Posts tagged math

Thanks Andrew!!!  Hope all is well on your sabbatical.  We’re excited to have you and those snazzy doc martens of yours back in the fall.

— Parke ‘15

It is true, there are lots of courses in the natural sciences — but math and computing are equally strong and AWESOME!

We have many students this year alone who are doing their senior work in Computing and mathematics, some of these students are integrating this work into the natural sciences (Rebecca) others are simply programming (John is designing an anonymous forum for discourse). Others, myself including, use math and computing as modes for understanding relationships between, for example, social behavior and online interactional environments. 

(the pic above is from two other computing students, check out what they are up to)

-Eric ‘13

Only if you want to! I hear some of them can be pretty cool. But there are no general math requirements for Bennington students.

-Eric

Advanced math knowledge is never a prerequisite for any Political Economy courses here, although some math skills usually come in handy during the courses. We’ve had a great Pol Ec professor here for the past few terms, Michael Rolleigh, who has made the math side of Econ fun and understandable. The most important thing to approach any class with is an open mind and a desire to learn—don’t worry about being a little behind in one aspect, because I’m sure you’ll be way ahead in others!

And if you do find that you need a little more mathematics to keep up with some econometric stuff, just take a math course to refresh yourself and learn something new! We’ve got those too.

-Eric

I’ll throw in my two cents. Primarily at Bennington I study behavioral ecology and evolution, although I’ve also done some field- and classwork with environmental studies stuff (specifically wildlife conservation and climate change). I can say that the work I’ve done at Bennington has really conditioned me into a scientist - that is, to say, that I never came to Bennington expecting to study science (so it sounds like you already have a leg up on me). 

What happened for me was that, through the Plan Process, I came to realize that my interest in the environment extended much further into the realm of quantifiable study and experimentation (a la the sciences) than in more sociopolitical spheres. What I’ve found working in the sciences is that Bennington really asks students to think like scientists - that is, from day one, you’re reading primary scientific literature, having wide-ranging discussions on any number of mechanics or papers, and designing and conducting your own research projects. Something I’ve said before on this blog and will continue to say again is that science at Bennington (and really, all disciplines at Bennington) is about learning how to ASK good questions - the answers will come with a holistic understanding and inquiry into the field at hand.

Field Work Term is also an excellent opportunity to get involved in the sciences - there are countless labs, researchers, and field sites looking for interested student workers. I think the combination of Field Work Term and the Plan work in concert to prepare students really well for grad school and the professional world, as well - by the end of four years here, you’ve got four solid contacts on your resume (great for networking), a heavy courseload full of all the relevant science coursework you need to qualify for grad programs, and a healthy body of work couched within your own research interests. For more general posts on science, check out this page. And if any other specific questions come up for you about the sciences, go ahead and email me at evanb@bennington.edu.

-Evan ‘13

Hey thurr. I answered a similar question a few weeks ago and I think it can maybe help to illuminate an answer to your question.

I also just recently answered a question about the pre-med program at Bennington, and I think the latter half of my answer speaks to the strengths of Bennington’s science program vs. the traditional science program.

Hope these are useful! Email me at evanb@bennington.edu if you have any remaining unanswered questions about science and math at Bennington.

-Evan ‘13

Yes indeed! Some of those that go on to grad school belong to our postbac pre-med program, which is comprised of students who have graduated from other institutions with non-science degrees and are now specifically interested in going to med school. As for undergrads, we have a very comprehensive science curriculum that totally sets you up for entry into med school. You can read the actual curriculum here.

The great thing about being a science student at Bennington is that you’re constantly reading primary scientific literature; designing and conducting your own experiments*; and  constantly meeting with the science faculty (who are themselves established scientists). As a biology student, I think the most valuable part of my education at Bennington has been the fact that no part of my studies have been wasted sitting in 200-person lecture halls; doing canned labs; and having to go through TAs to get face-time with faculty - instead, I was able to come here on day one, and immediately was asked to start thinking, working, and living as a scientist.

-Evan ‘13

*Originally I wrote classes here, when I actually meant to say experiments. My bad! Hadn’t had enough coffee.