Change major from chem to bio?

[commoncold]

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Hi,
I was putting together my fall senior schedule and wanted to get people's input on whether it would be good to change my major from chem to bio in order to take more upper div bio courses? Is it particularly advantageous in admissions and in med school to take more upper div bio courses?

Just a little background info I have taken all my prerequisites, biochem, and biostat, and have received a/a- in all of them.
If I change my major now, I will have to take 3 upper div bio course in the fall and 4 in the spring. I like both biology and chemistry, I would be content with either major, but since I have taken a lot of the necessary courses for a chem major it would be easier to just stay as a chem major.

Would appreciate any input, thanks!

 

[Cristobal16]

It sounds to me like you have enough Biology that it won't really make a big impression on adcoms if you have more or not. You've covered what you will need to know for the MCAT, and most med schools won't ask that you take more than two semesters of upper level biology after what the MCAT requires. With Biochem and Biostat, it looks like you've done that. To me, switching majors and adding all the upper level courses seems unnecessary, especially if that's the time during which you will be traveling for interviews. You want to be able to finish out your semesters strong while allowing yourself the time to prepare well for your interviews. You won't interview as well if you're stressed and tired from an overworked schedule while also flying around the country to go on said interviews. Granted, I guess all of this depends on where exactly you are in your application process.

Basically, if the only reason you're contemplating a change in major is for the adcoms, I'd say nay. There are plenty of both Bio majors and Chem majors applying to med school. If you did well on the MCAT, your grades + MCAT score will demonstrate an ability to handle the workload and conceptual difficulty of med school. At that point, it's more about focusing on application prep. and interview skills. Hope that helps.

 

[Praefectus]

There really is no point in doing so. Frankly, you could major in Swahili but you'd still get into med school with a good GPA and MCAT.

 

[commoncold]

Thank you for all the replies! I won't be changing my major as I am content with where I am right now.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Thank you for all the replies! I won't be changing my major as I am content with where I am right now.

I think this is a good plan. If you are a chemistry major and have good grades, clearly you can handle rigorous science classes. You've taken biochem and biostats, so I think you don't need any additional upper-division bio classes to improve your med school application. Maybe one that you find interesting, like Genetics or Cancer Biology, if you have room in your schedule. Otherwise, it's your senior year! Take a couple crazy classes that you might never have the opportunity to see again. 🙂