Biology major

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. not medical. possibly work at research institute.

I did great coming out of VA Tech as a bio major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. not medical. possibly work at research institute.

I did great coming out of VA Tech as a bio major.

What do you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to a top research university ... a university, not a SLAC

An undergrad has more research opportunities at a SLAC.

Exactly. At universities, it’s the grad students who get almost all the research opportunities. At SLACs, it’s the undergraduates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to a top research university ... a university, not a SLAC

An undergrad has more research opportunities at a SLAC.

Exactly. At universities, it’s the grad students who get almost all the research opportunities. At SLACs, it’s the undergraduates.

There is very little legitimate biomedical research happening at a SLAC.

[Anonymous]

+1 for question re: is IB bio or AP bio better for student wanting to major in Bio?

[Anonymous]

^^ if no biomedical research at SLACs and grad students doing bulk of research at larger research universities, there seems no hope to get any research experience as an undergrad. Maybe cleaning out cages in the lab type of experience?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ if no biomedical research at SLACs and grad students doing bulk of research at larger research universities, there seems no hope to get any research experience as an undergrad. Maybe cleaning out cages in the lab type of experience?

There are lots of undergrads who do research at universities. You have to be more proactive than at a SLAC to get a spot, and more independent once you're working in a lab, but there are lots of opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ if no biomedical research at SLACs and grad students doing bulk of research at larger research universities, there seems no hope to get any research experience as an undergrad. Maybe cleaning out cages in the lab type of experience?

How about for schools with good reputations for medical research such as Pitt, Case, BC?

[Anonymous]

This seems to be an oversubscribed major. What has your kid's experience been majoring in Biology? And what type of college (large public, slac, etc.)?

[Anonymous]

If you might want to consider available choices by their science lab facilities, this site may be of interest:

Best Colleges for Science Lab Facilities | The Princeton Review https://share.google/K2kAN4aIrNUmrr8bh

The included schools range from universities, such as Rice, WashU, Emory and W&M, to purely undergraduate-focused colleges, such as Hamilton, Bates, Lafayette and Denison, of which all would be excellent for the study of biology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. not medical. possibly work at research institute.

Biology degrees are generally low paying for this type of work. Hopefully you and child understand all this.

OMG. Everything except engineering is deemed low paying on this site.

Also Finance!

[Anonymous]

PP adding - I do wonder if biologists on whole add more value to society than the financial titans of investment banking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This seems to be an oversubscribed major. What has your kid's experience been majoring in Biology? And what type of college (large public, slac, etc.)?

It is my kids passion. She went to in-state public and has been working in a research lab since soph year. She is now in pre-publication status as 3rd author. Had the chance to advance in lab and teach incoming new undergrads & grad students some techniques.

She did not attend the much higher ranked OOS private she got into.

The degree is BS Biology, but her courseworks shows a heavy focus on molecular/cell biology, plants and biochemistry.
She is currently applying to top Molecular Biology Unis outside the US that have plant science labs. For an MSc.
She has also an EU citizenship.

The end goal has always been a PhD and research. She is aware she will not make money big money, but she is happy pursuing her true passion.

[Anonymous]

The print edition of the Princeton Review includes a sampling, "Great Schools for Biology Majors." It names colleges and universities such as Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Middlebury, Vassar, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Pomona, Carleton, UChicago and Duke. However, the entire list is long and might best be viewed directly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ if no biomedical research at SLACs and grad students doing bulk of research at larger research universities, there seems no hope to get any research experience as an undergrad. Maybe cleaning out cages in the lab type of experience?

There are lots of undergrads who do research at universities. You have to be more proactive than at a SLAC to get a spot, and more independent once you're working in a lab, but there are lots of opportunities.

+1
A proactive and independent student at BU, she is actively taking advantage of many resources and opportunities, including research experiences.