Questions to ask a professor?

slik_nik
Mon, 05 Aug 2013 00:40:23 +0000

As a recent Duke alum who took a lot of Duke biology classes, including one from the chair (Dr. Noor) you are meeting with, I agree with ourmutualfriend’s response. Here’s a question I have for you: Why are you interested in Duke besides it’s great academics and its premed program? You can receive an excellent education and strong preparation for medical school at many other colleges too. You must have a specific reason Duke is appealing to you besides the strong academics and it’s premed program. For me, it was Duke’s interdisciplinary focus that permeated throughout their teaching and research missions, as well as opportunities to study and do research at the Duke Marine Lab. You will not unlock the full potential of a Duke education if you only focus on taking classes and pursuing opportunities solely for the sake of medical school- this coming from someone who plans to apply to medical school next year. View your undergraduate education as an opportunity to explore your interests, deepen your knowledge, sharpen your skills, and stimulate your intellectual curiosity- and by doing so, you will naturally obtain great grades and develop the habits necessary to prosper in medical school.

You better be prepared to have specific questions, especially because you are not admitted yet. Don’t just meet with him because you think he will put in a good word to the admissions office- he is very busy and Duke faculty generally have little involvement with the admissions process. Only meet with him if you have genuine questions about Duke’s Biology undergrad program. I also suggest you talk with current Duke undergrads or recent alums who majored in Biology.

That being said, you can ask him generally what makes Duke Biology unique from other strong biology undergrad programs in the country. If you have a specific interest in cell biology, ecology, evolution, animal behavior, or plant biology, you can ask him more about your specific field of interest. Dr. Noor is an awesome individual all-around, but it is still good to be prepared with specific questions.

I’m not trying to give you a hard time because quite frankly, I was clueless what to ask professors when I was a prospective student. However, you need to reflect on what you want out of a biology program (e.g. research opportunities, mentoring, specific classes, etc.) and formulate questions based on these characteristics to see if Duke Biology will be a good fit for you.