<p>Can someone explain why Duke Biology is looked upon so greatly compared to other schools of the same caliber. How are the professors? How are the facilities, etc.?</p>
<p>i haven't taken any bio classes, but it seems like all the people who take bio classes rave about how amazing and interesting their classes are.</p>
<p>Hmmm, I would rave about some parts of the biology program, but other parts need some work. I came in as a biology major but switched to EOS. </p>
<p>One issue I have with biology classes is that they're big. My Bio 116 class (Ecology & Evolution) had about 90 people in it- Bio 118 (Genetics), Bio 119 (Cell Bio), Bio 103L (Microbiology), etc. have similarly large numbers. They usually break down into discussion sessions once a week, but I'm still fond of smaller class sizes. The biggest drawback is, in my humble opinion, the preponderance of pre-meds in the major, which REALLY turned me off. Duke used to have separate zoology and botany programs (darned good ones, too), but they've merged into a rather unwieldy conglomeration of biology courses that are becoming increasingly geared toward the biomedical sciences. Of course, that could be a tremedous plus if you're interested in those topics.</p>
<p>There are plenty of good things about the biology program. In general, the professors are very approachable, but they can be a bit stand-offish to freshmen. The Marine Lab is certainly a great resource, and I can tell you from personal experience that it is an AWESOME experience. The Primate Center (now the Lemur Center) and Duke Forest are also excellent resources used by many biology and BAA classes. The herbarium and phytotron (greenhouses) are superb if you're interested in plant science, genetics, or phylogenetics. Duke recently built the Levine Science Research Center, the largest university research facility in the nation. Finally, the Nicholas School of the Environment is a great resource for undergraduate research. The best thing about the biology program, though, is the interdisciplinary nature of the program. It has ties with the departments of chemistry, biological anthropology, environmental science, earth science, psychology, and even the medical school. These ties provide plenty of research opportunities for ambitious undergraduates.</p>
<p>yeah, that is a problem that I've noticed with being a bio major... there are so many people who want to do the pre-med track that a lot of the core bio courses are filled with them. Once you get past bio 118 (and bio 119 if you decide to take it) though, I believe that most of them are gone, and it's just bio majors. A lot of the upper level classes seem really interesting, too. For example, there are a few upper level bio lab classes that require bio 118 and/or bio 119 because they use techniques learned theoretically in these classes physically in the lab. For someone who wants to have a concentration in genetics, it's perfect because these classes are basically a solid foundation.</p>