changing majors, advice please?

[Ayuka001]

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Hi guys,

this topic has probably come up often but I need a little advice on whether or not I should change my major from biological sciences to psychology. My overall gpa now is 3.5 w/ a science gpa of a little over 3.2. Basically the science courses are weighing my gpa down b/c it's hard to get all A's in them.


I've taken an introductory course in psych and got an A. I think it's quite interesting and so I'm thinking of changing majors. But how hard are psych upper divs compared to bio upper divs?
B/c I don't want to lower my gpa. I think if psych really is easier I would be able to better balance my grades w/psych classes and pharm prereqs then just taking whole semesters of biology alone.


Thanks for the help!

 

[rxlea]

Psych = not necessarily easier depending on your school's program. My psych program was more "scientific" in nature. All of my upper division courses emphasized physiology, neuroanatomy, pharmacology, and the like. Neuroanatomy was a b*#(+ of a class, too. Depends on your programs curriculum, though. I took a health psychology class where the entire grade was based on a 30 page research paper and poster presentation. My Minority Issues in Psychology: Drug abuse and addiction class required 4 article reviews/analyses, one group presentation and 4 exams all essay based, and a final project where we had to design a community outreach program tailored to a specific minority population. My neuroanatomy class required 2 lab practicals where we had to identify structures of a sheep's brain (which we dissected) where we had 30 seconds between each station and had to tell the structure and function, 4 exams, 3 article presenations, and class participation counted. My psychopharm class required a 25 page research paper, 4 exams, 2 article presenations, and a group project. My biological bases of behavior class had 4 exams, 2 article presentations, and a final research paper/presentation on a specific disorder, it's biological basis, and the treatment... So, overall, it was loads of fun. There were more classes, too, but those are the ones that stand out. All this while doing my other degree requirements (humanities, language, math, blahblah).

 

[Chinese Bandit]

In my opinion, I think schools look at the science gpa more than overall gpa. Schools probably wont care much for psych classes, but will focus more on how you did on your PCAT and their required pre reqs. I dont think changing your major to keep your overall gpa will help much. Good luck.

 

[paipailaau]

One thing all schools take into consideration is the difficulty of the classes you took. At my school, most of the psychology majors I met chose it because it was easy (and interesting).
For most of the pharmacy schools I looked at the most common degree was biochemistry, then biology, and then usually chemistry.

 

[phathead]

I would think it would be a bit of a flag to an adcom if you suddenly switched from a science to psych

 

[docss26]

Hi guys,

this topic has probably come up often but I need a little advice on whether or not I should change my major from biological sciences to psychology. My overall gpa now is 3.5 w/ a science gpa of a little over 3.2. Basically the science courses are weighing my gpa down b/c it's hard to get all A's in them.


I've taken an introductory course in psych and got an A. I think it's quite interesting and so I'm thinking of changing majors. But how hard are psych upper divs compared to bio upper divs?
B/c I don't want to lower my gpa. I think if psych really is easier I would be able to better balance my grades w/psych classes and pharm prereqs then just taking whole semesters of biology alone.


Thanks for the help!

Where do you go to school?