<p>Hi guys,
I've been considering applying to Middlebury for the class of 2012 (or 2012.5!) for a while, and I went to visit in February. </p>
<p>I loved the campus culture, friendly people, out-in-the-boonies-ness, and overall vibe I got from Middlebury.</p>
<p>Here's my problem: I want to double major in International Relations & Biology, and I went to sit in on a 200 level bio class (I think it was human genetics?). The professor was great and fun, but the material he was teaching was below the level of my current (junior year) AP Biology class. I talked to students around campus and they said that Midd had really intense academics, but when I was in this bio class (it was a Bio-for-bio-majors class, too, not science-for-philosophy-majors or anything like that), I found it not to be true. </p>
<p>How are the academics at Midd in general? I come from a very strong high school, and I really want to be challenged intellectually wherever I end up. </p>
<p>Current/past Middlebury students (or anyone else), any thoughts on this?</p>
<p>Hi,
Glad to hear that you’re considering Middlebury for studying IR and Biology. I think you’ll find this is a good place to do that. As a biology major, I’ve enjoyed my time in the program so far and the options that I have. You probably got a chance to see our incredible science building. The more time I spend working in there the more I like it.</p>
<p>My only thought for why you found Human Genetics so easy is because the new semester starts in February and you may have visited during one of the early lectures. While I haven’t taken it myself, I’ve heard it is not the hardest biology class, but I don’t think it’s all that easy either. AP Bio is a cram course, and while some teachers go into depth on certain topics, there is really no way it could include a semester worth of human genetics.</p>
<p>From my experience, even our intro biology class, “145-Cell Biology and Genetics” is more advanced than AP. The basic concepts are the same, and a few of the labs are what you’ll find in the AP Lab Book. With your solid preparation, you might find that you are able to pass the placement test and place out of 145. That being said, I’d be happy to send you a sample of our 145 problem sets to look at so you can see what kinds of things the course covers and that even an intro course is not a joke! Just PM me your email address.</p>
<p>I’ve heard Middlebury students say a lot of things about their classes, but not very often that a course is too easy. :)</p>