<p>I'm a junior considering applying to Princeton for the class of 2017, and I'm planning on a major in neuroscience/neurobio/bio with a concentration in neuroscience/whatever is available. My first-choice program is Harvard (tentatively), for its Mind, Brain, and Behavior track. Can anyone enlighten me as to the scope and strength of these departments at Princeton?</p>
<p>The University has raised over $180 million in donations to fund the construction of entirely new Neuroscience and Psychology buildings, which are state-of-the-art facilities set to launch in the middle of the 2012-2013 school year. (See [Neuroscience</a> and Psychology Buildings - Facilities Info Center](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/facilities/info/major_projects/neuropsychology/]Neuroscience”>http://www.princeton.edu/facilities/info/major_projects/neuropsychology/)) </p>
<p>While you cannot major in neuroscience at Princeton, they have two biology majors, Molecular Biology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, both of which are the top of their field within the nation. ([Princeton</a> University Molecular Biology - Home](<a href=“http://molbio.princeton.edu/]Princeton”>http://molbio.princeton.edu/)) The Molecular Biology department has some of the world’s best scientists and researchers. I’m not going to go into all the different types of research and awards the professors have won, but all of that is available online at the link mentioned above. The Ecology & Evolutionary Biology department is also tops, and Princeton has many foreign programs in Bermuda, Panama, Kenya, etc. that students frequently go on over breaks or in the summer to gain firsthand field experience.</p>
<p>You can, however, get a certificate in Neuroscience, which is perhaps one of Princeton’s most comprehensive and demanding certificate programs. Thus, neuroscience is taken quite seriously at Princeton and is met with a lot of resources, faculty, etc. ([Undergraduate</a> Education ? Princeton Neuroscience Institute](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/neuroscience/education/undergraduate-education/]Undergraduate”>Undergraduate Major in Neuroscience | Neuroscience))</p>
<p>Biology and neuroscience are two of the strongest departments within Princeton. You cannot go wrong in choosing to come here to study them. I don’t know about Harvard’s departments specifically, but I can assure you that, at Princeton, they are definitely high quality.</p>
<p>My daughter tells me they just revamped the Neuro certificate program with new requirements. She thinks it may be in preparation for establishing a full-blown concentration in Neuroscience to coincide with the opening of the new facilities.</p>
<p>Also, while NEU hasn’t reached concentration level, it’s possible to design your own curriculum. In fact, a friend of mine declared an independent concentration in quantitative and computational neuroscience (expanding on the QCN track of the NEU certificate), so I would expect that you will find everything you need and more at Princeton.</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much! I’m definitely going to apply to Princeton now, although chances are always slim. Thankfully, my school has a good history with the university, so I have a sliver of hope :)</p>
<p>My daughter majored in Psychology with a Neuroscience certification. She even got to use an fMRI in one of her classes senior year. And she wrote her thesis in a lab that focused on computational memory work, i.e. mimicking memory with computation etc. Her experience with the professors and the program was only good.</p>