Triple major ??? is it competetive ?? would it enhance anything ??

[Raid KH]

Hallo ,
As I start my Undergrad in college , I am looking for having some sharp education in the basic sciences in order to preaper myself for Medical School, also to seem a bit more competitive with the majors side .I am thinking about triple majoring in Biology , Chemistry and BioMedical science. or Biology , Chemistry and Biophsycology. I looked over the courses , there is alot of similarities and shared ones and it wouldn't take more than 4 years ( if I use 2 summer semester ).

I will be starting college Next fall , and I have a special circumstance as well .. English is My second Language.

for all those of you who are in College , can you give me any advises to what to do and what to avoid ?? would a triple major ( In addition to a high gpa and good MCAT ) help me to get into a good medical school ?? how about if I apply to an MD/Phd program would it also help ??

Thanks a lot ...

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[typicalindian]

How about instead of going on a suicide mission, pick one major, a minor, and get a 4.0? Your major really doesn't matter, it could be a major in basket weaving as long as you have the required pre reqs and have done WELL in them. Instead of wasting time getting 3 majors finished you should just spend that extra time doing research and building up your EC's and become a sociable person because no body wants a bookworm as their doctor.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

Choose one, MAYBE two at the most for majors. Seriously do not do that to yourself. By the time you Take all of your prereqs (premed and prescribed) and you finish your major and another other additional requirements that a medical school may require you will have enough to graduate. In addition to that you still have your volunteering, shadowing, etc. Just do one thing that you are very interested in to save you some misery!

 

[MartletMD]

I doubt it would help for either MD or MD/PhD, and if you're working through the summer sessions twice, I think you're putting yourself at risk to suffer burnout and tank your GPA.

Also, I know my school does NOT allow double-dipping; that is, I can't use Bio 101 to fulfill both my biology and chemistry majors, I would have to replace Bio 101 with an upper-level bio course for one of my majors. You should speak with your school's advisor to see if this is the case at your institution.

My advice: Drop (at least) one. Study something you are interested in. Use electives to explore other areas. Use your language situations as not an excuse but as a challenge.

EDIT:

How about instead of going on a suicide mission, pick one major, a minor, and get a 4.0? Your major really doesn't matter, it could be a major in underwater basket weaving as long as you have the required pre reqs and have done WELL in them. Instead of wasting time getting 3 majors finished you should just spend that extra time doing research and building up your EC's and become a sociable person because no body wants a bookworm as their doctor.

FTFY.

EDIT 2: As to what to avoid: ask the upper years, figure out what the weedout courses are. Turns out I walked right into an engineering weedout course (which was one of two options to fulfill a math requirement for my freshman program) as a non-engineer and had no idea; let's just say I got firmly weeded out of engineering laugh and did my GPA no favors.

 

[lenny8462]

Hahaha typical High Schooler. Don't waste your time pretending to triple major. If you tell people once you get to college, particularly upperclassmen, that you plan to triple major they'll laugh at you.

 

[IMSingular]

...

I will be starting college Next fall , and I have a special circumstance as well .. English is My second Language.

...

Well, majoring in English may be useful.

 

[PantherPride]

Three majors?

That's child's play. You really want to impress the Adcoms? Do a quad-major. While you're at it, make two of them engineering majors. And take 30 hrs a semester.

Or, if you want to save some time, pick one major, bomb the first semester, rock a 1.5 GPA, and you'll yield results similar to triple majoring

 

[MartletMD]

Well, majoring in English may be useful.

Firmly disagree. English majors don't focus on the mechanics of the language, and they may ask you to find things in texts that you are not prepared to do. Symbolism and irony get lost when you're stuck working out the syntax. If I were the OP, I would avoid English classes until you have a year or two at the university in an immersed environment under your belt, maybe see if your university offers ESL courses for newcomers.

 

[Lil Mick]

I did the triple major, albeit in three disparate areas of study (biochem/psych/philosophy). Very interesting and quite useful in medical school. It wasn't too bad fitting in the classes and having time for outside things (ROTC, volunteering, research...), but I'd recommend just majoring in biochemistry if your intended majors are all related to it. It'll save you a lot of time.

 

[Abagnale]

I, like you, eagerly jumped into UG thinking of doing a double engineering major. I then realized that doing just one major, and doing it well, is a much better route. I have time to take classes for interest, and I have a little of time for myself as well.

Literally, double majoring and minoring doesn't help. The knowledge you acquire along the way will, but having more letters on your transcript will do nothing. For instance, I'm taking some language classes just for interest, but even though I'll be two classes away from minoring, I don't want to compromise my GPA and sanity and to take classes "just because."

 

[chiapet874]

The short answer: no, 3 majors won't impress anyone. It might garner a "hmm, interesting", but if you are doing a triple major for that, I highly question your priorities.

 

[235788]

Do as you wish. I did heavy sciences, and finished with above average gpa, and i feel like i accomplished much more then my psychology/humanity peers.

My philosophy, if you want to be a Dr. -- why fear difficult coursework?

Everyone "knows" a humanity major who did fine, including myself, but I also know many who didn't get in with above average stats. A lot of people see through easy coursework and the applicants who took 12 credit hours a semester.

 

[varsityblue]

First off, OP needs to calm the f down and enjoy senior year. OP, when I was your age, I spent 70% of my time chilling at the pool/daydreaming about hot guys and 30% of my time studying for exams. I'm sure you're good at math and don't need me to tell you explicitly that I spent 0% of my time thinking about my future. You should be HANGING WITH YOUR FRIENDS because, most likely, you're not going to get to spend this much time with them ever again as school breaks don't always line up and people usually do internships in different locations every summer.

That said, I want you to do three things for me.
1) Don't pick majors that sound hard. Pick majors that you're going to excel in.
2) Don't feel compelled to double or triple major. It's a smarter idea to pick one major, get a 4.0 and stack up departmental awards than to spend 90% of your freshman year in the library. (I have firsthand experience with this and would be more than happy to discuss it in a PM.) Doing more than one major actually ends up making you look scattered and isn't all that competitive. (Doing amazing EC's, though, makes you competitive.)
3) Start reading www.studyhacks.com religiously.

 

[sunflower18]

Do as you wish. I did heavy sciences, and finished with above average gpa, and i feel like i accomplished much more then my psychology/humanity peers.

My philosophy, if you want to be a Dr. -- why fear difficult coursework?

Everyone "knows" a humanity major who did fine, including myself, but I also know many who didn't get in with above average stats. A lot of people see through easy coursework and the applicants who took 12 credit hours a semester.

That's kind of unfair! I am going to major in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing because I love the subject and want to learn as much about it as I can before delving completely into science come medical school. I'm not doing it because it's easier, by any stretch of the imagination. It's kind of disheartening that the whole "major in whatever you love" mantra may not hold true, and that choosing courses outside of the typical biology-chemistry realm can still be met with skepticism and condescension. :/

To the OP: I agree with what everyone else was saying You can always take classes outside of your major for fun without actually getting a major in it! Say you choose to major in Chemistry, but you really want to take an upper-level Bio class. By all means, take it! But you don't need to feel obligated to take all of the classes that constitute a biology major. Good luck!!

 

[neuro nephrons]

gaining acceptance into an american medical school will be nearly impossible if you ONLY have a triple major. I quadruple majored during my undergraduate degree. Try to add in another major if you want to do ANYTHING with your life.....also see what types of certificates your university offers. if you can't get any certificates or minors, I'd suggest a 5th major. you should be able to handle it no problem

 

[JESSFALLING]

Everyone "knows" a humanity major who did fine, including myself, but I also know manywho didn't get in with above average stats.

The statistics don't support your claim. Yes, of course there are many humanities majors that don't get in.....but there are many more biology majors (both in sheer number and as a %) that don't make the cut. Statistically, humanities applicants have the highest probability of being accepted.

That said, I agree with your idea that you shouldn't fear challenging classes...unless they're going to tank your GPA, of course .

 

[JESSFALLING]

To OP: You'll be better off picking one major (or two MAX). A triple-major in science will rob you of your time.....which means less opportunity to take interesting electives, less time for volunteering and other ECs, less time for research, and less time to study.....which might mean poor grades.

Personally, I think "Biology and Biopsychology" would make a good combination if you go the double-major route. If I could only pick one of the majors, though, it would be Biopsychology. I would would major in it and just make sure that I cover the basic premed requirements, and also take biochemistry.

 

[LilKangaroo]

Hallo ,
As I start my Undergrad in college , I am looking for having some sharp education in the basic sciences in order to preaper myself for Medical School, also to seem a bit more competitive with the majors side .I am thinking about triple majoring in Biology , Chemistry and BioMedical science. or Biology , Chemistry and Biophsycology. I looked over the courses , there is alot of similarities and shared ones and it wouldn't take more than 4 years ( if I use 2 summer semester ).

If you already realize these majors are basically the same thing, don't you think adcoms do as well? You're using what should be elective credits to add other majors onto you degree and it doesn't come across as impressive.

If you want to a triple major to be somewhat "impressive", (I'm using this term very loosely) it should be from fields that are completely different. That way you show a true diversified interest; and it doesn't hurt to show that you can use your analytical skills in a variety of applications.

But like everyone else has mentioned, focus on your grades first and foremost. Take what you like and figure it out what your are actually good at before you worry about what major that ends up being later.

 

[235788]

The statistics don't support your claim. Yes, of course there are many humanities majors that don't get in.....but there are many more biology majors (both in sheer number and as a %) that don't make the cut. Statistically, humanities applicants have the highest probability of being accepted.

That said, I agree with your idea that you shouldn't fear challenging classes...unless they're going to tank your GPA, of course .

just people i know, n=4. No random sampling etc

 

[JESSFALLING]

just people i know, n=4

Just curious, did they take extra upper-division science (e.g. Biochemistry, Genetics, Cell)?

 

[plumhill]

From what I've heard a double major is only looked upon as "interesting" is if you do two completely different majors. Bio/Chem/Biomedical science and even biopsychology are pretty similar majors.

 

[typicalindian]

FTFY.

nooo dude underwater basket weaving is just an elective class under the basket weaving major. cmon man

 

[TriagePreMed]

LOL I remember freshman year where everyone wanted to double major and double minor at the same time. Majority were barely able to finish a major, let alone 2 or 3.

 

[SellerAl]

No schools care about what your major is. They care about your gpa, mcat, and ec's. Those will all suffer at the expense of trying to triple major. More harm then good for sure. Do 1 major, get a 4.0, use the extra time to do research, volunteering, and mcat studying.

 

[Gigantron]

The only thing I can see a triple major enhancing are your stress levels.