<p>I am a high school senior planning on being a bio major and Vassar is one of my top schools. My only hesitation with the school is that I have not been able to find out as much about Vassar's biology program as I have at the other schools I am considering. I know that Vassar is known for their arts programs but I assume that at an excellent liberal arts college like Vassar the biology program would be good as well. How strong is Vassar's biology program and how are the faculty members? Are there any particular strengths to the program?
Thank you!</p>
<p>No direct info on the bio program, but using med school admissions as a proxy, it must be pretty strong: the acceptance rate is north of 80%, well above national averages. They will have moved into their spanking new building by the time you enroll, and there is a strong program for funding undergraduate research in the sciences (URSI). Although my sophomore D is in physics, not bio, she has just gotten word that she is about to get her first publication, based on her URSI research, done over last summer. </p>
<p>As collegemom said Vassar is completing a 90 million dollar science complex which certainly speaks to the commitment of the college. Every department has a website which will tell you about faculty, the major, the course, research opportunities and anything else happening in the field. Start there to look for details and vitality in the subject.
The advantage of being at a LAC like Vassar is that, should you discover new interests and directions, you’ll find strong departments in every discipline. </p>