What is the UGA Honors Program like?

bernie12
Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:41:31 +0000

Again I think you’re crazy to suggest that Emory is not as good at “providing” research opportunities. It’s mere location and shear number of research ops. makes it advantageous. It’s really easy.

Again, I’ll agree with class size. However, the classes at Emory will probably still be as hard/harder as/than UGA honors even if they are a tad larger than intros. here. And yet somehow, even in the larger setting the teaching closes the gap and many profs. still foster discussion/Socratic method in 60-100 person sections. Plus, as I always mention, new teaching methods beneficial to pre-meds are used at Emory, even in these 50-100 person sections. Freshmen orgo. prof. uses, 1 prof. per biology semester (as in bio 1 and 2) do it (the case-based classes are rigorous, foster discussion and lots of group activity), the physics profs. heavily emphasize effective teaching and clearly the gen. chem profs do. Though this(gen. chem) is the largest intro. science (at 85-120 depending on year. This year 141 had 120 b/c Morkin and Weaver decided to do a 45 person section together) at Emory, and interaction is less, but they lecture well and provide additional resources/get on LL and help students solve problems, and have SI. Actually 1/2 gen. chem. profs try to provide group exercises and EC opps). Basically great teaching and learning resources are not restricted to a few. Everyone gets them.
Basically Emory manages to make sure you really know the material while also testing for your competence (though the PBL bio profs. do the cases in-cases in class, plus assign a section of the case for HW, and also give exams. It’s a rewarding level of rigor).

I would advise visiting Passalauqua’s bio 142 if you’re visiting tomorrow (she’s TTh) to see how this method can be implemented even in a larger lecture hall when one has a talented prof. If Friday, visit Weinschenk or Soria’s(Soria’s is tiny and Weinschenk’s is large) orgo. class. However, I think Soria may have cancelled class for Fr, b/c they had an exam Monday (Dr. W and S. cancel a class for a day the week of an exam). Also, check out Spell (bio 142, non-cased based, but great lecturer) and Bing (Physics 142, would say check out Brody for 152, but they’re having an exam), Mulford or Weaver for gen. chem, and maybe Edwards for Brain and Behavior (the man in both this class and intro psyche 110 puts the concepts in context of actual research studies. Many which he or others on Emory staff has done. Makes the class tough, but more interesting. Excellent prof., very flexible office hours, great everything, except those tests lol).

In fact psyche brings me back back to research:If you take an intro. (and perhaps some upperlevels), you have to do research participation hours (basically be a test subject or assist in someone’s research). Emory keeps those interested in science in touch with the research realm. Even w/intro. bio lab. I seriously doubt UGA students are mutating Zebrafish for the sake of figuring out the developmental pathway gone array. Emory doesn’t even have honors so everyone gets this experience. This is actually an innovation to intro. bio labs that started here. If we integrate it so heavily into teaching of introductory courses, what makes you think that we would be lacking in our ability to expose students to research opps? At Emory, it’s “ask and you shall receive”. The med. school, Public Health School, WhiteHead BME, Rollins Research, Hospitals, Psyche, Physics, and Chem. Building don’t exist for nothing. Even Liotta’s Lab accepts UGs (he discovered Emtriva, the AIDs Drug). Even many of the humanities and social science majors are doing research.

Basically, our classes are larger, but profs. still care and put lots of effort into teaching well.

Also, no offense, but college students are generally regarded as fun. Even driven students have a social life. Hardly no schools are rigorous enough to prevent it from forming among highly motivated students. Admittedly, UGA may be less stressful for various reasons (such as cost difference, rigor, etc.)