Can It be done: Computer Science major?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
dmission

dmission

Full Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
296
Reaction score
0
snipped
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Comp sci major becoming a doctor, why not? I really do not think it will hurt, just as long as you do well in the required phys/bio sciences.

Best of luck with this.
 
i was a history major, my friend an art history major. both will be doctors. it does not matter. do what you like.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I graduated in History as well. The biggest problem with Comp Sci is that it will probably take longer to do the pre-reqs and graduate than if you were doing a smaller major- but if it's what you enjoy the most and you don't mind some extra time at school, go for it.
 
mordounhas said:
I graduated in History as well. The biggest problem with Comp Sci is that it will probably take longer to do the pre-reqs and graduate than if you were doing a smaller major- but if it's what you enjoy the most and you don't mind some extra time at school, go for it.
Click to expand...

Period.

(I'm a psych major who's had to do the same thing, what with the extra time investment.)
 
computer science is one of the best majors as a premed (in my opinion). not only do you have a cool major, but you have tons of backup options in case you need a year (or 10) off.
 
Thanks for all the great replies. I suppose my main concern is; can it still be acquired in 4 years, even with all those extra pre-quisites that must be taken? (Are there any research things available too?)

Thanks again,
Dmission
 
dmission said:
Thanks for all the great replies. I suppose my main concern is; can it still be acquired in 4 years, even with all those extra pre-quisites that must be taken?
Click to expand...

In short, yes. And I second etf's comments about a fallback revenue stream. :) I've worked and saved a good amount that is going to significantly help defray the costs of medical school. And had some amazing experiences to boot.
 
two words... summer school!
 
st0w said:
In short, yes. And I second etf's comments about a fallback revenue stream. :) I've worked and saved a good amount that is going to significantly help defray the costs of medical school. And had some amazing experiences to boot.
Click to expand...

If not biomed sciences, I would do a csci / mis degree if I had to do it all over again.

Hindsight and all that.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Sorry -- what's "mis"?


Thanks
Dmission
 
Members don't see this ad :)
dmission said:
Hey all, I'm back again =P

I'm still unsure as to which major I should choose -- I love computer programming so I thought computer science would be good, but the question remains... can I do this while getting the appropriate prerequisites completed?

Any input greatly appreciated

Thanks,
Dmission
Click to expand...


How reasonable this would be for you to do in four years totally depends on your school's requirements for the major, for non-major distributive requirements, etc. I was a CS major at a liberal arts college, and it would have been very easy for me to fit in the premed courses if I'd wanted to at the time. Other schools will set more requirements for the major and leave less freedom and flexibility for the rest of your classes. Talk with an advisor in your CS department or a premed advisor to get a feel for what it would be like for you.

Another thing to consider is that CS is about a lot more than just programming. You'll take classes on architecture, languages, algorithms, etc. as part of the major. They'll range from low-level coding to head-splitting theoretical analysis. If you're not familiar with everything a CS major covers, you should talk to professors and advisors to learn more about it before committing.

Finally, CS's reputation is that it's a hard major that takes lots of work. This varies somewhat from person to person (it was always easier for me to write a program or do a problem set for CS than to write a paper for a humanities or social science course, but most people would disagree), but even if you find that all the CS stuff comes naturally you'll still need to put in plenty of hours on the assignments. And if it doesn't come naturally, you'll be struggling to keep up your GPA.

I don't mean for this post to sound discouraging - I certainly don't regret that majoring in computer science - just take some time to know what you're getting into, and be sure it's a good fit.
 
Try planning out the rest of your four years: which classes you'd hypothetically take then, how many credits they're worth, and what ECs you'd have time for. If it fits and you can do that level of work, great. If not, add in a summer semester or two, or try a different major. Once you have the semester-by-semester plan written out, you might want to talk to another older computer science major or an adviser to see whether they think it's feasible.
 
What HanginInThere said.

I think for most schools you will find that it is very doable. I did my undergrad degree in computer science before I had decided to pursue anything even health related. The degree was offered through the school of science and as such I was required to take bio, chem and 2 semesters of physics. I also had many free electives over the years that could have been filled with orgo and the remainder of the required coursework.
 
In addition to what the above posters have said, if you major is CS, it is crucial to perform well in your premed prerequisites, because as a CS major it may be difficult to take many upper-level bio/chem/physics/math courses to increase a low science GPA.

I was a natural science major, and although I didn't do so hot in the prereqs, I was able to get solid grades in physiology, anatomy, neuroscience, etc. to prove to adcoms that I could handle a rigorous schedule of biology courses.

Also, I think you would be very attractive to med schools, especially if you are interested in applying or have already applied CS skills to medically relevant applications e.g. bioinformatics, genomics, computer modelling of biological systems, etc.

I know a MD/PhD student at a top school who was a CS major and he thinks the CS background helped a lot in the admissions process.
 
I was an engineer and only a very few of my major's requirements overlapped with medical school requirements. So yes, if you really enjoy CS, it can be done. Keep in mind though that CS is a pretty time consuming major and it might cost you even if you do well. My ability to participate in ECs was somewhat hindered by my choice in major since you have to keep time open to finish incredibly long problem sets and work on projects, so even if you do well, you're "extras" might suffer as a result.

I don't really regret my choice to do engineering though.
 
dmission said:
Do you think it would be better to combine Computer Science and Engineering like this:
http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/academics/major_view.cfm?major=ecse

This would allow more research... but is it still possible to do in 4 years (with med. required courses?)

Thanks!

Dmission
Click to expand...

My vote is against CS. It would be really hard to keep your grades up if you do it at UCLA and even harder at Berkeley (you are in California, right?). Those long, stupid, pointless, meaningless programming assignments will not leave you much time for other more worthwhile things. Also, as someone has already pointed out, CS is much more than programming and competition in upper division courses is brutal (5 As in a class of 60 students at a school where I did my undergrad, at least that's how it used to be when everybody and their grandparents were trying to be CS majors).

The other downside with CS is even if your programming assignment is 99.9% correct but it doesn't pass the test cases the TA or grader will run, you are screwed. In any other major you would receive most of the credit for something that is 99% correct, but not in CS.
 
Do you feel the same about the Computer Engineering mixed with Computer Science major?

Thanks,
Dmission
 
Those mixed degrees are a bunch of BS. 4 years is enough time to scratch the surface of one of those majors, let alone 2.
 
Really? I thought it would allow for more back-up possiblities... I think if it's designed to be one major, shouldn't it be completable in 4years?

Thanks,
Dmission
 
what I mean, is you will learn a little about more things. Computer engineering is it's own major, and CS is it's own major. That CS and COMPE degree is a 4 year degree, but it I don't see how you would learn all the material in each respective degree. Again, I haven't researched it, so make up your own mind. It's your decision, not anyone else's.
 
I am back to school right now (doing post-bacc) and I call myself "pre-med"...even though I finished my BS in computer science & math in '04.

bad news is, I finished my UG with a lousy 3.01 GPA, the good news is, I work as a software engineer and I just don't know how to run out of money :)

Every school I've contacted about my situation had absolutely no problem with my original major, most of them even say on thier websites to pick an undergrad major that INTERESTS the student (it doesn't have to be a biology/chemistry pre-med major), it can be anything, art, histroy, engineering, computer scien, math, blah blah blah
 
Yes. I have seen it multiple times. Computer guys... If I ever have to think about logic controllers, I/O cards and a two cubic meter rat's nest of wiring, blood will shoot out my ears.

I've got classmates who were comp sci people and i know attendings who were systems engineers before before they went to medical school.
 
I was a CS major. I think it is a hard choice doing them both at the same time. It will probably take you longer than 4 years. I took 5.5 years although I changed my major a bunch before deciding on CS. I think it definitely made me stand out, but I doubt I would do it again in the same way. I started out as a pre-med Biology major, then got fed up with chemistry so I switched to a Physics major instead. At that point, I didn't want to do pre-med anymore and just wanted to be a physicist since I hated chem so much. After 3 years, I decided I wasn't all that great at physics so I switched to CS. I aced all of my CS courses, but then right before I graduated I realized that I was stupid to give up on med-school so I retook all my chem courses and aced them. So basically I ended up back in pre-med but as a CS major. I wouldn't really recommend it but that's how it happened.
 
Majoring in CS is actually not a bad idea. If you can't get in med school, having a degree in CS will definitely help you land a good job. Moreover, a lot of med schools nowadays support a diverse student body. Therefore having a degree in CS may be a good thing.
 
I majored in CS (@ Ohio State) and am now a second year med student at UofLouisville so it can certainly be done. It took me two extra summer quarters, but I did finish in 4 years-the trick is keeping your GPA up and balancing the course load-I finished with a 3.52 (3.6 sciences) and got accepted promptly, so its certainly doable. It was a fun and interesting major-I am certainly glad I went that path.

Good luck with it!!
 
Thanks for all the replies. Is "Comp. Sci & Engineering" really a BS major though? :(
 
dmission said:
Thanks for all the replies. Is "Comp. Sci & Engineering" really a BS major though? :(
Click to expand...

Computer Science as an area of study has been derived from mathematics and engineering, and you'll tend to find that departments are often made up of lecturers and researchers who have come from one of those areas, and those are their BSc degrees.

There are a small group of people who graduated as Computer Scientists, but those are really in the last 15 years or so, so the core of faculty is often Maths/Eng.

As a consequence, there are persistent questions as to whether CS should be separate, or part of engineering at departmental level, and often at course level. My experience is that this is 50/50 at departmental, and I can't speak to the course level differentiation.

Looks like a solid degree, though. My BSc was straight CS with no engineering, and in hindsight, I wish that I had experienced more of that.

My PhD was in CS, and I got an acceptance to a med school a little while ago. So in answer to your question... Yes; it can be done.

Oh... And what people said about courses not really satisfying medical school pre-reqs is completely true. Engineering/CS is one of the few areas that ticks no boxes at all! (Even the languages lot get kudos for their tangential courses)

Finally, it's also true that CS/Engineering courses do consume a lot of time and effort; more so than most others (comparing my workload with that of my sister, who did English at the same time as me), so that makes it really challenging to add ECs, research, etc. to your application, so that's worth thinking about.
 
Victors - your post confused me...lol.
DoctorPhud - Thanks for your input. I'm willing to put in the time and effort, mostly because I have a fascination for computers. I'm hoping with hard work in college I'll be able to add some research and ECs in there, as well. Do you think it's a good idea if I stick with this major for now and then maybe speak to an advising counselor when I start college?

Thanks
 
Thank you for yet another helpful post.
 
If you like CS and can get a kick-ass GPA, go for it. If the med school plan falls apart (god forbid), you still can get a job. And guess what, your salary can beat a salary of a family doctor, pediatrician, or an internist (general). I did CS and Math for my BS.. have a masters, too... would not have done it any differently. It is great to have a steady paycheck every two weeks ... and it is great not to be broke.
 
im a CS/Molec. Bio double major

taking a CS major w/ the other requirements shouldnt be too crazy

its definately doable - but it will take some work

im glad went with CS - besides the programming part, its amazing to understand how everything works (algorithms, how databases work, etc...)
 
Thanks for the replies :) I think I'll switch and go full on Computer Sci.
 
sadascsa
 
dmission said:
Thanks for all the great replies. I suppose my main concern is; can it still be acquired in 4 years, even with all those extra pre-quisites that must be taken? (Are there any research things available too?)

Thanks again,
Dmission
Click to expand...


As for completing it in 4 years, it can be generally be done with planning. You'll want to get an official list of course requirements for your university (gen eds) and for your major, then add in the pre-med classes and see how it works out.
 
Thanks, rgarrig :) You make it sound pretty possible... guess I'll go and give it my best shot:D
 
This could have been touched on before, but CS will probably help you do research. I have pretty basic computer skills (matlab and other related programs) compared to what you would get from CS background, and I have been able to use those skills in 4 different medically related research projects so far. I say go for it but make sure you use your cs skills in medically related ways so that when interviews come along you can tie them together.
 
Thanks for the tip -- I'll definitely try to do that.
 
Nookular said:
This could have been touched on before, but CS will probably help you do research. I have pretty basic computer skills (matlab and other related programs) compared to what you would get from CS background, and I have been able to use those skills in 4 different medically related research projects so far. I say go for it but make sure you use your cs skills in medically related ways so that when interviews come along you can tie them together.
Click to expand...

+1

I used my CS skills as major leverage to get access to people and projects that others couldn't.

For example... I was hired for a clinical research job because the doc needed some help with his study database as well as someone to work with the patient/participants. My "pre-med with computer science" got me the job. From there it cascaded into a set of very unique and awesome opportunities (the details are probably long a boring, so I'll spare you the run down of all the things I did with it.)

I have found the background to be a blessing as I navigated the pre-med waters.
 
Thanks -- it IS sounding to sound like there will be lots of research available; and even some medical research, at that!
 
I almooooost wish I majored in CS. I taught myself VB when I was like 12 and then C++ and eventually Java and took 2 years of CS in highschool. This is what I originally wanted to do with my life, but it changed when I was a sophomore in HS. I decided to pursue a different degree as an undergrad but CS is an awesome field. Nothing arouses me then getting a computer to automate time consuming, boring and tiresome tasks.

I've forgotten nearly everything regarding the specifics of the languages but I remember some basic concepts. This has allowed me to start teaching myself VBA (To be an excel master) and VBScript (for basic windows manipulation) which I think will be useful in the future. I get frustrated when I have to do something on the comp that I know could be automated with a few lines of code. I'm also in a social science field so being able to rapidly and accurately manipulate data that sometimes comes in disparate forms is a big help.

Basically, :thumbup: to CS.
 
I did CS...however, I went back and finished my prereqs in a post-bac program!
 
Thanks, Drogba. I've done something similar, except I don't think I did C++ until around 14 or so. :p

Thanks JackDanielMD - I guess that's another option if there's not enough time, though I'm hoping there will be. :)
 
lex said:
If you like CS and can get a kick-ass GPA, go for it. If the med school plan falls apart (god forbid), you still can get a job. And guess what, your salary can beat a salary of a family doctor, pediatrician, or an internist (general). I did CS and Math for my BS.. have a masters, too... would not have done it any differently. It is great to have a steady paycheck every two weeks ... and it is great not to be broke.
Click to expand...

Im sorry but where are you getting your figures from?
Last time I checked, averg salary of a software engineer is approx 60-70k (with 3-5 years of IT experience), which is NO WHERE near the salary of the lowest making physician (approx 130k)

Now I am speaking directly based on my IT experience (almost 3 years now as an Oracle senior software engineer), my salary is almost 64k and Im 26.... I am not saying you woun't have special cases, I've seen a few Oracle DBAs with a little over 7 years of IT experience, pushing close to 110k a year (its doable), you can even get more with some other positions like managers or department heads or whatnot, but those are extremely rare to get, you have to be very high on the political side to land these jobs (I have a 2nd cousin, whos been with IBM for 24 years, his title is "Senior vise president" and he pushes a little over 400k a year ~ and this is without the benefits, but you know whats funny hahaha, the odds of an IT professional to make it as high as him are like 1 in 20,000)

Now let me warn you, IT jobs are great, pretty decent pay, but to me at least, they are boring as hell.... you sit down infront of a computer screen for 8 to 10 hrs a day (depending on how much work you have), and write code / test code all day long (reallly really boring)..... and job security is NOT always there..... your company could be doing really really well, and out of no where, some mishap takes place and all of a sudden, 30 people are laid off (and your side of the department only has 70 lol)

Another thing that worries me about the IT job security is the offshore IT work done in other countries, some of the biggest IT companies in the world are going really heavy into this (example, Accenture is now having 25% of its programming work force directly shipping code from India, and I heard they are trying to raise this number to 35% within the next few years), this is bad for IT job market in the USA......
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

P
Computer Science and Medical School
Replies
3
Views
771
Ehegi
E
ShadowIo
Computer Science Major or Neuroscience? Pre Med
Replies
23
Views
4K
LindaAccepted
LindaAccepted
P
Science and non-science LOR help
Replies
5
Views
503
podiumman999
P
I
Psychology vs neuroscience major
Replies
3
Views
362
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
chickenloverr5
Science LOR Question
Replies
7
Views
186
chickenloverr5
chickenloverr5
Top