Biochem vs Biology Major

[miabullitt]

Hey guys, right now I'm only in Bio1 and Chem1 but from what I have seen so far I am much more interested in chemistry. Although I like chem more know, how does it get?? I am charted as a bio major right now, but I think biochem might be fun.

Any thoughts from those who have been at the same point as me or are farther ahead?

Thanks!

(idk if this matters but both would be a BA not a BS)

Thanks!

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[Frazier]

Hey guys, right now I'm only in Bio1 and Chem1 but from what I have seen so far I am much more interested in chemistry. Although I like chem more know, how does it get?? I am charted as a bio major right now, but I think biochem might be fun.

Any thoughts from those who have been at the same point as me or are farther ahead?

Thanks!

(idk if this matters but both would be a BA not a BS)

Thanks!

So your questions are:

"How does it get?"
"Any thoughts?"

I think you should be original and major in something more...original.

It is hard to base anything [at all] on half a semester of the first class in a subject.
"Oh, this chem stuff is so fun! Orbitals, pretty geometry/hybridizations, neato redox balancing! I want to major in this stuff!"

...Then you get to advanced organic synthesis, p-chem (etc) and hate yourself for not majoring in psychology.

 

[MilkmanAl]

It is hard to base anything [at all] on half a semester of the first class in a subject.

Agreed, and if getting ahead in med school by taking certain college courses is your goal, just forget about it. Nothing you take will help enough to be worth the effort. Major in what you like, and be done with it.

 

[miabullitt]

Agreed, and if getting ahead in med school by taking certain college courses is your goal, just forget about it. Nothing you take will help enough to be worth the effort. Major in what you like, and be done with it.

Problem with me is I like a little bit of everything. I was initially a business major ( with the intent of going to med school ) and honestly I didn't want to continue in the track because all the accounting and whatnot didn't win me over. So I decided to just take the med school pre-reqs these next 2 semesters and play the field. I like the challenge of the sciences and understanding how the world really works. I'm relatively interested in the genetics portion of biology, but at least for now I find the molecular structure of everything pretty interesting. Just looking for some honest feedback from more advanced students.

Thanks!

 

[MilkmanAl]

That's what I'd suggest for someone who is undecided: taking a bunch of classes and seeing how they go. It's not like you're under any incredible pressure to commit to a major at this point, so go exploring.

 

[kami333]

Then you get to advanced organic synthesis, p-chem (etc) and hate yourself for not majoring in psychology.

^^^ This

I went with a bio major since I didn't want to take pchem and analytical.

Though major requirements does depend a lot on the school, my gf has a biochem & molecular bio degree and they didn't make her take chem beyond biochem (no pchem etc), she didn't have to take stats or genetics either.

 

[miabullitt]

Biz-nazz major here, myself... Smartest decision I ever made [concerning majors] was sticking with it. The only thing I didn't like about being a business major was A) it required a lot of group work with students that were inherently bad group mates, B) the grading for many assignments (i.e. presentations) are subjective vs the more clear cut grading of most science programs.

Trust me, I'm premed [who knows how to calculate the valuation of bonds].

However if you are repulsed by the number crunching nature of most business programs then you won't be a fan of accounting, finance, physics or chemistry [for that matter -- unless calc makes you all warm and fuzzy inside].

good advice, thanks!

The only courses I hated in business were the accounting courses. I do like math though, so calc really isn't a big deal. Also, be it good or not, I like the competitive nature of the science students, whereas the business majors spend all class on facebook or fulltiltpoker.com ( speaking of the experience in my school ).

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Yeah, I'd say it is a largely accurate projection of the cohort.

Which can only make your job of getting A's that much easier. Which will help you get into med school way more than a biochem or chemistry major. Seriously.

If you like math, but don't like accounting, maybe go statistics or finances or something like that? I did statistics, and oddles of doctors have told me how awesome/useful that is.

 

[nebraskadoc]

I nearly switched to biochem half way through my bio major. I stayed with bio though, and I'm glad I did. Every school is different but I am sure the requirements, from school to school, are somewhat similar. Here is my view on the pros and cons (based specifically on how my school works, prob should do research into your own)

Biochem: As a biochem major you will fulfill all of your pre-med requirements without having to take additional classes. Although there are more core requirements, there are fewer biochem electives, meaning you have the freedom to take your upper level classes in just about anything you want (I knew a guy who did most of his 300 and 400 levels in English). However, biochem is, in my opinion, harder. I didn't want to take p-chem and all the additional biochem core classes.

Biology: Fewer core requirements, but requires a lot of upper level bio electives. This is good if that's what you want. I wanted to take immunology, virology, genetics, etc so it worked out. It also gives you the chance to take classes like animal behavior or ecology if that's your thing, because bio is a lot more than just cell structure, genetics, etc. Also, there are often a wider variety of bio classes to choose from. With bio, though, all of your pre-med requirements may not be met through the major (orgo II is not required for a bio major at my school). This probably won't be a big deal though, because I'm sure, at the most, there won't be more than 1-2 extra classes you'll need to take.