courses in Organismal Biology, which is about animals and their lifestyles and such, and Chemistry. In second semester you'll have compulsory courses in more Chemistry, The Cell and Environmental Science. I think you'll also have to take a course called BUGS (short for Biology for Undergraduates). The Cell is human biology but it isn't really too difficult. You'll have to do a project of some sort for BUGS but I'm not sure exactly what it entails. For all these courses you'll have 3 lectures a week for each course plus a practical once every 2 weeks.

I'm a second year here doing Biochemistry, which is a medical science as opposed to a biological science, but in first year everything is really generalised. You'll be in classes with everyone who studies things like biology, marine biology, plant science, zoology, etc, and in Chemistry there will be about 200 or 300 people from all sorts of sciences including all the School Of Biological Sciences (SBS) and School Of Medical Science (SMS) which includes immunology, physiology, genetics etc. First year is a breeze though, and the lecturers for Organismal Biology and The Cell are awesome btw, just sayin'

[Nalacat]

I'm going into second year studying zoology. For biological science people (biology, marine bio, zoology ect), the first semester you do organismal biology and chemistry as compulsory courses. Organismal is the basics of animals and plants, photosynthesis ect and since the exam is multichoice, it is freakin easy. Chemistry has two courses depending on your experience, if you have advanced higher or A level chem then you do an advanced course.

Second semester has two compulsory courses again, the cell (run by the medical science dept) and ecology and environmental science. The cell covers viruses, cells, the brain, nervous system ect. Very human orientated. And very easy/ fun

BUGs is run over both semesters although it is only the one module (so the same no. of credits as a normal course). It involves various small presentations through the first semester and a group project/ presentation/ report in the second. Really though, you could write the report in hieroglyphics and still pass, it's a mickey take :P

First year is easy as pie really, just choose your other modules wisely. My advice is to take a sixth century course in each semester, they are no work at all so you can concentrate on the classes that matter to your degree Do NOT do 'Global worlds, Local/ Global Challenges'. It is so much work and very difficult.

Good luck!!

[BiologyBecca]

(Original post by LollieOstrich)
but in first year everything is really generalised. You'll be in classes with everyone who studies things like biology, marine biology, plant science, zoology, etc, and in Chemistry there will be about 200 or 300 people from all sorts of sciences including all the School Of Biological Sciences (SBS) and School Of Medical Science (SMS) which includes immunology, physiology, genetics etc. First year is a breeze though, and the lecturers for Organismal Biology and The Cell are awesome btw, just sayin'

It's all good fun, and the upside of the course as LollieOstrich said is that they are really generalised. If you aren't sure what exactly you want to do, you don't have to really specialise until 2nd year, or even 3rd year. Hope to see you when you get here