I want to study biology in college (not pre-med). I’ve been interested in all kinds of biology, from cellular/molecular type stuff to ecology/evolution/behavior type biology.
I also visited Brown this past spring and really liked it. Although I was a little underwhelmed by the dorms and food, I loved the vibe of the campus and the people I saw and talked to. The open curriculum is also pretty cool.
My question is basically about whether or not Brown is good for biology if I’m not interested in the pre-med track. Other people have told me it’s mainly a humanities school and that I should take it off my list and replace it with a school with stronger biology like Duke or UChicago. Is Brown really that weak in bio? And if so, does it really even matter for undergrad?
Brown is excellent in pretty much all departments, especially the larger more popular ones such as biology, psych, history, English, etc. So I definitely wouldn’t cross it off your list for that worry. Brown has incredible resources, professors, and research (it is an Ivy League after all!), and I’ve heard biology is a popular major.
Check out this post for more info: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/792875-browns-strong-majors.html
Brown certainly has a top notch biology department and I highly doubt that any employer/grad. school would think less of B.S. from Brown than that of Duke or UChicago. Brown is also arguably the best and least cut-throat place to be pre-med. However, if you are more interested in a PhD in biology, try to do some research on how research opportunities may differ across institutions. Good luck.
The “other people” who told you Brown is a “humanities school” have old data. More students major in STEM at Brown than the humanities. In fact, enrollment in humanities is pretty low. So they really have no idea what they are talking about.
Yes, biology is strong at Brown, but many students take it as pre-med, so it is competitive. Intro classes will be big.