Registration Guidance

Students are expected to register for FCLC sections^[1]

• FCLC students seeking a course or lab in Natural Science are expected to register for the LC section (“L” section designation).

• If the LC section is full or the student cannot enroll because of an irreconcilable scheduling conflict, students have the following three options available to them:
  • If the section is full, students should add themselves to the waitlist for that course or lab, and if needed, reach out to an advisor to discuss the possibility of contacting a departmental representative to request a seat; or
  • Consider a RH (“R”) section of the course if feasible; or
  • Consider enrolling in the course in a later semester (including possibly over the summer).

• After all these possibilities have been exhausted, students may proceed to option (4): requesting a seat in the equivalent course offered in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS).
• Students requesting PCS courses (section designation “C” at the Lincoln Center campus or “E” at the Rose Hill campus), should be aware that these are part of the PCS post-bac pre-health program and, as such, have only a limited number of seats available to FCLC students.^[2]
• FCLC student enrollment in a PCS section must be approved by PCS, not by FCLC.
• To apply for a seat in a PCS section, FCLC students should fill in a PCS course request form. Please contact Dr. Di Grandi or Dean Bigoaouette to get access to this form.
• Note that acceptance into a PCS course is not guaranteed, and that FCLC students will not receive final approval to enroll in PCS sections until all PCS students have registered; PCS students do not complete registration until shortly before classes begin.
• If permission is granted, FCLC students are placed on a waitlist for the PCS course and will be admitted on a limited basis in the order in which the waitlist is filled.

[1] Due to unavoidable scheduling conflicts, BFA Dance students are exempt from this expectation; they may register for PCS sections as long as space is available.

[2] There is one exception to this rule: PCS offers certain courses “off cycle” (eg, General Biology I in the spring semester). Since Natural Sciences only offers the first semester portion of a two-semester course “on cycle”, (eg, in the fall semester), PCS may have a less stringent enrollment limit for FCLC students for these specific classes.  This limit is still at their discretion.

• General Biology: FCLC students who have declared, or who intend to declare, a Natural Sciences major should enroll in General Biology I.
• Concepts in Biology: Those intending to declare Integrative Neuroscience or who are Psychology majors on the pre-health track should take Concepts in Biology I.

• First-year FCLC students who intend to declare Natural Science or Integrative Neuroscience majors, and/or who are pre-health, should not take General Biology (or Concepts in Biology) at the same time as General Chemistry unless they meet the criteria for an exception described below:
  • As an exception, students who have earned a 4 or 5 in AP Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, or Physics or a grade of 5-7 in the corresponding IB courses are permitted to take General Chemistry and a Biology course at the same time;
  • Please note that this exception applies only to students who have earned these scores in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, or Physics; scores in Environmental Science, Psychology, or other fields do not trigger this exception.

• All students, regardless of AP / IB scores, are highly encouraged to start in the entry-level course at Fordham.
• Historically, students who have skipped the entry-level course at Fordham have struggled in the second-semester course.

• Both lab courses are FCLC courses – however, because there are no “wet” laboratories in Lowenstein, these classes meet in John Mulcahy Hall on the Rose Hill campus.  Ram van service between the two sites is provided at no charge for students.  Please do not sign up for the CHEM versions of these classes.

As part of the pre–health program or a STEM major, we would like to inform you about C– or lower letter grades and their implications for academic and career plans.  Please start with a consultation with your advisor if you have questions and concerns.  If you have any further concerns, please email [email protected] or [email protected].

Grade Overview

Major requirements –  Most STEM majors at Fordham (including Biology, Chemistry, Integrative Neuroscience and Physics) require the grade of C– or better in order for a course to count towards your major.  If you are unsure what your major requires, check the Bulletin and with the chair or associate chair of the department.

Non–major Courses – You must earn a grade of D or better for a non–major course to count towards your graduation requirements.

Health Professions Applications – You should earn a grade of C or better (note: a C– is not a C) to meet the criteria for many of the prerequisites for medical, dental, veterinary, PT, PA and other health professions programs.  If you did not earn a C or better, you may need to retake the course at some point prior to your application.  These are not Fordham requirements to fulfill a major requirement, but often the generally accepted standards of post–baccalaureate health professional schools.

Note: to retake a course with a C– or D, you need to contact your FCRH academic advisor to override registration restrictions to enroll.  If you received a W or F, you will be able to enroll yourself after you speak with your academic advisor.

What to consider now

If you earned a C–.  For example, if you received this grade in the first part of a biology or chemistry sequence you can move forward with part II of the course in the spring term, but it is likely to be a challenge.  Carefully consider the material you struggled with in the first part of a sequence that is expected to be understood completely; you will build on it moving forward.  If you are in this predicament, now is the time to exercise academic maturity and consider your spring schedule: does it make sense?  What are the chances of a C– in General Chemistry I, for example, yielding a strong outcome in General Chemistry II?  At the very least you should aggressively be seeking ways to improve your study habits and make arrangements for tutoring.  Discussions with your advisor and the department associate chairs and/or the instructional staff are recommended.

If you earned a D.  You should consult with your academic advisor as a first point of contact, but also the department associate chair for advice about the curriculum before you move forward.  Even more so in this instance, consider if it is realistic to enroll without some self–appraisal and still expect to do well.  Contact the associate chair of biology or chemistry to discuss what you should do.  Pre–health students should consult with their academic advisor first, and then the pre–health program team if needed, before classes begin, as your schedule will definitely need to be adjusted.  To be clear, a D in a pre–health required science course should be retaken in order to apply to professional school.

Some alternate plans might include re–taking General Chemistry I in spring, for example and planning to take General Chemistry II over the summer at Fordham or elsewhere.  Or maybe stepping back from the sciences altogether until next fall and taking core courses in order to strengthen your GPA and get back on track.  Remember, core courses are required, so taking them now is not time wasted, and will allow greater flexibility in subsequent semesters.

If you failed a course/lab, contact your academic advisor followed by the pre–health program team to discuss your options if you intend to move forward with pre–health.  If you are not pre–health and the course you failed is a major requirement, consult with your academic advisor and, if needed, associate or department chair.  You may not be able to progress to the next lecture course and/or lab.

You must see the big picture if you want to attend a health profession program.  Rushing forward will not result in success if you are struggling.  It is not a race, but rather a challenge to meet your potential.  You have stumbled, so make sure your next decision shows that you understand the importance of the foundation or advanced courses for your academic preparation for health professional studies and will take the appropriate course of action.