GeologyRocks

The problem is that most advanced geology courses that you need for the BS require physics 2, Chemistry 2, Calculus 2, etc., as prerequesits.  So you're stuck taking those other classes anyway I'm afraid.  That's why I had elected to go for the B.A. over the B.S.  I had switched into Geology after 2.5 years of college and didn't want to take another full year of just upgrading my other science courses to meet prereq. requirements.  I would have been in college for about 6 years just for my B.S. if I had done that.

So I would suggest grabbing ahold of an undergraduate handbook from the university you would like to attend to see what geology classes are required for the B.S. and what prereqs they have.

Your reply actually brings up another question: in terms of career prospects, is there a significant difference between a BA and a BS? Also, from your experience do you think that one semester of physics and chem each are sufficient to be a succesful geologist? I know it's a loaded question...

I think it really depends on what you want to do with your degree.  Lots of places simply say "bachelor's degree in geology," not specifying BA or BS.  But places like oil companies will specify BS, although they want you to have a master's as well most of the time.  But there are a fair number of other jobs that ask for BS, and I remember not applying for some because of it.  My best advice would be to look at job openings for places you might want to work and see what they want.

As for chemistry and physics, again it really depends on what you want to do.  However, chances are you will never use 80% of what you learn in physics 1, let alone physics 2 (or chemistry).  Just like all of the engineers that say they have never used calculus a day in their professional career, yet they have to have several classes of it in college.  But it's never a bad thing to know more, right?  And again, many of them are prerequisits, so you may have to take them regardless.

But I only use geology about 5% in my job and I know some other guys on here actually use it 100%, so maybe they can chime in on how much of it all they use.  (BTW- I do site assessment for remediation, so I go around taking groundwater, soil, surface water, etc. samples to see if they're contaminated.  Then write reports on it, and there's just one little section in my reports entitled "soils and geology" where I get to specify bedrock and aquifer characteristics)

Interesting; thanks a lot for sharing your perspective. My father also works in remediation, but on the engineering side of it. The thing is that at the moment I am not 100% sure what I will want to do with my degree, whether to find work with it as soon as possible or to go down a more academic, research-oriented path. Either way, it will require a very serious effort on my part, as I'll essentially be starting from scratch, as if I were 18-19 and in college again, which means that it's probably a good idea to approach every aspect of my re-education as something that needs to be thoroughly mastered before moving on to the next thing. But unlike the 18-19 year olds, I don't have the luxury to dick around and mess up...which may in a sense be an advantage. 

 Anyway, thanks again for sharing your experiences.