Any UCLA Science Majors up in herrrr

[SnYpaJY]

Alright so I'm not sure what major I should go for...

Physiological Science

Neuroscience

Biochemistry

I like all 3, and no I'm not taking a science major because of the MCAT (even though it should help). If you went to UCLA or know anyone that went to UCLA undergrad with one of these majors, what did they say or what do you think? (GPA wise, difficulty, interest level, etc.)

Thanks in advance

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[nina7123]

I wasn't any of those majors...but I can give you feedback from what I've heard from other people

Phy Sci: lots of pre-meds means the curve is hard, but the material isn't so bad and is basically what you learn in med school

Neurosci: pretty average difficulty

Biochem: lots of visualizing orbitals and tricky chem stuff...I've seen my friend's upper divs and it looks like she is taking really advanced chemistry along with the bio classes that everyone else takes anyway.

Word of mouth at UCLA is that the 3 hardest majors are: Biochem, MIMG, Neurosci

Disclaimer: I'm not physci, biochem, or neuro so all this is word of mouth

Good luck!

Also, I'm not sure how far along you are...but all the classes for the first 2 years are the same for everyone, so you really don't have to make a decision yet. Plus if you start taking neuro classes, realize you hate it and switch to physci, the neuro classes will probably count for your non-major upper div science classes, so it'll all work out in the end

 

[mk2009]

I just graduated from UCLA as a physiological science major.
The classes were easy, and it's just a lot of memorization.
I did really badly in all my prereq classes but I ended up getting As and A+s in all my phy sci major requirements with a lot of cramming. So yeah, I don't think it's hard at all as long as you can memorize a lot of stuff in a short amount of time... It will help you a lot for mcat too since you already learn more than half the stuff for bio section. However, I didn't really find the classes that exciting (maybe it was the teachers who taught it) and in retrospect, I would rather choose to be either MCDB or MIMG major, but that's just my thought...

As for the other majors... I heard that neuroscience is a really easy major with some interesting bits. and I hear biochem is pretty tough when you get to physical chem and thermo chem...

 

[pntgrd]

Phy sci is not good. It is almost all competitive premeds, hard curve, and stuff that you will learn in medical school. Therefore, your time would be better spend and looked upon more favorably by adcoms by doing a different major.

 

[funkydrmonkey]

major in MIMG... it is the most interesting out of all of the UCLA science majors..

 

[nina7123]

I was MIMG...was interesting but keep in mind that it has the lowest science GPA at UCLA (3.0...up from 2.8 a few years ago, score!) My professors told me that MIMG prepares you well for med school. All the tests focus on problem solving rather than memorization which is nice.

In the end I think they are all rather comparable.

Funkydrmonkey did you start at UCLA and transfer to UCI or the other way around?

edit: just to note, my crappy GPA was due to pre-reqs and not MIMG classes which I found to be rather easy actually, so I'm not sure why the average GPA is so low

 

[ucla2134]

choose biology, it is the easiest science major since neuro, physci, biochem you have to compete with 90% premed. It is crazy.
I am a neurocience major btw. I got most A in my prerequisite but the upper division neuroscience keep my GPA down. The neuroanatomy class was crazy although Dr.Scheibel is really helpful but 60% of the class fail. If you don't believe me, ask other neuroscience major at ucla

 

[CyanideDN]

I'd stay away from Biochem because I believe you have to take the Chem 20/30 series (for physical sciences majors) instead of the easier Chem 14 series (for life sciences majors).

As for Phy Sci, I've heard mixed opinions about the major. My roommate struggled with that major while my other friend did fine. Supposedly it's just massive memorization for that major.

As for me, I'm MIMG and I certainly agree that it is a very interesting major. Several MIMG professors that I had are also teaching in the school of medicine. We have had quite a few guest lecturers (MDs) come and discuss various pathogens and diseases. In term of GPAs, the classes are quite hard because you may be tested on both memorization and conceptualization (design experiments..etc). However, if you happen to click with the major then you'll do fine. For me, my MIMG upper division classes have boosted my GPA significantly.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you. The bad thing is that you won't know which major is the right fit for you (in term of GPA, difficulty, and interest) until you've taken several upper division courses. By then it might be too late to switch out of the major.

 

[SiR99]

I dont know if your a freshmen or a transfer student but you really need to see where you personally are around your second/third year before picking a major.

you have to take the LS classes and see which one you like the best, then you have to see if your on schedule to graduate, and if your behind you have to decide if your are willing to stay an extra year. Physiological Science and Neuroscience have some classes which are offered only once a year and if you drop the class or cant enroll then you have to wait another year before taking it and most classes are pre-reqs for the later ones.

 

[funkydrmonkey]

I was MIMG...was interesting but keep in mind that it has the lowest science GPA at UCLA (3.0...up from 2.8 a few years ago, score!) My professors told me that MIMG prepares you well for med school. All the tests focus on problem solving rather than memorization which is nice.

In the end I think they are all rather comparable.

Funkydrmonkey did you start at UCLA and transfer to UCI or the other way around?

edit: just to note, my crappy GPA was due to pre-reqs and not MIMG classes which I found to be rather easy actually, so I'm not sure why the average GPA is so low

I transferred from UCI to UCLA... but the low grades from my GPA are from the bad grades I got in prereqs... My UCLA GPA, which is mostly upper div MIMG classes is higher...

 

[SnYpaJY]

I'm a CC transfer student, so by the time I transfer I will have all Lower Reqs including GE's completed except for Physics 6ABC, Biochemistry, and Life Science 4.

How are those classes at UCLA?

Heard Biochem is tough at UCLA, and for physics not really sure.

I could possibly take Life Science 4 or Biochem at my CC, which will be significantly easier, but not sure if I should.

 

[happyboy]

I'm a 4th year MIMG major, and I have to say that the classes in upper division are really easy with the EXCEPTION of Immunology 185A. That class required a lot of problem solving that is not typically taught within the first three years of education. Essentially, the only way to do well in that class is to have a mind for problem solving, which you can build by doing extensive independent research.

I have received an A+ or A in almost all of my MIMG classes. Some of them are LOTS of memorization, and almost all of them stress the importance of analyzing data.

MIMG is an interdisciplinary major because you can take courses from biochemistry, MCDB, and neuroscience and count those classes towards your requirements. For that reason, I believe it is one of those most versatile majors at UCLA. I also think MCDB is a good major; it's not hard from what I've seen.

Biochemistry is more work that the previous majors I listed, and it will certainly help as well since UCLA professors stress analysis of data over memorization.

I don't think phy-sci stresses as much data interpretation as the previous majors, but I could be wrong. Either way, you should consider what you're good at instead of listening to what other people say about the "difficulty". Your judgement is not going to be sound if you continue on that path.

 

[EBTrailRunner]

What's with everyone reviving these old threads lately?