I will be attending UCI in the fall and hope to become a child psychologist. I was admitted into the school of social sciences under psychology, but I am now thinking it would have been better to apply to the school of social ecology under psychology and social behavior. Should I switch majors or would it not matter?
Rachel Lucas-Thompson in the department of Psychology and Social Behavior in the school of Social Ecology discusses what she enjoys about teaching.
Hey guys! I’m a Biological Sciences major with a focus on Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCI. I really love Biology and my dream ever since I was a kid was to become an ecologist. I am very interested in Biology and have gotten As and Bs in all of my Biology classes.
The problem is not with my passion or my Biology grades, however, but with my Chemistry grades. I am currently a second year student, and Organic Chemistry is absolutely killing me. I passed my first quarter with a C- in both the class and lab, and my second quarter grades are edging on failing (D- in class and a D in lab). I have never felt so academically helpless in my life. I go to after class tutoring and office hours, read the book’s chapters countless times, and really do try to study and grasp the concepts, but I just can’t seem to do well in the class. I am usually a good test taker, but when it comes to Chemistry I just fall flat. This subject just does not catch my interest, and even when I think I am understanding the concepts, I cannot seem to do well on the exams or the writeups.
So, should I continue to pursue a career in ecology or biological science? I really do love Biology, but Chemistry is ruining both my GPA and my social and college life. I am devoting all my time to study Chemistry and neglecting most of my other classes because of it. In fact, I got a B in my Genetics class last quarter because of my need to focus on Organic Chem. I fear continuing in this major will lead me into an academic dead end. What should I do?
Join us on March 4, 2011 for a conference focusing on the California Coast at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. This conference is an initiative of a private foundation and the University of California, Irvine, who together can do more than they can do separately on significant unsolved problems of global society. This conference will feature research experts and community leaders, who will discuss the past, present and future preservation of the California Coast. For more information and to RSVP, please visit: socialecology.uci.edu
The School of Social Ecology had an opportunity to present its current faculty research to UCI Foundation Board members and other community supporters. This segment features opening comments by UCI Foundation Board member, Hazem Chehabi.