This year’s freshman class is the most qualified in the college’s history. Find out what brought them to the College of Biological Sciences.
With a perfect score on his ACT, freshman Alex Yeh, from Neenah, Wisconsin could have chosen almost any college or university in the United States. But it was the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota that ultimately won him over.
Alex was drawn to the University of Minnesota by its urban environment and research opportunities. After visiting the College of Biological Sciences, he liked its small size and friendliness.
Since he arrived at CBS this fall, Alex has appreciated the effort the college makes to engage him and other students in activities and events.
“The faculty and staff at CBS really go out of their way to treat students as individuals rather than a group,” he says.
Alex is one of 325 students in the College of Biological Sciences 2007-08 freshman class. Like Alex, they all have impressive academic credentials. Their average high school rank was 95.3 percent (the highest average rank of any U of M freshman-admitting college this fall) and their average ACT score was 28.6. That puts CBS at the head of the University of Minnesota’s freshman class this year. And this isn’t just any year. The 5,280 freshman who entered the University this fall are the most academically prepared in its history. Moreover, with 21 percent students of color, the CBS freshman class is very diverse.
It’s no accident that CBS is gaining a reputation in the Midwest and beyond as the place to go for biology. It’s one of only a few colleges in the United States devoted exclusively to biology. It spans all areas of biology, from molecules to ecosystems. As a small college within a big public research university, it offers the best of both worlds. And a series of innovative programs launched over the past decade have dramatically enhanced the quality of the undergraduate experience.
CBS’s growing reputation resulted in 3,800 applicants last year and more than 4,300 this year—a record number.
40 Percent of CBS graduates who completed their degree in four years in 2006
63 Percent of the class of 2007 that graduated in four years
2007 Year of the first graduating class to have attended the Nature of Life program as a freshman
95 Average percentile high school rank of this year’s freshman students
4348:
3329 Number of applications to the college this year and last year respectively
“The numbers confirm that we made the right choices for our students,” says Robert Elde, dean of the college. “I can’t tell you how gratifying that is.”
“There’s a lot of interest in CBS among high school students,” says admissions counselor Leah Brus. “Its reputation is attracting students from across the United States as well as Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“A lot of good students who are from Minnesota don’t want to leave the state,” says Brus. “They may apply and get accepted to Ivy League schools but ultimately decide on the University of Minnesota because they can get an affordable, high-quality education close to home. At CBS, they know they will be challenged and be among their peers.”
Brus says that the day before May 1, 2007—the national deadline for confirming admission to colleges—she got phone calls all day long from students who still hadn’t decided between CBS and Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Cal Tech or Yale. Many of those students are now members of the CBS freshman class.
When Elde became dean 12 years ago, he read a book titled Academic Duty by Don Kennedy, former president of Stanford University. He was struck by Kennedy’s philosophy: “If you put students first, everything else falls into place almost naturally.”
“It’s been my mantra ever since, and it has never steered me wrong,” Elde says.
Creating a stronger sense of community for students was one of Elde’s top priorities. Early on, he gained approval for CBS to admit biology majors as freshmen rather than as juniors. He also created Biology House, a designated wing of Pioneer Hall, where new biology students could get acquainted and form study groups.
The college got a big boost from the 1998 University-wide reorganization of the biological sciences (led by Elde) which consolidated and strengthened biology departments on the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. At about the same time, the Molecular and Cellular Biology Initiative provided state funds for the $88 million Molecular and Cellular Biology Building, where most undergraduate classes are now held, and for 41 new faculty. Providing opportunities for students to gain research experience in faculty labs became a key part of the undergraduate experience.
Nature of Life, a freshman orientation program held at Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories, was created in 2003. Students spend three days at the field station in small groups to get to know each other and the faculty, and to learn how to make the most of their CBS experience. The program, a big success with students, has become a signature of the college. Last spring, when the first Nature of Life group graduated, the CBS four-year graduation rate jumped by 13 percent.
“We believe this was due in part to Nature of Life, which creates a bond among students and faculty, but it also reflects the quality of our students, who just keep getting better every year,” says Robin Wright, associate dean for academic and faculty affairs.
The latest addition to the lineup is Foundations of Biology, a new introductory course for biology majors that focuses on applying knowledge to solve problems rather than memorizing facts. Students are responsible for learning the textbook material on their own. There are no lectures. Instead, students work in teams to develop concepts. Projects in the new course, launched in the fall, include developing a treatment strategy for antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis and creating a DNA vaccine for West Nile virus. It’s the only class of its kind in the United States.
“The creativity of the students is astonishing,” says Wright, who worked with a team of faculty to design the course, which replaces a large “Biology 101” lecture class. “They came up with some very clever ideas for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis. And they seem to be having fun.”
“It’s more difficult than a lecture class, but more stimulating and rewarding, too,” said one student.
Wright’s goal is to develop and deliver the best undergraduate biology curriculum in the United States. That’s difficult to measure because biology programs aren’t ranked. But Wright and other faculty are very active in national organizations that connect them with faculty from other colleges who are also on the cutting edge of science education. So they are constantly comparing CBS to other top schools and developing more effective ways to help students learn.
“I see my role as an architect,” Wright says. “I design experiences that will help students learn and use materials in creative ways.” —Peggy Rinard
Sanyu Janardan has always been interested in science. But her personal experience with cancer while a junior at Wayzata High School drew her towards a career in medicine. Now she wants to be a pediatric oncologist. Although she missed 75 days of school during cancer treatment, Sanyu completed the work at home and graduated near the top of her class. She is in the CBS Honors Program.
Other schools she applied to: Duke University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Why she chose CBS: Lots of research opportunities. It’s a small community within a large university.
“CBS students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and diverse experiences. I think it’s really awesome that so many of us are working towards the same ultimate goal of attending medical school.”
A football scholarship brought Ryan Wynn, a graduate of Maple Grove High School, to the University of Minnesota. But he chose CBS because of the college’s reputation and selectivity. And he enjoyed the opportunity to make new friends through the Nature of Life program. Ryan was selected to give the speech for the incoming freshman class at Convocation this fall. He is majoring in neuroscience and Italian and plans a career in medicine. He was inspired to become a doctor after saving a man from drowning while he was on vacation in Hawaii.
“It was the most powerful feeling I’ve ever had,” Ryan recalls. “It made me feel like I want to save peoples’ lives every day.”
Ryan plans to volunteer at University of Minnesota-Fairview Children’s Hospital.
Nikki Weisenburger became hooked on medicine through health journalism books like Hot Zone, about the Ebola virus. But she didn’t see herself as a doctor. She learned about public health through her father, Joe Weisenburger, who is CFO for the University’s School of Public Health (SPH). And she volunteered for SPH faculty Mary Story and Mary Smyth the summer after 10th grade. Then, through the University’s Post Secondary Education Program, she took history of medicine classes while a senior at Hopkins High School. Nikki knew she had found a match for her interests in public health. To prepare for her future, she is completing a B.S. degree in biology with a minor in the history of medicine. She plans on graduate school at the U’s School of Public Health and a career as an epidemiologist or health journalist.
Other schools she applied to: Wesleyan, William and Mary, Northwestern University, Tufts.
Why she chose CBS: “I love Minnesota. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. CBS appealed to me because it’s a small school in a gigantic university. There are a variety of research opportunities and classes. It’s less expensive than private schools, so I can study abroad in Italy.”
Megan Neumann Sleeper’s parents—Michael Sleeper and Shannon Neumann—both earned degrees in agriculture at the University of Minnesota. And while Megan, who is from Wisconsin, didn’t grow up on a farm, animals have always been an important part of her family’s life. That’s why she decided to focus her education and career on zoology. She plans to work at a zoo or study animals that live in the Amazon Rainforest. “There are so many animals in the Amazon that haven’t been studied,” she says. She is also completing a minor in art, to leave a door open in case she decides to combine her biology and art interests as an illustrator.
What she likes about CBS: “All of the extracurricular programs, clubs and research opportunities.” Megan belongs to the CBS Biology Hoopla Club, the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Club, and has attended “Caffeine with the Dean”—an opportunity for small groups of students to share coffee and conversation with the dean—twice. “Dean Elde is very open and interesting to talk to. He really listens to students and takes notes.” Megan is also a member of Deans’ Scholars, a leadership development program, and a member of the U’s Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.
“The Nature of Life Program was amazing,” she says, because she made lots of new friends and learned so much about CBS and the U.
