Neuroscience major?

nysegop

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What is your opinion on the neuroscience major? Is it better than Biology or Chemistry? Is it interesting? Would it be weird if someone majored in neuroscience, went to medical school, and then had a completely unrelated residency? Is it good for premed?

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I spend my first semester as a bio major, decided that my friend's neuroscience classes looked cooler, and spent the remainder of my time in college doing neuroscience. I thought it was really interesting stuff to learn, but at no point did I actually want to be a neurologist or neurosurgeon. I'll be applying to internal medicine starting in a few months.

The only one that might think it is weird is you, but since you get to make the decision you have permission to overrule that opinion,
 
Not better, not worse.

Nothing wrong with it. Think of all the non-sci majors (history/art/music/etc..) in med school, their residency is REALLY unrelated haha.
 
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What is your opinion on the neuroscience major? Is it better than Biology or Chemistry? Is it interesting? Would it be weird if someone majored in neuroscience, went to medical school, and then had a completely unrelated residency? Is it good for premed?

It's fine. No, but it isn't worse either. To me yes, but everyone has their preferences. No. Yes.
 
Well it is better if you like the material and do well in it.... I honestly don't think I would have done well majoring in genetics and molecular biology. However I did great majoring in neuroscience and physiology.
 
I majored in neuroscience because I thought the material was interesting, but I really have no desire to go into neurology or neurosurgery. If you think you'd be interested in it, go for it, don't worry about what med schools will think because they don't care what you major in. It works well for pre-med because, at least at my school, all of the pre-med requirements are also requirements for the major - kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Biochem and physiology were also required, and I found those very helpful for the MCAT.
 
I majored in neuroscience in college and I'd say it's better than biology and chemistry, but then I might be slightly biased :p I'd also say it's much more interesting than the other sciences; the brain is, after all, really the only piece of matter in the universe that actually does things on its own accord. It's also far more complicated than anything else in science.

Anyway, med schools don't really care. I know most of my classmates were only neuroscience majors because they had this idea stuck in their heads that med schools want "different" applicants and that neuroscience would help differentiate them from the legions of biology majors (which I always thought was pretty silly considering neuroscience is just a sub-field of biology for the most part; if your goal is to be different you'd be better off majoring in art history).

Also, neuroscience isn't the same thing as neurology or neurosurgery. Neuroscience is, as the name implies, a scientific discipline, not a medical one. Obviously its findings are what create the basis of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, but that isn't what the field primarily concerns itself with.

Anyway, no, medical schools aren't going to care that you were a neuroscience major in undergrad and then become a dermatologist or something. The important thing is to major in something you actually care about. Trust me, you'll do a lot better in classes when you actually care about what's going on as opposed to only taking them because "med schools will like this, right? Right?"

In fact, I'd suggest that you pick your major based on the idea that med school doesn't exist and that it is thus impossible to become a doctor. This is in part because this will let you pick a major you'll be happy with, and in part it's because the depressing reality is that the vast majority of students who start out as pre-med don't ever make it to medical school (so make sure to have a back-up career, because science degrees are only good for getting you into grad school or med school).
 
What is your opinion on the neuroscience major? Is it better than Biology or Chemistry? Is it interesting? Would it be weird if someone majored in neuroscience, went to medical school, and then had a completely unrelated residency? Is it good for premed?

Like what was said in your other thread, majors just don't matter nearly as much as you're worried they do. Pick what you like and run with it.

I have classmates who have degrees in neuroscience. They will not be trying to become neurologists, psychiatrists, or neurosurgeons, and I very much doubt anyone cares one bit.

It's just as well, because as someone mentioned above me, undergrad degrees and medical specialties aren't the same thing even if they have similar names.
 
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