<p>I plan on studying something in the field of biology (not pre-med, though) in college. I was wondering where you guys think the best quality of instruction/research opportunities would be for someone interested in bio.<br>
Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Dartmouth is known for its strength, not only as a fantastic place for undergraduate learning, but also as a college strong in the sciences. Just on the parents of admitted students chat right now- they said there are more positions in the medical complex for undergrads than there are students to fill them, for what it’s worth. Although Berkeley and MIT are also strong in the sciences (I would be relatively skeptical of Bowdoin here), Dartmouth would provide a significantly better social scene and general “traditional” college experience. I am choosing Dartmouth over Hopkins, Georgetown, a full tuition scholarship to BU and UVa because of its fantastically close community. I hope to see you at Dartmouth this fall!</p>
<p>MIT or Berkeley</p>
<p>I think it’s between MIT and Dartmouth. Berkeley is cutthroat and depressing for bio and Bowdoin is significantly less prestigious. MIT will be full of techies and has a less well-rounded student body. Dartmouth is the consummate college experience and your GPA may be better protected there unless you are a budding genius. Given what you want out of college, Dartmouth seems to have a slight edge but many might say go to MIT.</p>
<p>Bowdoin is not as prestigious as MIT, Dartmouth, or Berkeley – But that does not mean it is significantly less prestigious. Bowdoin is comparable to Pomona, Williams, and other highly selective LACs. Admittedly, Bowdoin is NOT as strong as MIT in the sciences, but it is still rather strong. (And really, who IS stronger than MIT in the sciences? It can be argued that MIT has the world’s best science education.) </p>
<p>I think the choices the OP has are all extremely worthy, and the real choice is the college environment she wants. If the OP wants a close-knit, small environment to study bio, then Bowdoin and Dartmouth would be perfect; On the other hand, if you like the appeal of a world-class bio/ tech education mixed with the cutthroat atmosphere of being among geniuses of the world (;)), I’d say go for MIT. And lastly, if you want the huge, social atmosphere of Berkeley with it’s world-class academics, then go for Berkeley. All of these schools are completely wonderful and congrats for getting in – It’s all up to your preference now. </p>
<p>Good luck! You have great choices no matter where you end up.</p>
<p>One of my best friends is a bio major who is going the PhD route and I am also considering biology as a major (though I’m pre med and probably leaning towards neuroscience) so I thought I’d offer my two cents. Biology classes here are very very thorough and very very rough. Bio 11 which is the “introductory” bio course here (you can’t test out of it and you have to take it to take any higher number bio courses) is extremely detailed and covers a lot of material that I never even knew existed, even after having taken AP Bio in high school and done research in neurobiology. I now know more about the genetic basis for evolution than I ever wanted to and I am absolutely fascinated by it. There’s no “standard” bio course here - everything is tailored towards a specific topic and then those topics get even more specific. It’s hard but you learn so much. </p>
<p>If you’re interested in research, I can tell you that every single person I know who has wanted to get into research at Dartmouth has gotten it. I personally am interning in a neurobiology lab with a friend of mine while several of my friends are working at the medical center’s cancer research center and others still are working with social psychologists on their research. It’s really very easy to get into here and an excellent activity to pursue. </p>
<p>Obviously I’m biased as a Dartmouth student, but I just thought that I’d let you know about my experiences. MIT, Dartmouth, and Berkeley are all great choices if you want to go into Biology so it really comes down to what type of school you want to be at. </p>
<p>Good luck in your decision and congratulations on your acceptances!</p>