Pre-medicine students: hyper-competitive biology majors who exhibit frighteningly rigid workaholic tendencies? Not quite, but their presence in the biology department may have a large impact in the climate of biology classes.
While not all pre-med students are biology majors, about 38 to 44 percent of Duke pre-meds who apply to medical school during their senior years are biology majors. And while a hefty 70 percent of every fresh batch of biology majors initially intend to become physicians, the number dwindles-in the end, only about 40 percent of these majors at Duke end up applying to medical school, said Ron Grunwald, associate director of undergraduate studies in biology.
With almost half of pre-med students declaring majors in biology, some professors are feeling pressure to cater their courses to pre-med interests.
"In a sense, [introductory] classes are run the way they are because they're driven by the whole dynamic of every pre-med taking that class," said Gregory Wray, director of undergraduate studies in biology. "We offer certain courses because we have so many pre-meds. We have to structure [the biology curriculum] and it influences the way we teach."
The accommodations range from scheduling classes so that pre-med students can take them to covering material on the Medical College Admissions Test.
Despite some adjustments in the curriculum to satisfy pre-med students, many faculty still insist on providing a broad education in biology and equipping students with skills to tackle everyday situations.
"College is where you learn how to think, how to organize your mind, how to speak--that's what college does best," said Sonke Johnsen, assistant professor of biology. "You can learn the specifics later on."
Providing that broad education means touching on areas from ecology to genetics and to cell biology, some of which have a less obvious connection to medicine than others--a reason why some pre-med biology majors find themselves taking courses that do not interest them, Johnsen suggested.
"I think professors feel challenged to interest them in those areas," said Dan McShea, assistant professor of biology. "Sometimes, we succeed and that's the way I like to teach."
A lack subject interest may also stem from an incessant focus on grades, a side effect generated by the competition to get into medical school. That mentality may be further aggravated by the curve system-the grading method established in a majority of required pre-med courses. By competing directly with each other, students may feel compelled to follow the Darwinian philosophy of survival of the fittest.
"It's probably a fair generalization that people focused on medical school are keenly aware that their grades matter a lot," Wray observed.
Johnsen agreed. "It's hard to get into med school, a lot of it is done in grades," he acknowledged. "There's far too much stress put on the evaluation aspect of the course. It all comes down to 'Is this going to be on the test? How much will it matter for my grade?' Those sorts of things make teaching a lot less fun."
Still, other professors admired the drive pre-med students seem to possess-many of them strive, perform and ultimately, achieve.
"Being pre-med doesn't mean that [students] aren't interested in biology," Grunwald said. "Pre-meds are among our most enthusiastic students [in biology]."
Although some professors may be frustrated with the pressure pre-med students place on their grading, pre-med biology majors have had mixed reactions from their teachers on their expected career choice.
In senior Elizabeth Paulk's experience, she has met professors who "have encouraged [her] interest in medicine and others who have expressed distaste that so many people go into medicine."
"Sometimes I get [disapproving] glimpses from professors," said senior Susan Rickard.
Professors said their colleagues might recommend the option of attending graduate school instead of medical school, particularly to students who are involved and evidently skilled in undergraduate research. Most believe there is an obligation to heighten student awareness about such alternatives.
"Working in a research-oriented setting, I'm sure there are people who recommend the option of research as opposed to medical school," said Daniel Livingstone, James B. Duke professor of biology. "Students coming into the University have a limited background of experience-they've heard about all the traditional professions like medicine and law. When people come to college they should open their eyes and have their view of the world enlarged a bit."
Professors also added that they would not pressure students into veering off one career path to follow another.
"They might talk to them seriously about it, open other prospects to students," said Bruce Nicklas, A.S. Pearse professor of biology. "I think we would be failing in our obligations to them if we didn't."
Paulk agreed that despite meeting negative sentiment, she did not feel her professors had tried to influence her decision. "When I was talking to a professor, he encouraged me to keep my options open," she said. "He told me that medicine could be the easy path to take, but I didn't feel he really tried to persuade me."
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