Princeton University

• How do I enroll?
• When is the Integrated Science Open House for Fall 2012?
• If I can’t attend the Open House, is there another way I can meet with faculty before I register?
• How much time will I have to commit to this course in my freshman year? Will I be able to take additional courses my first year?
• I’ve already taken AP science courses. Will I find the material presented in the integrated science sequence to be repetitive? 
• Am I committing myself to any specific major if I sign up?
• Do I have to take the sophomore sequence if I complete the freshman sequence?
• Can I join in my sophomore year if I didn’t take the freshman sequence?
• Is ISC an appropriate start for pre-med students?
• Is the Integrated Science sequence appropriate for those wishing to study engineering at Princeton University?
• Is my mathematics background solid enough to successfully complete the first year of Integrated Science?
• How do I combine integrated science with my math studies?
• I have no computer science experience. Am I still able to sign up?
• Do I need to purchase any particular software before class in the Fall?
• Will I be able to participate in extracurricular activities if I sign up?
• If I register, does this mean I am automatically signed up for the QCB Certificate Program?
   
   

Please complete an application form and send to integratedscience at princeton.edu. The application form can be found here.

Please note that your email is only to let us know that you are interested in the course. Formal registration occurs when you arrive on campus. If you send us an email during the summer, you are NOT obligated to sign up for the course in the Fall if you ultimately choose not to.

 

Event: Academic Expo
Date: Monday, September 10, 2012
Time: 9:30am-12:00pm
Location: Frick Laboratory

Faculty will be in attendance to tell you more about this exciting program and to answer any questions that you may have. You may also visit us at freshman registration at the Friend Center on Tuesday, September 11th.
 
If you are thinking about signing up for the course, you should attend one of these sessions.

Click here for a campus map.

 

Yes. There will be a table at the Friend Center all day on September 11, 2012 during Freshman Registration. A representative will be there to answer your questions. Alternatively, you may contact faculty directly to set up an appointment, by sending email to integratedscience @ princeton.edu.

It is important to take the double course designation seriously. The course requires the exact effort expected of two typical Princeton courses. While students taking Integrated Science plus two other courses generally thrive in campus life, those who attempt to take it plus three other courses (an overload) usually find it burdensome. 

The course includes a 50-minute lecture five days a week, as well as one three-hour laboratory session, one three-hour computational precept and one required evening problem session each week.

 

While some of the topics may seem familiar at first, very quickly we move to a level of discussion which seems to be well beyond what students get in their AP classes. So, intellectually, it's a rewarding experience even for those with 5’s.

 

Although the Integrated Science Program was conceived with students who are interested in a career in science in mind, taking it is by no means a commitment to any major (quite the contrary). Although most of the students have in the end chosen to major in a science or engineering, we have had many choose to major in fields other than science.

 

No, it is not required.

 

Yes, if you have permission of the instructor or equivalent preparation (MOL 214, COS 126, CHM 201-202 or 203-204, PHY 103-104 or 105-106).

 

The program is intended for those students who want to learn the ideas of physics, chemistry and biology with a quantitative treatment, not just as prerequisites or preparation for medical school.

It surely is not the easiest path to medical school. On the other hand, several of the integrated students will no doubt go to medical school, armed with a much broader and more quantitative grasp of the sciences than they would otherwise have had.

Most of the students we have had tell us that the program is very demanding, but not competitive in the same sense that the standard prerequisites for pre-meds are. It is more of a joint learning endeavor for them-- they learn from each other as well as from the faculty and staff. Our classes are much smaller than their equivalents in the standard curriculum.

We suggest that you come talk to us (make an appointment when you arrive in Princeton), talk to the premed advisors and peer advisors, and decide whether you want to do this or take the more standard curriculum. Although we cover some of the same ground, the two paths are very different.

 

There is no problem in principle in majoring in engineering after the integrated series, although you will have to take some additional courses and negotiate prerequisites at the time you major. Past students that have gone on to become engineering majors all took one or two additional courses in their sophomore years so that this would remain possible, as did the chemistry and physics majors.

 

To be successful, we suggest that you are comfortable with calculus at the level of the advanced placement math BC curriculum.

 

This is a difficult question, and the answer depends in detail on the individual student's preparation, as well as the juggling of different opportunities and requirements. In general, we have found that students who are comfortable with calculus at the level of the Advanced Placement BC course do well in the Fall semester without taking any additional math. The Spring semester, however, makes more extensive use of multivariable calculus. Students thus need to prepare for this. The closest match to what we use in Integrated Science is provided by MAT 203, although other options also are possible. For further advice, please contact the faculty or more senior students directly.

 

Yes, you can still sign up. Students involved with the course have varying levels of experience, and we find that most do not have a strong computer science background. The integrated science course is taught concurrently with COS 126 for the first six weeks of the Fall Term on Tues/Thurs.

 

No, you do not need to purchase anything beforehand. The information will be discussed with you during the first week of class. (To give you a little preview, the course utilizes Matlab, LaTeX and ImageJ)

 

Yes. There is absolutely no reason you cannot participate in extracurricular activities.
Although the program is very demanding, it is by no means inconsistent at all with a full college life. Many of our students are heavily involved in extracurricular activities. We have had many athletes, members of the Orchestra, and have had at least two actors who regularly had major roles in on-campus drama.

 

The certificate is completely independent of the program. If interested, you would sign up for the Certificate Program at the end of your sophomore year. Once you finish the sophomore year sequence, you will have the equivalent of Introductory Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Molecular Biology. Then you are, if you wish, done with Integrated; you can major in virtually any field of science.

For more information about the certificate program, please visit: http://genomics.princeton.edu/topics/certificate.html


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