Developing Your Four Year Plan

All students in the College of Chemical and Life Sciences will develop a Four Year Plan with the assistance of their academic advisor. The Four Year Plan will help ensure that you are able complete all the requirements for your degree in a timely manner. Your academic advisor will give you feedback on your choices and check that your Four Year Plan meets all the requirements for your Life Sciences degree, but the primary responsibility for developing the plan rests with you. If you are pursuing a second major, degree or certificate in addition to your Life Sciences degree, you should also consult an academic advisor in that area to ensure that you have included all the necessary courses in your Four Year Plan.

Here's how to get started:

1. Get the curriculum sheet for your major. If you print it off the web, make sure that you have CORE requirements, the basic requirements and upper-level requirements (for these are often on separate web pages).
   
   
2. Take a look at sample Four Year Plans for your major to get an idea of how the courses build upon each other. Remember that there are many ways to fit in the requirements, and your plan may differ from the sample because of your initial math placement, AP courses, enrollment in summer school, participation in study abroad, and many other factors.
   
   
3. Use the Undegraduate Catalog or Schedule of Classes to double check prerequisities for the courses you propose to take. Remember that you must receive a grade of C or better in each required Life Sciences course before moving on to the next course in a sequence.
   
   
4. We've developed a Four Year Plan template that you can print out and use. It's in pdf format.
   
   
5. As you work out your plan, keep these guidelines in mind:
   • Aim for 14-16 credits each semester. At least 12 credits are required for full-time status.
   • Avoid having more than two 4-credit lab courses in the same semester.
   • Make sure that you work in the necessary prerequisite courses for each course you plan to take.
   • Some courses have math eligibility requirements. Make sure you will have these prerequisites satisfied by the semester in which you plan to take the course.
   • Try to spread your CORE non-science courses out among the semesters so that you have some diversity in your classes each semester. Taking a full slate of science courses can be draining.
   • For Biological Sciences majors, try not to put both upper-level labs into the same semester.
   • If you are planning to go to medical school, try to plan a less demanding semester in the spring of your junior year, when you will probably be taking the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
   • Make sure that the courses you have picked total at least 120 credits. You will probably have room in your schedule to take some free electives in addition to the courses specifically required for CORE and your major.
   
   
   
6. If you have problems developing your plan, try consulting these useful resources:
   • Life Sciences Peer Mentors - can assist you in making your four year plan and can provide guidance in course selection, schedule building and finding extracurricular opportunities to enhance your academic experience. You can find them during their office hours in the Information Resource Center, 1317 Symons Hall.
   • Life Sciences Student Handbook, "Do You Know?.." - provides a great deal of information about academic policies and requirements specific tot he College of Chemical and Life Sciences
   • University of Maryland Undergraduate Catalog - course descriptions, prerequisites, and a full description of university guidelines and policies
   • Schedule of Classes - a comprehensive listing of all courses offered each semester and a listing of CORE courses in each area. Also provides information about course prerequisites and availability. By looking at past and future semesters, you can also get a general idea of which semesters particular courses are likely to be offered.
   • CORE Handbook - explains University general education requirements and the ways in which they can be satisfied
   • The most important resource is your academic advisor!
   
   
   
7. Discuss your proposed Four Year Plan with your academic advisor at your next pre-registration appointment.
   
   
8. Be sure to update your Four Year Plan on a regular basis (i.e., each semester) or as your plans change.