Department of Biological Sciences
- Behavior
- Cell Biology
- Conservation biology
- Development
- Ecology
- Evolution
- Genetics
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Neurobiology
- Physiology
The Department of Biological Sciences is a diverse group of faculty and students focused on the study of life. Research strengths of the department include: Microbiology & Molecular Biology, Ecology & Conservation Biology, and Neuroscience & Behavior. Our research and teaching encompass both fundamental basic science and targeted efforts to address societal challenges, including those of medical and environmental relevance.
The Department of Biological Sciences offers graduate training for professional careers in both applied and fundamental areas of biology. Programs are available leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. Major areas of concentration include molecular biology, microbiology, cell biology, development, genetics, physiology, neurobiology, behavior, ecology, conservation biology and evolution.
I attended Bowling Green State University (BGSU) from 2018 to 2020 pursuing a MS of Life Sciences. BGSU is a middle sized college in Northwest Ohio where there are lots of research opportunities and the majority of graduate students are paid to go in exchange for Research Assistantships or Teaching Assistant positions. There is a lot of money in water... I attended Bowling Green State University (BGSU) from 2018 to 2020 pursuing a MS of Life Sciences. BGSU is a middle sized college in Northwest Ohio where there are lots of research opportunities and the majority of graduate students are paid to go in exchange for Research Assistantships or Teaching Assistant positions.
There is a lot of money in water quality research (as well as Ichthyology opportunities) due to many grants being established after the toxic algal bloom in Lake Erie in 2014 which shut off water access to Toledo. There are many opportunities for land-based research based on the rare ecosystem of the Oak Openings nearby, especially regarding the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly. There are also sizable opportunities for microbiology research at BGSU but as an ecologist, I did not have much crossover or experience with the people in those programs and am unqualified to talk about the quality of said programs.
While this school is very good for students to not go into debt while attending, I had a very mixed experience there. Being a Teaching Assistant can be immensely frustrating due to poor communication if you teach some of the entry-level courses, and some Faculty members expect you to take on multiple research roles past your graduation research if you are a Research Assistant which should not be the case.
I have only the nicest things to say about fellow graduate students I work with but many of the faculty at BGSU have problems with elitism, minimal Ivory Tower perspective, and can be openly verbally abusive. There are many excellent faculty members, but it is not wrong to say the worst experiences color the rest of your time there. I am thankful for the opportunity to graduate without further debt, but in my own, highly specific situation, had a very negative experience at BGSU.
I give my personal experience at BGSU a 3/10 but recognize the majority of students in the program probably have a 7-8/10 experience. Parts of what lead to my negative experience was that I switched advisers at the end of my first year due to disproportionate, unwarranted verbal abuse. It is something where I was unable to do due diligence research about the adviser and research opportunity available as I was working a minimum wage retail job and could hop into grad school in 2 weeks or work retail for another year. Warning signs were there (other students told me to never share anything personal with my adviser as it would be used as a guilt bargaining tool), but I chose to ignore them as I believed I could make it work. If I could go back in time, I would have waited another year, but hindsight is 20/20 and it was the right decision at the time.
I would wager the vast majority of students with positive experiences did not sort of fall into the position like I did. I know students who did have negative experiences in normal situations (especially when they are appointed a committee member they don't get along with), but like I said, i'd say the average graduate student has a 7-8/10 experience. I do believe my 3/10 is the exception and not the rule at BGSU.
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