<p>Would any current students care to comment on the Health Sciences programs, specifically the program in Human Science? This is exactly the type of program that my D wants but they are few and far between. Be honest - positive and negative. Many thanks.</p>
<p>As a rising Human Science sophomore, all I have to say is:</p>
<p>-Major classes are extremely demanding and weed out pre-med students at a much higher rate than the general sciences major (Bio/chem/etc). This is one reason the NHS boasts impressive med-school acceptance rates. (Pertinent only if your D is premed)
-From what I've heard, the Human Science curriculum nearly parallels subjects covered in medical school. This may be a pro or a con. Think about it - undergrads should NOT be taught at a graduate level. That is what medical school is for...
-We are the few, the proud, NHS'ers. I love the fact that you get to know so many people in your classes (which alot of my College friends wish they could have).
-Research is definitely encouraged (even as a freshman).
-It is relatively easy to fulfill the General Educaction requirements of the University as an NHS student.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>I'm a senior Human Science major, switched from I-health. Kornpopz is pretty much right. I liked human science more than any of the bio majors b/c it focuses specifically on the human, which as a pre-med, is what I'm interested in. You take all of the nursing science classes, which include Human Biology (Anatomy and Physiology), Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Microbiology. These courses, at least for now, are all taught by Dr. Angerio, who is a VERY rigorous prof. These courses will make you study more than you ever have, and more than you ever will at gtown. I wouldn't say that they are taught at a graduate level, but they are extremely difficult, and you must keep up w/ his lectures to do well. These are also really interesting courses for pre-meds, b/c you will begin to gain information that you will see again in med school, as med school courses include the above material. You'll get an introduction to reading EKGs, urinalysis, stool cultures, and other tests that you'll see in clinical work. This isn't found in the College. Gtown Nursing is one of the top programs (both at the undergrad and grad levels) in the country, and its reflected in the difficulty of the coursework.</p>
<p>You'll also take Immunology, Genetics of Health and Disease, Molecular and Cellular Fundamentals of Health and Disease, etc. These all add to your knowledge of the working of the human body during normal working and during pathophysiology. These are all found to some degree in the College Bio dept., but not with the focus on humans. </p>
<p>You begin to see research from the beginning, as you're required to write an independent group research paper on a topic chosen by the professor in human bio II. faculty are very approachable if you'd like to do bench research, esp. after taking any science labs, and even from the first semester you arrive, if you have lab experience from high school.</p>
<p>So human science is a great program because it is one of the few human biology programs in the country, and allows for a great introduction to med school courses, work with a human patient simulator, research opportunities, small class sizes after the courses that are taken by nursing, human science, and i-health majors, etc. If you'd like to look at health on the international scale, add a population health certificate. Many also want to add a view of health on the mental side, so they add a psychology minor. Human science is also a very difficult major, as courses many times do not curve, and you have to study EVERYTHING because exams can cover anything that was discussed, and you don't know what might be focused on. If you're pre-med, you'll add on Organic Chemistry and Physics, so you'll many times have a full schedule (General Chemistry is required for the major anyway, and Human Bio covers the bio pre-med requirement).</p>
<p>Thank you so much, Jasonhoya and kornpopz, for taking the time to write such thoughtful and thorough responses. I really appreciate as will the D when she reads them. The program sounds like exactly what she wants and you are so right - there are so few human bio programs in the US.
Good luck to both of you!</p>