<p>Hi, I was wondering if anyone can share their opinions on the biology department at BC? How are the classes and professors? I was accepted EA to the class of 2017 and BC has become one of my top choices, and i just wanted to get some insight from current students! I’m not going to be pre-med by the way, but i want to focus heavily on doing research while i’m in college, so i wanted to know if there is a lot of opportunities available to get into a lab as well. Also, I got into the honors program, is it considered very prestigious? And are there a lot of benefits to being in BC honors, particularly for a bio major? Sorry for so many questions lol but thanks in advance for your help!</p>
<p>Hi, I’m not very familiar with this forum, but I stumbled on your post and felt compelled to reply. I’m currently a senior at BC and heavily involved in biology research (working on my thesis). I can definitely answer some of your questions based on nearly four years of experience now.</p>
<p>To put it briefly, I would highly recommend the undergraduate biology program here. Many of the professors are very invested in helping their students, there is a diverse range of courses offered, and there is ample opportunity to become involved in research. I’m not talking about washing glassware or doing meaningless work like at some schools. From my first day in the lab I was conducting experiments, and it has only become better since then. I’ve developed a great relationship with my PI (professor in charge of the lab) and have a great deal of autonomy over my work. </p>
<p>Getting into a lab is fairly easy, though probably a bit more difficult for freshmen. Simply visiting professors and expressing your interest is a great way to start. Many professors may want to see that you have at least completed the introductory lab where you learn basic technique. It helps to have a high GPA, but showing motivation is critical. We don’t like when people join labs and aren’t productive, wasting our time and resources along the way. None of these are strict guidelines, however, as the entire process is usually informal.</p>
<p>In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll also mention what I think could be improved. Mainly, BC Biology is one of the more “up and coming” departments here. The research output is good but not great, but is improving. We also don’t have a medical school which often means less research funding; this will not change for the foreseeable future. This is mainly a criticism of the graduate program though, and will not affect you as an undergraduate. As an undergrad, you don’t need to be publishing in Nature. You need to develop a strong relationship with the faculty and gain practical experience in a lab, and BC is one of the best places to do that.</p>
<p>The A&S Honors Program to which you were accepted is mainly a set of courses you take that deal almost exclusively with philosophy, literature, etc. It will likely not affect your experience as a Bio major much at all. I would also disagree that it carries much prestige (if any), either to anyone at BC or in the real world. I quickly found that there are plenty of highly talented students not in Honors, and many in Honors who are not particularly outstanding either. The main benefits are the guaranteed four years of housing and some alternate options for completing the Core, so give it a try but don’t feel compelled to stick with it. I think that tends to be the consensus among students.</p>
<p>An important distinction is that many departments including Biology have their own Honors programs which are completely separate from A&S Honors. They often involve a thesis and you usually don’t apply until your junior year. They seem like a good opportunity in general, but I doubt they carry much prestige beyond just being an extra line on your resume. The overall theme here is that you should approach honors programs (at any school) because of what they offer, not because of any perceived prestige.</p>
<p>Like I said before, these are just my observations over the last four years at BC. There may be others who have had different experiences. However, I will add that I know many of the faculty and administrators within the department very well, so I’m not saying all this in a complete vacuum. I’ve also tried to give as much detail about my experience as possible, but I value my anonymity and some things would quickly give away my identity. I hope this was helpful for you and anyone else, and I’ll try to remember to look back if there are any more questions. Overall, I think BC is a great school to attend (especially for Bio) and I hope you give it serious consideration.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>