What is the worst Pre-Med Major?

[KingTutATL]

Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc... are all great along with many other BA degrees. What are some of the worst majors to have if you're an aspiring pre-med? I don't think people view Computer Science to kindly.

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[nycpizza]

Unless you want to see how your GPA can plummet through the center of the earth, I advise you to stay as far away possible from Computer Science.

I had to learn it the hard way.

 

[mountainhare]

Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc... are all great along with many other BA degrees. What are some of the worst majors to have if you're an aspiring pre-med? I don't think people view Computer Science to kindly.

KingTutATL, can you clarify what you mean by your question? Why do you single out "Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc." and call them "great"? I've been told that medical-school admissions committees do not discriminate among applicants on the basis of their majors. I was a math major, and, as far as I'm aware, I was the only pure-math major from my school who applied last cycle. I'm not sure if this helped me, but it didn't seem to hurt me in any visible way. Interviewers frequently asked me how my interest in theoretical math was related to my interest in medicine. They also asked me to explain my math research to them, which was frustrating because it was impossible to explain it to them concisely in terms that they could understand. I'd recommend the math major to anyone who is interested in it, since your classmates are likely to be down-to-earth and non-competitive, your teachers won't be super-harsh graders, and it's a exciting contrast to the pre-med courses you'll have to take. The downside is that you'll probably be "out of the loop" (i.e., you probably won't be in on the latest pre-med gossip and will have to resort to an online forum like SDN to satisfy your needs). Furthermore, your math professors may not be very understanding or supportive of your pre-med ambitions, since they're not accustomed to teaching pre-meds. Also, it's hard to get a job in a bio lab if you're not a bio major, so if you want to work in a lab, you may want to major in bio instead; the only term-time jobs available to pure-math majors, really, are teaching jobs. I would guess that the computer-science major is similar to the math major except more employable. So, if you're interested in computers, I see no very compelling reason why you shouldn't major in CS.

Also, if you take all the pre-med courses and buy an MCAT prep book, I think you'll do fine on the MCAT regardless of what you major in. I mean, I only took three semesters of bio, all pretty introductory stuff, and I turned out ok. Just study hard, and you'll be fine no matter what your major is.

 

[acrobat]

Well I would advice taking physiology, immunology, embryology, molecular biology, Genetics, and biochem preparation for the MCAT. That basically puts u into some sort of Bio major....

Then do what everyone else including me does...add a Spanish major to "broaden" yourself to the liberals that runs these committees. Most LS schools make you take 3 or 4 credits of language anyways. Might as well jsut take the 15-20 credits extra and get it done.

Avoid anything engineering unless u want a ticket to grad school.

 

[biggoron42]

ah yes, them gol-durn librulls

its amazing, the extent of the "liberal conspiracy".

 

[Quetzal]

Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc... are all great along with many other BA degrees. What are some of the worst majors to have if you're an aspiring pre-med? I don't think people view Computer Science to kindly.

if ur trying to pick a major, pick something that INTERESTS you, even if not science related. you will have four yrs of med school and rest of ur life to learn about medicine and science. if u like something like history for example, go for it, of course take all the premed requirements, but chosing a major you like will make ur college experience a lot funner and it will make you a more balanced person (not that science majors are not balanced, but you know what im saying... i hope). just my two cents... good luck

 

[manO'war]

dont know abt the worst but one of the best was pole dancin with a minor in leisure studies.

 

[MossPoh]

Although they don't necessarily "favor" majors I think it is more of a rigor of studies thing. Major in what you want, but I mean if outside of your premed if you screw up your courses for what is considered an easy major it will probably hurt you. As much as some people would like to think I have a hard time thinking that the schools compare a 3.1 in psychology to a 3.1 nuclear engineering or something..... I have a weird mix that is by far not normal, but I also have to do a postbacc program since I didn't anticipate wanting this to later....at least I'll have a BA and a BS and a minor (by accident)

 

[browniegirl86]

ah yes, them gol-durn librulls

its amazing, the extent of the "liberal conspiracy".

You just turned my world upside down . . . liberals at OU? (To save you the time of clicking on the MDApps link, I went to UT). Does this mean I can't make sweeping generalizations anymore??!

 

[HigHal320]

Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc... are all great along with many other BA degrees. What are some of the worst majors to have if you're an aspiring pre-med? I don't think people view Computer Science to kindly.

Any major that you can do well in is good. Not sure if this can help you but AAMC has a statistics

 

[Law2Doc]

Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc... are all great along with many other BA degrees. What are some of the worst majors to have if you're an aspiring pre-med? I don't think people view Computer Science too kindly.

Depends what you mean by worst. Bio is probably one of the worst in terms of admission, as too many applicants are bio and it becomes difficult to distinguish yourself or show how you will contribute to a diverse class. But it may have some value in that you will have taken a lot of medicine intensive classes (A&P etc), giving a minor leg up in med school.

 

[SeminoleFan3]

Any major that you can do well in is good. Not sure if this can help you but AAMC has a statistics

Wow, the acceptance rate in '05 for those with humanities degrees was 52%. Makes me feel a little better about my BA in Religion.

 

[Depakote]

I have a BA in BS.

 

[LO281OK]

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES!
​

 

[Med_Leviathan]

Well I would advice taking physiology, immunology, embryology, molecular biology, Genetics, and biochem preparation for the MCAT. That basically puts u into some sort of Bio major....

...or you could just read the Examkrackers bio book and learn all that crap in 1/100 of the time without killing your GPA. Sometimes I wonder what is wrong with people on this board.

 

[newguy357]

Unless you want to see how your GPA can plummet through the center of the earth, I advise you to stay as far away possible from Computer Science.

I had to learn it the hard way.

I disagree...my computer science courses were just a matter of putting in the time for a guaranteed A, sort of like biology classes in that regard. Physics on the other hand...that can hurt your gpa.

 

[nycpizza]

I disagree...my computer science courses were just a matter of putting in the time for a guaranteed A, sort of like biology classes in that regard. Physics on the other hand...that can hurt your gpa.

Well, that's great.

I'm on another boat. Physics boosted my GPA while my CS courses really killed it. So it all depends on the situation I guess. Engineering classes at my school were killer.

 

[biggoron42]

You just turned my world upside down . . . liberals at OU? (To save you the time of clicking on the MDApps link, I went to UT). Does this mean I can't make sweeping generalizations anymore??!

there are two of us. we live in a cave underneath memorial stadium where we are fed twice a day and huddle for warmth. on gamedays, as part of the "fan-fest", people pay two dollars admission to see us and hurl uncreative epithets. it is a hard life, but someone has to do it.

 

[Anastasis]

there are two of us. we live in a cave underneath memorial stadium where we are fed twice a day and huddle for warmth. on gamedays, as part of the "fan-fest", people pay two dollars admission to see us and hurl uncreative epithets. it is a hard life, but someone has to do it.

Maybe you could have a conference with the two liberals we keep couped up under Kyle Field?

Oh wait - I think we bbqed them as we celebrated saving marriage from the gays.

(I'm kidding - please don't flame me)

 

[tictaq]

you could double major
although I would advise against it seeing as I will be taking 19 credits next semester in addition to summer classes just to graduate on time
I'm double majoring in bio and economics

 

[Captain Fantastic]

I disagree...my computer science courses were just a matter of putting in the time for a guaranteed A, sort of like biology classes in that regard. Physics on the other hand...that can hurt your gpa.

That's a completely different experience than I had with my CS degree. I found it very challenging. The coding became pretty heavy the last year: writing a compiler, writing an operating system. The theory was very math intensive (good thing for the mandatory minor in math): constructing proofs to dynamic programming algorithms, the whole theory of computation thingy. Sure there were easy courses along with way, but I didn't think the degree was a walk in the park.

 

[DrBowtie]

The worst major is Pre-Med major.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

The worst major is Pre-Med major.

LOL

 

[QuantumMechanic]

The worst major is Pre-Med major.

do schools actually have this as an official major? I keep hearing about it, but I've never met anyone who was a true "pre-med major."

 

[Hopeful_Doc]

do schools actually have this as an official major? I keep hearing about it, but I've never met anyone who was a true "pre-med major."

yes, usually it is Pre-Professional (pre-med, pre-dent, pre-law) i've met a few people who were but im not sure what their diploma would say.....Pre-Professional Studies maybe?

 

[DrWorkNeverDone]

LOL

I agree, the worse major is a pre-med major because they are in such a mind set that they squash all others in their way and don't enjoy life. Those are the same people at an interview who read off their answers as if a robot is talking to you.

 

[do-ca]

Religion majors rock!

 

[Schaden Freud]

Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc... are all great along with many other BA degrees. What are some of the worst majors to have if you're an aspiring pre-med? I don't think people view Computer Science to kindly.

Fashion design.

 

[browniegirl86]

there are two of us. we live in a cave underneath memorial stadium where we are fed twice a day and huddle for warmth. on gamedays, as part of the "fan-fest", people pay two dollars admission to see us and hurl uncreative epithets. it is a hard life, but someone has to do it.

Maybe you could have a conference with the two liberals we keep couped up under Kyle Field?

Oh wait - I think we bbqed them as we celebrated saving marriage from the gays.

(I'm kidding - please don't flame me)

Just bring them all to Austin. It's the natural habitat of the American Liberal. Or better yet, they can come to San Francisco with me.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Psychology and French with a minor in German. I was majoring in German for a while, but the school I am transferring to in order to be close to my girlfriend only offers it as a minor.

Oh and my associates in mortuary science should make for interesting interview conversation, especially when you realize I also will have an associates in respiratory therapy as of December.

 

[Anastasis]

Religion majors rock!

They DO! I minored because my school didn't offer a major and I loved it (actually religious studies and not religion, some places a "religion" major is actually like a "theology" major.)

 

[biggoron42]

Just bring them all to Austin. It's the natural habitat of the American Liberal. Or better yet, they can come to San Francisco with me.

hahah im oklahoma born and bred. it aint that bad. wouldnt mind escaping for a few years, though

 

[Anastasis]

Just bring them all to Austin. It's the natural habitat of the American Liberal. Or better yet, they can come to San Francisco with me.

I was a flaming Liberal at A&M - that just means I'm moderate compared to the rest of the country and extreme conservative for Austin. It's all relative.

 

[45408]

do schools actually have this as an official major? I keep hearing about it, but I've never met anyone who was a true "pre-med major."

it's not common, but a few schools have it. that is probably the worst one, although something like Leisure Studies might not be so good

 

[QuikClot]

Maybe you could have a conference with the two liberals we keep couped up under Kyle Field?

Oh wait - I think we bbqed them as we celebrated saving marriage from the gays.

(I'm kidding - please don't flame me)

There are lots of liberals on campus these days, because all the fine young men epousing the conservative viewpoint have joined the military and volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afganistan.

"We conservatives got the country into this unwinnable war based on lies" they say. "It is our responsibility to go fight it, so you won't see us on campus until Iraq and Afganistan are democratic, secular, uncorrupt, stable, prospersous . . . long story short, you can have my MP3 player."

Then they all left. It was very sad.

 

[Rafa]

There are lots of liberals on campus these days, because all the fine young men epousing the conservative viewpoint have joined the military and volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afganistan.

"We conservatives got the country into this unwinnable war based on lies" they say. It is our responsibility to go fight it, so you won't see us on campus until Iraq and Afganistan are democratic, secular, uncorrupt, stable, prospersous . . . long story short, you can have my MP3 player."

Then they all left. It was very sad.

Where have all the yellow elephants gone?

 

[Anastasis]

I graduated in '04. I guess it's amazing what a difference a few years makes. I was very liberal for campus back then. (Though I'm not really a liberal, I'm a Libertarian.)

 

[gujuDoc]

I have a BA in BS.

Best post yet.



I have a joke with my friend that our B.S. in Biology is a bull $hit degree aka B.S. degree with a different meaning then bachelors of science.

Oh and to answer the original question, a degree in which you hate what you are studying and don't do well is a bad degree to get. Do something you enjoy and take the premed courses on the side.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

There are lots of liberals on campus these days, because all the fine young men epousing the conservative viewpoint have joined the military and volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afganistan.

"We conservatives got the country into this unwinnable war based on lies" they say. "It is our responsibility to go fight it, so you won't see us on campus until Iraq and Afganistan are democratic, secular, uncorrupt, stable, prospersous . . . long story short, you can have my MP3 player."

Then they all left. It was very sad.

You're looking at a card-carrying Democrat (albeit a very moderate one) who very proudly served his country with distinction. So it's not just the conservatives who have the balls to serve.

But that's damn funny....

 

[browniegirl86]

You're looking at a card-carrying Democrat (albeit a very moderate one) who very proudly served his country with distinction. So it's not just the conservatives who have the balls to serve.

But that's damn funny....

Trust me, you're the exception to the rule in Texas.

But thanks for serving and doing us Dems proud

 

[windzilla]

Fashion designe at an extremely competative school. The schools reputation should be unknown, or poor outside of the field, and they should grade extremely hard such that A's are given out less often than tenure.

extra points if you hate the material, (pun intended) and your classmates are gunners, for some reason.

that would really suck.

 

[j-med]

KingTutATL, can you clarify what you mean by your question? Why do you single out "Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc." and call them "great"? I've been told that medical-school admissions committees do not discriminate among applicants on the basis of their majors. I was a math major, and, as far as I'm aware, I was the only pure-math major from my school who applied last cycle. I'm not sure if this helped me, but it didn't seem to hurt me in any visible way. Interviewers frequently asked me how my interest in theoretical math was related to my interest in medicine. They also asked me to explain my math research to them, which was frustrating because it was impossible to explain it to them concisely in terms that they could understand. I'd recommend the math major to anyone who is interested in it, since your classmates are likely to be down-to-earth and non-competitive, your teachers won't be super-harsh graders, and it's a exciting contrast to the pre-med courses you'll have to take. The downside is that you'll probably be "out of the loop" (i.e., you probably won't be in on the latest pre-med gossip and will have to resort to an online forum like SDN to satisfy your needs). Furthermore, your math professors may not be very understanding or supportive of your pre-med ambitions, since they're not accustomed to teaching pre-meds. Also, it's hard to get a job in a bio lab if you're not a bio major, so if you want to work in a lab, you may want to major in bio instead; the only term-time jobs available to pure-math majors, really, are teaching jobs.

mountainhaire, I completely agreed!
being a physics major, from a relatively smaller-sized department, I really got to know my classmates and professors. also, my classmates tend to be much more friendly and down-to-earth, heck, we even have regular homework sessions every friday where half the people from my class get together to do our homework! (it's one of those mad hard problem sets that it takes a whole evening to do, not including first working on it and come to the group to discuss about it. and when you don't understand, we just explain to each other what we know. simply the fact that we all like the subject was enough to tie us together.) those were the good times... Comparatively, the majority of premeds I've met are usually super competitive and secretive about their studying (there are certainly some that are not, but fewer) ..
but there are certainly the downsides like that you mentioned
so i guess the point is, just do whatever interests you. i picked my major cos i know i won't ever learn about those things i do now in med school

 

[MattD]

Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc... are all great along with many other BA degrees. What are some of the worst majors to have if you're an aspiring pre-med? I don't think people view Computer Science to kindly.

Babykillingology

 

[AznDoc]

Oh and to answer the original question, a degree in which you hate what you are studying and don't do well is a bad degree to get. Do something you enjoy and take the premed courses on the side.

i agree completely. nothing is worse than taking a major because you think you have to and then getting raped by it.

 

[browniegirl86]

Babykillingology

Yeah, adcoms aren't too fond of that one.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Worst pre-med major is pre-med, followed by General Bio.

 

[PariPari]

university studies
(i dunno what else it's called, but you basically have 3 or 4 "minors")
L-A-M-E-S-T degree ever, even a gen bio is better than that.

what type of jobs do these ppl get?

 

[DrBowtie]

mountainhaire, I completely agreed!
being a physics major, from a relatively smaller-sized department, I really got to know my classmates and professors. also, my classmates tend to be much more friendly and down-to-earth, heck, we even have regular homework sessions every friday where half the people from my class get together to do our homework! (it's one of those mad hard problem sets that it takes a whole evening to do, not including first working on it and come to the group to discuss about it. and when you don't understand, we just explain to each other what we know. simply the fact that we all like the subject was enough to tie us together.) those were the good times... Comparatively, the majority of premeds I've met are usually super competitive and secretive about their studying (there are certainly some that are not, but fewer) ..
but there are certainly the downsides like that you mentioned
so i guess the point is, just do whatever interests you. i picked my major cos i know i won't ever learn about those things i do now in med school

We have had a very similar experience. All the physics majors are really tight with the profs and one another.

 

[Rafa]

Corporate Loophology. It'll come in handy for the summer job at Merck, but God save you when you interview.

 

[KingTutATL]

KingTutATL, can you clarify what you mean by your question? Why do you single out "Bio, Chem, Bio/Chem, etc." and call them "great"? I've been told that medical-school admissions committees do not discriminate among applicants on the basis of their majors. I was a math major, and, as far as I'm aware, I was the only pure-math major from my school who applied last cycle. I'm not sure if this helped me, but it didn't seem to hurt me in any visible way. Interviewers frequently asked me how my interest in theoretical math was related to my interest in medicine. They also asked me to explain my math research to them, which was frustrating because it was impossible to explain it to them concisely in terms that they could understand. I'd recommend the math major to anyone who is interested in it, since your classmates are likely to be down-to-earth and non-competitive, your teachers won't be super-harsh graders, and it's a exciting contrast to the pre-med courses you'll have to take. The downside is that you'll probably be "out of the loop" (i.e., you probably won't be in on the latest pre-med gossip and will have to resort to an online forum like SDN to satisfy your needs). Furthermore, your math professors may not be very understanding or supportive of your pre-med ambitions, since they're not accustomed to teaching pre-meds. Also, it's hard to get a job in a bio lab if you're not a bio major, so if you want to work in a lab, you may want to major in bio instead; the only term-time jobs available to pure-math majors, really, are teaching jobs. I would guess that the computer-science major is similar to the math major except more employable. So, if you're interested in computers, I see no very compelling reason why you shouldn't major in CS.

Also, if you take all the pre-med courses and buy an MCAT prep book, I think you'll do fine on the MCAT regardless of what you major in. I mean, I only took three semesters of bio, all pretty introductory stuff, and I turned out ok. Just study hard, and you'll be fine no matter what your major is.

I can imagine how hard it would be to describe your mathematical research to an interviewer. I was only voicing an opinion I had seen others post about being a CS major. I would think with our increasing reliance upon computers as humans that more CS majors would be entering the medical field. Right now I'm currently a Business Major with an emphasis on medical practice management and have minors in Chemistry and Computer Science. So I feel as though I will have a pretty good mixture if I can one day aspire to a practice or have my own.