bio minor

[simp]

hello!
So I am a freshman in a PharmD program (does that still make me pre-pharm or pharm because technically I'm pre-pharm but it looks likes the people who are "pre-pharm" on this forum are pre-college. lol. I was really confused on which one to pick when registering.) and I was wondering if a minor in bio (and possibly chem) is worth it. I'll already have a PharmD and many people (other freshmen who might not know about the world) are telling me that it's pointless because I'll have the PharmD and that's enough.

Will the minor in bio really do nothing for me? Or will it make me at least a little bit more marketable?

I only need one more bio course for the minor which I'll be taking during the spring. If I do decide to minor in chem as well, I only need one more course for that, too but I'm having a little trouble fitting it in (or I'm just being stubborn and just don't want to have that extra lab...)

So should should I take the one class (two classes if I decide chem as well) to graduate with a PharmD and a bio minor? Or should I just stick with a plain PharmD?

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[Monalyce]

I'm assuming you mean that you are in year 1 of a six year program. I guess I'm confused...I didn't realize you could get a "minor" as part of a doctorate degree program.

 

[holymolys]

why would a PharmD program offer a bio minor? and i would't waste time on it, who needs that when you got a Pharm.D behind your name

 

[simp]

I'm assuming you mean that you are in year 1 of a six year program. I guess I'm confused...I didn't realize you could get a "minor" as part of a doctorate degree program.

Yeah, sorry, I am in year 1 of a six year program. And I didn't know either, but apparently I can get a minor in anything I want as long as I take 18 credits of said major to minor in it. And since bio/chem only needs one more class to qualify for a minor, it was a thought.

 

[holymolys]

i suppose you could do that, it doesn't hurt you, but you don't really gain much from it either, 1 PharmD > ∞ minors, it'll make your resume longer, not much other than that really

 

[joh0472]

Deciding on a minor in your case is probably determined on what you want to do after getting your pharmD. If you are looking into retail or independent pharmacies then I would recommend taking business classes, if you are looking into specializing in areas like research, nuclear pharmacy, etc... then take classes that will benefit you in those areas.

 

[simp]

so is the minor virtually worthless, and I should not waste my time doing them?

Deciding on a minor in your case is probably determined on what you want to do after getting your pharmD. If you are looking into retail or independent pharmacies then I would recommend taking business classes, if you are looking into specializing in areas like research, nuclear pharmacy, etc... then take classes that will benefit you in those areas.

well I was thinking of doing clinical pharmacy, so i don;t know if a bio and/or chem minor would be beneficial.

 

[desklamp]

Yeah, sorry, I am in year 1 of a six year program. And I didn't know either, but apparently I can get a minor in anything I want as long as I take 18 credits of said major to minor in it. And since bio/chem only needs one more class to qualify for a minor, it was a thought.

Minors are generally worthless unless you are thinking of doing something in that field later on, and the minor isn't that related to your main degree. For example, my boyfriend is doing Mech E with a minor in BME with the intention of working as a mechanical engineer in the biotech industry. Similarly, my piano teacher did a minor in music so she could teach piano. I am pretty sure the pre req courses you need to take for the PharmD will include classes like bio and chem, so having a minor in biology might be a bit redundant if you are ending up with a PharmD. I really wouldn't bother with it unless you are just really bored and you only have to take a few extra classes to fulfill the minor.

Trust me a BA in Bio is worthless enough as it is in the job market (coming from a graduate with a Bio degree).

 

[trickydonna]

i transferred into a UC as a soc major and it's difficult to change my major to bio/chem. i was wondering if i should just minor in bio bc i would also be completing pre reqs for pharm school. good or bad idea??? is the minor on my degree almost useless? you guys seem to think so

 

[delano2000]

If u are already in a pharm program why the hell would you want to minor in something. Just go straight for your PharmD and do well in your classes...Just my $0.02

 

[Monalyce]

Unless you think the extra coursework will help you in later classes, there's no reason to get a minor. Focus on getting patient interaction and networking with pharmacists in clinical pharmacy.

 

[simp]

thanks for responding! i really appreciate it.

 

[bacillus1]

I am in a 6 year program as well (4th year now) and I declared a stat minor my freshman year, finishing it at the end of my 3rd year. I think it's relatively good because it's another thing to add to your resume, and you can take classes that will enrich your knowledge and are relatively useful (for example for a bio minor you could take something like biology of aging, might be useful for pharmacy). It's not ultra-important that you add a minor, but I guess it is mildly useful if you have the time for it. Two minors (bio and chem) or a double major would be a waste of time.

 

[pharm B]

i transferred into a UC as a soc major and it's difficult to change my major to bio/chem. i was wondering if i should just minor in bio bc i would also be completing pre reqs for pharm school. good or bad idea??? is the minor on my degree almost useless? you guys seem to think so

Your situation is altogether different. You're currently pursuing a Bachelors in an unrelated field (I assume soc= Sociology). In your case, I would line the pharmacy pre-requisites up against the courses required for the Bio minor and make my decision based on how much common ground is covered between them. Completing your degree definitely earns you points come application time, and the minor probably wouldn't hurt. But I don't think it's a deal-breaker either way.

Example: I'm knocking out the pharmacy pre-reqs right now, but they pretty much cover a lot of the requirements for a bio or chem Associates Degree, so I'm getting 2 AS's (bio AND chem) at the same time because they both require so much of the same coursework.