To the UMass Biology Department:
Our passion and interest in all aspects of living creatures has made us pursue an education and a future career in biology. We are grateful for the opportunities that the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Biology Department has provided for us and could not be more thrilled to be a part of this amazing program. However, there are few details that could use some improvement.
First, there is the advising aspect of the department. Much of the time, the advising center can seem impersonal. Because there are so many of us students, it is extremely difficult to have a personal connection with an advisor. A lot of the time, we students find ourselves meeting with a different advisor whenever we stop in for a question. And because of this disconnect between the students and the faculty, much of the advice given to us seems to be generalized. Each student has a unique interest and future goal, yet the suggestions on how to get us to our dream jobs are all the same. Other majors seem to know their professors and their advising staff so well and in such an intimate setting. When picking classes, there arises problems with the lack of faculty. They have so many students to see, but because of their small numbers, it makes it difficult to sit down with us and choose classes that fit well with our interests and goals. Most of the time it is polarized: either they tell you to pick whatever classes you want based on your Spire requirements, or they tell you to take particular classes that are not closely related to what you want to do for a living. If there were more faculty for the biology students, I feel our stress levels over the future would subside and we would feel more confident going to an advisor we have a good relationship with to ask questions and get help.
Another very important aspect of the biology department is the labs. These labs have become extremely competitive, because there are so many students yet not many professors. Therefore, a lot of students who need experience in labs for their resumes are not able to get it. Not only that, but it can be very difficult to be accepted into a lab because students need to have connections with professors. Obviously, this can be nearly impossible when professors teach nearly 400 students in one lecture. The window time for students to apply for these labs is also short. As a result, students do not have enough time to find the labs let alone apply for them. There are also some frustrations among Pre-Med students because they tend to not be considered for labs as much as PhD candidates are. Because of this, a lot of students miss out on gaining experiences and skills that could improve their chances of going to graduate school.
Lastly, classes have become a great obstacle for many students in the biology department. Again, the number of students to the amount of classes is extremely disproportionate. Therefore, students a lot of the time have to pick from whatever is left over. Students are also, because of this, unable to have a clear concentration in a specific aspect of biology such as plant biology. It would also be awesome if there were classes that were designed to assist you with transitioning from lectures to labs. Classes that worked on handling pipets and learning how to do DNA extraction would be incredibly helpful, so that when students get to labs, we have a much easier time and have more room to work on actual research instead of the mechanics of it all. Also, it would be great if there were more opportunities to do independent study. Students could do their individual research, conduct experiments, and present their findings to distinguished faculty. It would help cultivate a sense of independence and confidence in students’ work since they would not have someone telling them exactly what to do and how to do it.
I strongly believe the UMass Amherst Biology Department can be one of the best out there. With some investment in the students and faculty, more opportunities can be given to those who yearn for a chance to learn and gain experience in the field of biology.
Love,
UMass Amherst Biology Students and Collegiettes.
P.S.- Please fix Morrill.