One of the many factors considered when evaluating the quality of an institution of higher learning is the student-faculty ratio. Although simply a number, this ratio is meant to suggest many things. A large number of faculty, and thus a lower ratio, can provide students with a better opportunity to associate with the brightest minds in any given department. A large quantity of professors is also an indicator of a university with strong research and reputable graduate programs. For most prospective students, therefore, the more faculty, the better.
In the disciplines of the natural sciences, Duke attracts some of the most prominent and talented minds in the world. Research is cutting-edge, and findings are often published in the most prestigious scientific journals. Indeed, the quality of Duke’s faculty should leave potential students salivating at the opportunities for scientific enrichment that are available here.
A low student-faculty ratio should work to the benefit of undergraduates. Yet, in the natural science disciplines at a major research university such as Duke, this statistic is ultimately misleading.
I have had classes with distinguished faculty in the natural science departments at Duke. Many have been published in scientific journals like “Nature" and "Science” have their own labs and are definitely qualified for the subjects they teach. I have never had a problem with the enthusiasm or qualifications of any of my professors. My problem was that, outside of the classroom, the relationships that I imagined gaining with them were difficult to foster.
The opportunities for development of relationships with professors are limited, especially in large introductory science courses. In discussion and recitation sections, which have smaller numbers of students, graduate students and Ph.D. candidates fulfilling a teaching requirement lead the classes. The result is that professors for introductory courses get to know only a handful of students in each lecture, and relationships between professors and students are hard to develop. Students in these classes are often discouraged from the actual material by competition from their classmates and the suspicion that the professor actually has no idea what their name is.
The student-faculty disconnect in the natural sciences isn’t limited to large introductory courses, either. In all but seminars and group-learning courses with fewer than twenty students, genuine relationships with professors are similarly difficult to come across. From my experience, this is due in part to the fact that Duke professors are quite busy with research and their own academic interests. After all, many of them are under pressure to extend grant funding for their laboratories, publish their most recent findings and perform other research-related duties. Who has time to invest energy into undergraduate students when there are more pressing matters at hand?
For many undergraduates in the natural sciences, therefore, the best way to get to know faculty better is in a laboratory setting. There are numerous opportunities to get involved with research at Duke, and research provides many benefits to science students. For a student who is majoring in biology or neuroscience, for example, research will not only give them experience for their possible medical or scientific career, but will put them in a better position to interact with faculty.
Not all research labs are looking for undergraduates, however, and in most situations an undergraduate with no previous research experience will have to spend at least a couple months learning laboratory techniques before any substantive collaboration can be initiated. Thus, students must invest a lot of time and energy before a working relationship with faculty can be created.
The majority of students in the natural sciences aim to take their interests to a professional level, either via graduate or professional school. With almost every application, letters of recommendation are viewed along with other criteria to determine the applicant’s competitiveness. On the surface, it would appear that Duke offers undergraduate students ample opportunities to develop relationships with faculty. Yet, because Duke is primarily a research university, the actual interactions between students and professors is often constrained to clarification of course material and a fleeting discussion of scientific principles. Development of actual relationships is difficult, because professors often simply do not have the time to get to know every single one of their students. Involvement in research is one way for students to overcome the disconnect, yet this requires a huge time and energy investment that many students are reluctant to undertake. Duke tries to mitigate this issue with the installments of required office hours or flunch opportunities, but these opportunities alone are not enough.
Many of Duke’s faculty in the natural sciences are at the forefront of their respective fields, and are extremely qualified to teach their subjects. Yet the prospects of getting to know them are slim for the average undergraduate. Professors should not only be evaluated on their qualifications and professional reputation, but should be additionally evaluated on their abilities to develop relationships with their students. I would rather have a good professor who I could get to know than a great professor who didn’t know my name.
Milap Mehta is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Friday.
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