Dear Biological Sciences Students,
Welcome back on behalf of the faculty and staff of the Office of Undergraduate Instruction! We hope your semester has gotten off to a great start! We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you about the various resources available to you!
Need Advising?
Dean Ventola and I are available for walk-in advising hours that do not require an appointment, on the Busch and Cook campuses. The main advising office is located at Nelson Laboratories B112 on Busch. The times and locations of our walk-in advising sessions can be found at http://biology.rutgers.edu/advising. Please be sure to check the website before coming in, to ensure there aren’t any changes to the advising schedule. We are here to help you formulate your academic and professional goals! Additionally, you can monitor your major progress using our database (http://biology.rutgers.edu/review-your-major-progress). Please note the database is not a replacement for an advising meeting.
Need Tutoring?
The School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program provides one-on-one tutoring for all Rutgers students. They provide tutoring for many of the subjects that are required for the Biological Sciences major. Tutoring begins the week of Sept. 29th. If you are interested in receiving tutoring or are part of the SAS honors program and would like to become a tutor, please see their website for more information http://www.sashonors.rutgers.edu/student-life/leadership/tutoring-project The Rutgers Learning Center also provides walk-in group tutoring. For their tutoring schedules, please see https://webapps.rutgers.edu/student-rlc/Tutor/Main/Student/StudentSearch.
Already Thinking About your Spring Semester Schedule?
Registration will begin on Sunday, October 29th for spring 2018. Wait list sign-up requests (and additional information regarding what to do if a specific DLS course is closed) will be posted Monday morning, Oct. 30th, at 8:30 am on our homepage at http://biology.rutgers.edu/.
Interested in Research in Biology and/or Honors in Biology?
Students interested in Research in Biology, including juniors interested in earning Departmental Honors during their senior year, are encouraged to meet with me to learn more about research, how to find a lab, and the specific requirements of the course. Additional information regarding Research in Biology and Honors in Biology and the research contracts can be found at our website (http://biology.rutgers.edu/biological-sciences/research). The deadline to register for Research or Honors each semester is the third Friday of the semester. If you have been selected as an Aresty RA and are completing a life science based project, you may be able to switch registration to Research in Biology, which would allow your Aresty project research to count toward your major or minor requirements. SEBS seniors who have been selected as GH COOK Scholars may also be able to apply their senior research toward the Biological Sciences major requirements and be eligible for departmental honors. Please see me for more information regarding either of these situations. The deadline for signing up for fall 2017 is Friday, Sept. 22nd.
Join the Rutgers Biology Club!
The first meeting of the semester will be this Wednesday, September 20th, at the Livingston Student Center, from 7:00-8:00 pm. Take a break from studying to meet up with the club to learn more about upcoming programming, service, and social events! You can contact the Rutgers Biology Club at
Interested in Study Abroad?
We have had Biological sciences majors and minors study abroad in Spain, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Japan, and Italy and there are many more countries to choose from! Students interested in studying abroad are encouraged to attend the Study Abroad Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 19th from 3-6 pm at the College Avenue Student Center. Students can also attend Study Abroad drop-in advising from 12-3 at the Center for Global Studies (102 College Avenue) and check out the website at: http://studyabroad.rutgers.edu/. Please meet with me to plan ahead and discuss how you can incorporate study abroad and stay on track for graduation. I can also have courses evaluated for equivalency, so you know they can be applied toward your Biological Sciences major or minor requirements.
Interested in the National Student Exchange?
If you don’t want to go abroad, but are interested in getting out of New Jersey, students that are interested in studying for a fall semester or whole year at another university in the U.S., can learn more about the options at http://sasundergrad.rutgers.edu/academics/additional-academic-programs/national-student-exchange. Just like Study Abroad, I am here to help you plan your progress and review courses to determine course equivalencies before you go!
Planning to Take Summer Classes Outside of Rutgers- NB?
Students who plan to take coursework outside of Rutgers-New Brunswick are required to obtain transfer credit preapproval before enrolling to ensure the coursework will count toward their undergraduate degree and will count toward specific school and/or requirements for their major or minor. Please submit completed Transfer Credit Preapproval Forms (see below), along with course syllabi (including lecture schedules and textbook information), for life science courses you would like evaluated to me at
Transfer Credit Preapproval Forms:
SAS: http://www.sasundergrad.rutgers.edu/images/forms/transfercredit.pdf
SEBS: http://sebs.rutgers.edu/academics/forms/Transfer_Course_Evaluation_Form.pdf
Please note: We do not accept summer courses that are less than 6 weeks or winter courses of greater than 1 credit toward the Biological Sciences major or minor requirements. Online courses must provide documentation that exams are proctored in order to transfer toward the Biological sciences requirements.
Additional Resources:
If you are interested in a career in healthcare, the Health Professions Office (HPO) is a useful resource (http://hpo.rutgers.edu/). The HPO will have an open house on Friday, Sept. 29th from 10 am-2 pm at Nelson A207. You can stop by for hourly for a presentation on “What an RU Pre-Health Student Needs to Know”. Students from underrepresented groups and/or economically disadvantaged backgrounds that are interested in healthcare or STEM careers are encouraged to learn more about the services provided through the ODASIS program (http://odasis.rutgers.edu/). We also want to encourage you to contact career services for general career advice (http://careerservices.rutgers.edu/). It is never too early to start thinking about your plans after Rutgers!
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office. Our staff is available weekdays from 8:30 am -5:00 pm and can be reached at (848) 445-2075. You can always reach an advisor at
Have a great semester!
Sincerely,
Dr. Anne Carr-Schmid
Director of Undergraduate Advising, Biological Sciences
