<p>I was wondering which of these colleges has the best biology department.</p>
<p>also which one would be better for me?
I would classify myself as a nerdish…yeah. Also, i am not really interested in attending many parties, juts a couple maybe. I don’t intend on drinking, and I really focus on my academics. Also, would you suggest substance-free dorms?</p>
<p>all three of these colleges are excellent, although i’m unsure of haverford’s reputation in biology. williams and bowdoin have very reputable biology departments, but i suppose it’s important to ask what you want to do with a biology degree, or instead what sort of biology interests you. bowdoin is very strong in ecology and environmental studies and has resources on the coast of maine that make it particularly attractive. williams has a great reputation in biology and i think has a coastal connecticut study center but i’ll let someone who knows more about it comment. the social scene at williams and bowdoin seems to me to be indistinguishable. haverford is smaller and quaker but i’m unfamiliar with how easy a non drinker would find the social environment. as a non-drinker at bowdoin, i thought it was great, and never felt pressured to drink, or even left out for not drinking. i did live in a substance-free dorm, and, despite what some people claim, felt as much a part of the campus as anyone else.</p>
<p>Haverford is whoaaaaaaaaaa for biology</p>
<p>Williams does not have substance free dorms.</p>
<p>OK, so: The Bio classes at Williams are great. Unfortunately, their course selection isn’t very large at the moment. I’m not entirely certain, but I think they lost some faculty before the economic problems and haven’t hired many new staff members since then. At any rate, the courses they do offer are well done and enjoyable; however, I am electing not to take a Bio course this semester despite originally thinking I might be a Bio major simply because the classes that looked most interesting to me weren’t actually offered. I think they’re working on that, though.</p>
<p>As for the social scene, go to Williams. I mean it. No, they don’t have substance-free dorms. No, I don’t think it’s really necessary. I never felt pressured to drink. I ended up doing it anyway, but that was my choice. And some people smoke pot I guess…but they keep that to themselves, so why would that bother you? That’s as bad as it gets, really.
People just don’t make a big deal out of any of it. So don’t worry about it…once you’re there, you won’t notice it either way. And I wouldn’t trade the overall social atmosphere of the college for ANYTHING, at any college I’ve seen/had friends at etc…</p>
<p>PS EVERYONE at Williams, even the so-called party-ers, focuses on academics. It’s pretty much a given that school is the priority. Yet it’s not a competitive atmosphere…more collaborative. You’re going to find something that defines you beyond ‘nerdish,’ because everyone there is a nerd at heart, even if it’s not blatant…it’s more what identifies YOU specifically, beyond that? I’ve sat at a dinner with a club sports team that threw frequent parties, and the main topic of conversation was some advanced mathematical knot theory that almost gave me headaches just listening to it. Just for fun.</p>
<p>Hi. I really think all three all great as far as biology or most other favorite subject areas go, since they are liberal arts and you make ur own college expereince uniquely yours; classes are small; professors are thoughtful, engaging, kind, and the people are intelligent but humble idk: it will be ur judgment; I personally like Williams and my sisters got into Haverford and she loves it; I visited Haverford and it had a beautiful campus and people looked kind and it didnt look like they really showed off their academic accomplishments; i believe success will come individually but environment matters, since you will reflect on ur environment, and those people i met at haverford were humble but again they weren’t everyone at haverford and classes change, so its really ur decision; i say give them a visit and see how you will like their classrooms and how u will perform by various kinds of people they got there…as far as academics go, all colleges u mentioned are great</p>
<p>Oh also as far as partying goes, I think once I heard Bowdoin was ranked second after dartmouth to have students who drink the most, but i am not sure and i hope not since that is one of my top schools and i am not a party person, at least drinking like no tomorrow lol; Williams idk about their discipline and all; but Haverford, is more like Swarthmore, but not as nerdish and academically intense; both are quaker kind and alcohol is like a big sort of no no to these people so i say haverford is the school among those u mentioned that has the least number of the so called party students; but i might be wrong;</p>
<p>well haverford has a reputation as far as biology departments are concerned but with its reputation come hordes of bio enthusiasts all desirous of those coveted spots. also, the famed bio labs are said to be rather crowded at times because everyone wants a bit of that h-ford-bio-labs-rock magic.</p>