How are the science programs at Middlebury?

Midd250
Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:46:55 +0000

Hi,

I saw this thread online and thought I’d chime in on behalf of Midd’s science program. For background, I’m a Midd '06 grad (biochemistry) who’s now a first-year medical student. I have to say that I loved the sciences at Midd. Granted, there’s not the kind of ground-breaking research that’s going on at other schools, and we don’t have huge amounts of research funding that you might see in other places. But the advantage of working in a small school is that you work directly with your professors - not with TAs - and they actually engage you constantly, in discussion groups and small classes. My senior thesis advisor had us over to his house regularly, and I got to know a good number of my professors on a first-name basis.

My research wasn’t too terribly novel or important - but I really got to run my project, really got to learn the ins and outs of coming up with something and figuring out where to go with it, and really got to use all of the great equipment whenever I wanted to. For my thesis, I had open access to and used a DNA sequencer, an LC-MS, an NMR machine, plus all of the normal accoutrements that you’d expect to find in an undergraduate lab. From what I’ve heard from my classmates, that kind of hands-on experience is rare in a larger institution. Plus, Middlebury’s science facilities are, I think, great.

The departments are small, and showing an interest in science should definitely be a plus on your application. It means that a science major really gets to know his or her department, though, and they take a genuine interest in their students. My department has pictures of each class of majors that’s graduated over the last couple of decades, and my professors can walk up and down the hall and tell you stories about the students from twenty years ago - that’s how well they know their students. And they keep in touch.

Basically, my take on the whole thing is that barely anybody does truly novel, important research during undergrad - the goal should be to train you to be engaged mentally, learning skills like critical thinking and teamwork, that will prepare you for graduate work if you choose it (along with, of course, the basic set of technical skills that you’ll need). I feel like you certainly get that at Middlebury. I think it’s a top-notch science education, whether you decide to go into industry, research, education, medicine, or whatever.

To answer some of the specific questions above:


Like any school, the professors aren’t 100% perfect. But, by and large, they are highly interested in the success of their students. The academic environment in general and especially in the sciences is very collaborative, not competitive, and the professors encourage the students to work together. We even had physical chemistry exams where half of the exam was done individually and the other half was done as an entire class. The strength of the honor code, especially within the sciences, allows for experiences like that (which, in retrospect, were remarkable). And one great thing about Midd professors is that they’re there to teach - not to do research, not to publish papers, but to engage their students intellectually on a daily basis.
Are students really able to do research? Absolutely. All you have to do is talk to a professor in your department, and they’ll help you start to set something up. There’s a whole gradient of opportunities available in various labs, some of which are more focused on publishing a paper for every student’s thesis, and some of which are more focused on allowing the student to work independently through a research project. It really varies based on the professor - but they all have grants for what they need. As for independent research, you could always work something like that out (of course under the supervision of a faculty mentor). A small school like Middlebury is very amenable to that kind of arrangement (and they love to say what cool things their students have come up with to do). Generally speaking, though, the students’ research is related to the professor’s in some way.


Also, many students stay for a summer to do funded research. I started my senior thesis during the summer after my junior year, working eight hours a day in the lab and enjoying the Vermont summer for the rest. It’s a great opportunity to get deeply involved in a project and get to know people in the departments as well.

As for the pre-med curriculum: the description that was offered above is pretty accurate. Basically, you just major in whatever you want, and then there’s a pre-med advisory office that helps you make sure you’re getting in the classes that you need to apply to medical school. There is no declared pre-med “major” or even a “concentration,” and you don’t have to major in sciences. I have had plenty of friends from Midd and elsewhere who are humanities majors and just took the requisite classes for medical school applications, and are now medical students. Middlebury definitely encourages this - and the liberal arts curriculum is flexible enough to allow it. For instance, as a pre-med biochemistry major, I took an entire semester to study in Spain (taking no science classes).

When it’s time to apply for medical school, Middlebury has an internal application process (like many schools) where you apply and get interviewed within Midd (by professors and some local physician alumni), and then they assemble a packet of reference letters, transcripts, etc. that is sent out to the schools that you apply to. The office that takes care of this is called the Health Professions Office, and they’re great ([Health Professions](http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/healthp/)).

Generally speaking, students from schools like Midd tend to not do as well on exams like the MCAT - because we don’t learn all of the minutae. For example some of my roommates went to larger universities as Chemistry majors, and their typical semester might consist of five or six chem classes. You’d have a more balanced course load at a school like Midd, but that does mean that your standardized test scores might go down.

That said, if you go to a school like Midd, you’ll probably do just fine. And the skills you get from being in a less didactic / more academically engaging & participatory environment would serve you well as a physician if you choose to go down that road. Most of the basic science that you learn in college is summarized in a couple of med school classes anyway, and then you move on to other things - so it’s not like you need to remember everything you learn in your college science classes. In my opinion, it’s more relevant to learn how to reason (a good tool in, for instance, the diagnostic process) and how to love learning (because education doesn’t stop with college).

Having said that, Midd does fine with med school acceptances - especially to good ones - because the schools know what they’re getting, even if some of the standardized test scores are a little lower. When I applied, I had a very good response from schools, and I ended up having to decide between two top-five schools. And I know I’m not alone in that, based on what my Midd friends have said. So don’t think that going to Middlebury would ever hurt your ability to get into medical school.