<p>How good is Harvard's neurobiology department/faculty? I'm assuming it is fairly strong considering it probably draws on some of the resources of HMS. How does it compare to MIT?</p>
<p>Send a PM to mollibatmit and ask her. She knows both programs very well.</p>
<p>I do know both departments well. :) I was an undergraduate in MIT's department and am now a graduate student doing my thesis in a lab affiliated with the Harvard neurobiology program.</p>
<p>Both departments have outstanding faculty and ample opportunities for undergraduate research. If you're considering a career in research or medicine, these departmental resources are extremely important for you, and MIT and Harvard are the best of the best. As you noted, at Harvard, there are many neurobiology professors at HMS and affiliated hospitals, so you can comb through many labs to find one that fits your interests best. The neuroscience department is considerably smaller at MIT, but on the other hand, all of the labs are also on campus. It can be tough for Harvard undergrads to keep doing research during the semester at hospital-affiliated labs just because of the travel time involved.</p>
<p>I have the impression from the Harvard undergrad who works with me that Harvard's neurobiology classes are somewhat larger than most MIT course 9 (neuroscience) classes. I think this is because there are more biology-related Harvard concentrators than MIT biology/brain and cog sci majors. Still, the structure of intro classes seems quite similar at both schools -- the lectures are taught by professors, and graduate students teach small discussion sections. Both schools have small, discussion-based upper division courses which focus on reading and discussing the scientific literature, and in both schools undergraduates are encouraged to take graduate-level courses.</p>
<p>In the end, the decision between the two should come down to personal factors rather than objective ones. I'm glad I went to MIT for undergrad, because I'm an MIT person way down in my bones; the undergrad who works with me is a Harvard person. We like each other a lot, but I don't think he would be (as) happy at MIT, and I wouldn't have been (as) happy as a Harvard undergrad. So ultimately, a decision between the two schools for neurobiology will probably come down to which school you like better after a visit.</p>
<p>Definitely PM me if you have any other questions, or if I can clarify anything I've said here.</p>
<p>There is ample research opportunities. My daughter is in neurobiology and works at Boston Children's Hospital. It doesn't take that long to get there and there is a free shuttle from Harvard.</p>