<p>i am going to be a senior and i am still a little lost on where to apply/which are the best schools for research in the biological sciences. i live in florida and i was wondering about UF undergraduate bio program, it doesnt look like they have a wide course selection though. im interested in both molecular and evolutionary biology. the schools do not have to be in florida though.</p>
<p>thnx</p>
<p>If you live in Florida, staying in state is a great choice. Nothing beats Bright Futures. </p>
<p>UF’s programs look fine to me. They rank in the top 30 for evolutionary biology, and aren’t bad in other biological fields either (better than a lot of private schools). And Florida State appears to be only a few steps behind.</p>
<p>Others to look at would be Stanford, Chicago, UCSD, Colorado, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, Brandeis, and Washington. All have really high-ranking programs.</p>
<p>I speak for JHU…chose Hopkins for JUST this reason and have never been disappointed. Just take the bus downtown, and get your hands on cutting edge research. May have to climb a bit though, as always.</p>
<p>Remember, we were the first research institution in the US. Almost all students do something in research while here, its much more formalized, and my major even requires a year of it (bio).</p>
<p>wow, thx for the input. I didn’t know that hopkins required 1 year of research for bio majors. very interesting. also, i was wondering about all the UC’s, i heard that they are all high ranking bio universities.</p>
<p>The best schools for biology research are the ones that allow undergraduates to have substantial research experience, facilitate relationships between undergraduates and professors (whether by small classes, close advisor/advisee relationships, undergraduate research, or all three), and allow students to take challenging upper-division (sometimes graduate-level) courses.</p>
<p>A wide variety of schools provide that sort of experience, but it’s important to look for those elements when choosing a school.</p>
<p>jaybrez…a note. There is a less intense B. A. bio program that DOES NOT require research. However, again it is not as intense, much fewer upper levels required as well.</p>
<p>In that regard, Hopkins school of arts and sciences awards ONLY two BS degrees—bio and physics. Don’t be fooled by words like “neuroscience” etc…its all BA, save for those 2. Only if that makes a difference to people.</p>
<p>thx littlemage. molliebatmit… do you know of any schools that excel in these areas, or do most of the top universities fit this profile?</p>
<p>Wisconsin has one of the largest and best bioresearch and bio majors strengths in the US. Numerous start-ups and bioresearch companies off campus aid in research jobs and summer work.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bio.wisc.edu/[/url]”>http://www.bio.wisc.edu/</a></p>
<p>Cornell recently received a $450 million donation to invest in biology and medical programs. Cornell is already very strong in biological sciences, including molecular and evolutionary biology but has plans for a new building. I don’t know all the details, but it might be worth looking into.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/June07/WeillGift.html[/url]”>http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/June07/WeillGift.html</a></p>
Bumping because I’d also love to find undergard Bio Research and it’s been 9 years since this great thread.
What colleges nowadays are known for
I don’t know if this matters, but I would love to find a school with more students who are interested in career in research than in pre-med path. Is that something I can ask?