High Level Courses

Honors candidates must take Chemistry 60, Physical Chemistry. Given by George B. Kistiakowsky and Edgar B. Wilson, it is considered a very rough course, involving an extensive amount of lab work.

Among the higher courses open to concentrators, George Wald's General Biochemistry (Biology 190), and Biology 191, a lab course, are the most popular.

Most students praised both the tutorial system and the individual tutors. They felt, and not without reason, that the tutorial setup made Biochemistry more worthwhile than any of the more specialized fields.

Biology

Number of Concentrators: 258.

1952 Commencement Honors: cum, 13; magna, 8.

Although more and more pre-meds are concentrating in such non-scientific fields as English or History, they still abound in Biology. As a result, the competition in Biology is tough, and no-one should enter it expecting to get eight hours' sleep on nights before exams.

Yet both pre-meds and the substantial number of students who enter Biology with hopes of going into research have found it unusually stimulating. World-prominent professors teach many of the courses, and according to students they do it excellently. From the most elementary course in the field, Biology 1, through Biology 265, Insect Physiology, the flood of brilliant biologists including William H. Weston, Alfred S. Romer, Kenneth V. Thimann, Frederick L. Hisaw, George Wald, and Carroll M. Williams set a fast pace that never allows concentrators to coast. Although generally regarded as worthwhile, Biology 122, Comparative Anatomy, and Biology 124, Animal Histology, are notorious time-consumers.

Small Sections

In featuring good lecturers, the department has not sacrificed friendliness. Most of the sections are small, especially in the advanced courses, and the professors frequently visit the laboratory periods. Students who feel that lack of a thesis in this field prevents them from working closely with members of the department may take Biology 40, Introduction to Research in Biology, which really amounts to a thesis with course credit included.

The freshman deciding between Biology and Biochemical Sciences should decide how important tutorial and general exams, are to him, for the Biology Department offers neither of these features.

Fulfillment of medical school requirements will concern the potential pre-meds. The Biology concentrator will have to take a year and a half of chemistry in addition to concentration requirements to meet the demands of most medical schools.

Research

For men interested in medical research, the problem is when to specialize. Generally, Biology concentrators have to take so much work in their field that they can readily land a job on graduation. Biochemical Sciences men often spread their efforts so much that they have to continue their work in either Chemistry or Biology in graduate school to obtain good positions.