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One of my greatest academic achievements was concluding my undergraduate education as a double-major at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), earning a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences and English in four years. As a double major I have had the luxury of studying a variety of subjects in the humanities that not only strengthened my critical thinking skills but were also enjoyable and enlightening. My greatest and most rewarding experience as an undergrad was attending FAUs Semester by the Sea... Read More Program (SBTS) on the Harbor Branch Campus. Completely submersed in the field of Marine Biology, along with hands on experience, reinforced and solidified my intense desire to study and research marine biology. SBTS provided me the opportunity to experience the different aspects of marine research, as well as present my own research to my peers in a seminar-like setting.

I was a Biological Sciences student at Florida Atlantic University through my undergraduate studies. I am a current Master's student at FAU studying environmental soil bacteria in the Biological Sciences Program. The program supports its students and at several levels ensures that they can complete their programs well. Students must report and track their progress repeatedly at several points of registration through numerous advisors to ensure timely progress and advancement in the program. Advisors... Read More and committee members cared for my project and actively tried to give advice and lend materials. There will be no shortage of solid mentors and advisors at FAU for any students interested in the biology program. The only criticism I have about the Master's biology program is the shortage of courses in the department. Most upper 6000 level courses that graduate students must take pertain to marine biology, ecology, or statistics. There are slim pickings and almost no courses in microbiology related subjects such as bacteria, protists, or viruses. I hoped to take more courses on these topics to improve my knowledge in microbiology, especially bacteria since that is the topic of my thesis. I was forced to take less related courses to fulfill my degree requirements.

The program that I am currently attending is the Biomedical Science Master's Program at FAU. Class sizes are very small so it is easier to get to know your professors and your peers. What I like about this program is that my professors want you to focus on your confidence and public speaking skills. Almost every class requires you to present on a certain topic related to your curriculum. It is nerve wracking but the professors are pretty understanding and give you constructive criticism as to how... Read More to do better next time. Also, there are research seminars every semester to keep students updated on promising research and advancements in the field. I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested because I think it can prepare you for the field.

Overall the biological sciences department is growing and getting better each year. My biggest issue with completing all of the requirements for the Masters Thesis program is that my research adviser and laboratory is located at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, FL, but I had to teach and take classes at the Boca Raton campus. No public transportation is provided for students commuting between campuses, so I had to spend a lot of money from my own pocket to pay for gas, and... Read More book hotels when I need to stay up north and complete lab work. This is very difficult for a graduate student to afford. Rent in Boca Raton is incredibly expensive as well. I pay $700/month and that is the cheapest option I could find. My Teaching Assistant position pays $900/month, so I had to work a second job on top of teaching, taking a full credit load of coursework, and commuting to Fort Pierce to do research. My work week is anywhere from 60-70 hours, depending on coursework. Hectic and exhausting, but I managed!!

I am currently a Master's student at FAU obtaining my degree in Biology. The biggest advantage of attending graduate school at FAU for science majors is the opportunity FAU gives you to gain valuable lab experience. FAU collaborates with Max Planck Institute and Scripps Institute (which are two well established research institutes) and give students doing research a chance to collaborate or even join labs at Max Planck and Scripps. Another advantage is the classes that FAU offers. FAU offers a lot... Read More of hand on lab experience courses that train students in fields involved with biotechnology, neuroscience and molecular biology. When I complete my degree I will have gained an enormous amount of experience in these fields and will have a lot of job opportunity. FAU also has a great school environment and is located 15min from the beach. The biggest disadvantage (and this mainly goes for science majors) is that the labs are located in Jupiter campus while the courses are taken at the Boca Raton campus (which is 45min way from each other). So the commute is pretty tough especially at the beginning of your degree when you have to take a lot of courses. Towards the end when you mainly focus on research, you end up spending majority of your time in Jupiter, so the commute is not bad. Besides that I recommend it to anyway interested in doing research.

FAU in general is a wonderful campus to be one. The school offers a vast amount of fields of study to choose from. I have seen this university grow on so many different levels. The student body has grown tremendously, as there has been additional housing and parking recently built on campus. As far as my studies, I graduated from FAU with 3 Bachelors degrees and this has benefited me enormously as I have been recently been accpeted into the Univeristy of Missour at Kansas City to pursue a Master's... Read More of Science in Anesthesia. In summary, if I could provide some pros and cons of my stay at FAU, I would mention several cons that overtime have been turned into pros. FAU lacked sufficient student parking, it lacked a proper recreation center, it lacked a football stadium as well as living dormintories. All of these have been added to the University over the past 5 years and has made the school more appealing than ever. FAU has the most diverse student body in Florida and is at the top in the country. I am proud to say that I am an alumni from this ever-growing University.