<p>Does anybody have any direct insight to the sciences at Vandy - Physics would be a possible major for me.</p>
<p>or more info on Medicine Health & Society? I’ve already looked through the website but what is it known for? difficulty? etc</p>
<p>I’m a molecular cellular biology (MCB) major at vandy. I have a pretty good idea what it’s like.</p>
<p>However, my experience with the Physics department is limited. It is a very small department. The amount of student who major in physics is around 20 if not less each year. For us outsiders, we hate the department (half because we probably got burnt in Phys 117) but some of the professors seem difficult to work with.</p>
<p>I have two friends who are Physics majors and they never complain. They like the work, and there is room for research with it being such a small department. Overall, I think if you still have the interest in Physics it will work out well for you.</p>
<p>As for Medicine Health and society (MHS). It is known as the science-lite major here. It is a very easy major, and sometimes jested as the HOD of arts and sciences. There are some professors who will not accept you into their if you are MHS because eventually MHS will not allow you to do your honors thesis in their lab. However, for those of you who are very humanities driven, looking for scientific context, this might be a good fit. For those of you who want science in it’s purest form go for MCB, or chemistry.</p>
<p>If you are interested in joining a research lab you NEED to contact professors about a month into the semester BEFORE you want to join. I.e. You want to join a lab in fall of sophomore year, contact professors in February or March.</p>
<p><strong><em>On doing summer research. If you are interested in doing summer research, either at vandy or elsewhere, you NEED to look for spots in January. Most deadlines are Feb 1.</em></strong></p>
<p>And lastly, don’t take Math 150, take Math 155.</p>
<p>(That should cover all my basic advice haha. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.)</p>
<p>Is it possible to be a biology major with a MHS minor or vice versa?</p>
<p>Yes on both accounts. You can not do research credit for both though. So a double major is very uncommon and most faculty aren’t pleased with it. Major/minor combo is doable.</p>
<p>GCN2, thanks for the great advice. My son wants to be a MCB major next year. He seems to be quite certain about it. Have you been happy with your path and is it a very crowded major at Vandy?</p>
<p>I love the MCB program here. I think the professors are very approachable. Each intro and intermediate class is taught by two professors. This increases ones exposure to faculty and really helps break up the monotony of a class. The semester seems to drag on less as each professor teaches for 2 tests a piece. Upper levels classes are ususally taught by a single faculty member, and are usually discussion based on interpreting primary literature. The major is VERY pre-med friendly, however there is a serious focus on generating meaningful research. The MCB major more or less requires research to complete, there are some loopholes that will get you out of research, but why wouldn’t you want to be in lab?? haha.</p>
<p>The most critical part of the MCB major, IMO, is finding a lab that you will join. You will not be able to get full research credit if you join a lab in the medical center. So finding a mentor in the BSCI department is critical. There are several considerations one should take when joining a lab (in no particular order):
- Size of the lab. Some labs are so big that the students are lost as they are “farmed” to grad students. Other labs are so small that there isn’t enough room for growth or guidance. Finding a size that fits your intellectual ability is important.</p>
<p>2) Don’t worry about the topic. Clearly there is a difference between a structural biology lab and a lab focused on ecology, however when you are picking between two labs of a similar discipline the subject matter should NOT matter. What does matter is how much intellectual freedom you will have to work on the project, and how productive each lab is. You should find something that interests you, however this isn’t terminal, this is training for either future grad work, or med school.</p>
<p>3) Comfort with PI (principle investigator). This will be the person you will be writing your primary LOR. You want to make sure you are comfortable with this person, and can work with them for the long haul.</p>
<p>As for the program being overly crowded. Well, as I have always said, you need to look early for a lab otherwise you will definitely see the crowding effect. The major itself is not “crowded” per se in terms of class size. Professors are usually not over ran with students looking for help, so one on one interaction is still very possible and easy. However, the major is VERY competitive. Upper level bio classes have averages on tests in the high 80’s low 90’s. Not because these tests are easy, rather that many students focus that hard. The intro level classes tend to have lower averages, and bright students should do just fine thanks to a generous curve. </p>
<p>I’ll see if silversparkles will post her experience in MCB as well. I tend to be overly biased towards the research path. If your son has any specific questions he can send me a PM.</p>
<p>"The intro level classes tend to have lower averages, and bright students should do just fine thanks to a generous curve. "</p>
<p>For most students, the intro sciences are actually VERY HARD. I know many people–myself included–who are working our butts off but struggling to get a decent grade in Chem 102 or Bio 110.</p>
<p>GCN2, your reply helps alot! I will show him your reply. He has some lab experience at Woods Hole down the Cape, so hopefully that will help. Like all paths, if it is driven with alot of interest it will have alot more success. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>GCN2, thanks for the substantive posts.<br>
What do you like about studying science at Vandy? Is the presence of the medical center something that “registers” in the life of the undergrad? Do you ever go over to the med center to hear a guest lecturer for any topical events?<br>
are you premed? if so, will you shadow a doc before you graduate? </p>
<p>thanks a lot. Son is coming to Nashville Saturday but has some offers at very fine small LACs and we were just curious about how Vandy’s research institution status/community outreach in health and medicine leadership…impacts the life of a lowly undergrad working their way through their lab science majors…</p>
<p>does being next to a medical complex make your studies feel more like applied learning…more relevant or interesting?</p>
<p>thanks for your thoughts.</p>
<p>I’ll get back to this a little later today for more detail on some of the questions you asked. But no I am not pre-med, just surrounded by best friends, girlfriend, and classmates who are (MCAT season was been weary).</p>
<p>thanks! Appreciate hearing your thoughts when you have time. Sounds like you enjoy your major and the faculty in molecular bio.</p>
<p>I have another question regarding sciences at Vandy. I know for the AXLE Math and Natural Sciences requirement you have to take 1 lab science. Are all of the lab sciences 2semesters? Also, what lab science would you recommend for people who aren’t exactly great at science?</p>
<p>Easy questions first :)</p>
<p>1) I recommend taking BSCI 100 or 105 depending on which semester you want to take it. These courses are known as “baby bio” and tend to be relatively easy. They count for MNS. I do hear of a lot of people taking Geology courses, and if I remember correctly there is a Logic class in the philosophy department with lab that counts as MNS.</p>
<p>Next.
“What do you like about studying science at Vandy? Is the presence of the medical center something that “registers” in the life of the undergrad? Do you ever go over to the med center to hear a guest lecturer for any topical events?
are you premed? if so, will you shadow a doc before you graduate?”</p>
<p>As I said, I am not premed (though I did flirt with the idea for awhile). I am much more drawn to research than I am practicing medicine. The medical center is an amazing resource for research opportunities, however there are so caveats that stop it from being a perfect fit. Most BSCI faculty are not located in the medical center, and thus research hours in the med center cannot be used for the major. Nor can an Honors thesis be written on something done in the medical center. I find this (as I quote below) rather frustrating at times, and it definitely hinders the research exposure of students in the MCB major. That being said, there is a wide variety of professors who do medically applicable research in the BSCI department, you might need to do some deep research on who is doing what research.</p>
<p>From [Department</a> of Biological Sciences Undergraduate Information](<a href=“Department of Biological Sciences | Vanderbilt University”>Department of Biological Sciences | Vanderbilt University)
“Caution:
Research opportunities also exist in many Vanderbilt University Medical School Departments, but students are reminded that research in other departments cannot count toward Biological Sciences majors as there is no way for the department to evaluate said research. It is therefore not possible for a project begun on a paid or voluntary basis in another department to become an Honors project or a research project for credit toward the major. Doing research in Medical School labs are worthwhile experiences for students with interest in research; simply remember that such experiences will not count toward course credit.”</p>
<p>More to come later…</p>
<p>(Not all labs are two semesters, and even if they are you only have to take 1 to count for AXLE. Chem 102a and 104a can done without 102B and 104B and fulfill the requirements for AXLE.)</p>
<p>helpful information! thanks for the time! your major sounds very precise in terms of how to fulfill expectations.</p>
<p>thank you so much for your help. And I’ll definitely be asking about using the philosophy lab to fill the MNS requirement when I’m signing up for classes because that would pretty much make my life!</p>
<p>is it worth taking the AP biology test if i intend to apply to med school? I heard that the pre-professional advisor suggests taking the intro bio course anyway, even if you place out of it.</p>
<p>Honestly, I got a 5 on the AP Bio exam and got absolutely nothing for it. You are required to take the intro to bio course, BSCI 110. The AP exam gives you credit for baby bio (non-science majors), but cancels out if you take 110. I wouldn’t waste your time with the AP exam.</p>