Choosing a major and wanting to know if medical school is right for me

[wingy]

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Currently I am 2nd year premed student. I still am confused about choosing my major. I am thinking of majoring in psychobiology with a minor in computers. But my parents are always questioning me what I can do with this major if I don't get into medical school. They are always telling me to major in something that would get me a stable job after I get out of college, like a teacher or engineer.
I know I should do what I want to do and not what they want me to do, but it is so hard since medical school is so competitive and my grades were doing great my first quarter, but are now sliding.
Are there any suggestions one can help me with? What can I do with a psychobiology major if I don't get into medical school, besides doing lab work?

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[ny911]

Hi. I just graduated with abio degree and I know that there are very few options as far as employment with this major. A bio major is useful only to get into graduate school. The only other thing you can do with it is be a lab assistant, and believe me that sucks. I would strongly suggest something other than bio as a major. How about chem; tough but you'll be able to get a well paying job with it.

good luck to you.

 

[iamlost]

i heard that most people don't choose careers in whatevery they majored in u.grad. I am majoring in physics, and like bio there's not much of career in it. i am not much worried about it though, cuz 1) i believe i can get into a med school, however crappy it might be, and 2)if i don't get into a med school, then i can get a job at somewhere and thereafter try to get into biz school and become a bizman. my two cents

 

[Socceroo4ever]

My parents are applying the same kind of pressure on me: they don't think I'll commit long enough to get into medical school, and so they want me to consider graduate work in my field of choice as an option to medical school. Well... nowadays, it's sweeping the floors and scrubbing glassware for science majors who don't have any graduate work! Either way then, I'm looking at graduate work in either medicine or biochemistry. Likewise, I think a lot of these other degrees can be similarly construed: the more graduate work you have in that field, the better your job outlook is. I really don't know what physicists and psycobiologists focus on, but I imagine the Ph.D.'s in those fields are academic professors doing research on their own time.

Can't say this will help anyone, but my impression is that if you're worried about your post-undergraduate career, I'd say think about graduate school before you worry about anything. Good luck!

 

[kermitthefrog]

I'd say that the minor in computers is pretty useful, especially with the way that industry is booming these days! My parents are always pushing me to major in computer science b/c the job security in that field is better. But regardless of your major, there is always the option of doing consulting. Those firms usually don't focus as much on your major; they just want to know that you did well in it (read: high GPA) and that you can think. They'll end up telling you everything you need to know in training, anyways. The point is, if you take a few electives in, say, math or economics, and do well in them, there are lots of options out there. Hope this helped. Good luck!

 

[imtiaz]

Majoring in physics is a smart choice. Why? Because physics majors can get a job just about anywhere they want for pretty good pay. I was a Physics/Chemistry double major for a few years, but the physics department at my school is crappy, so I dropped the extra major. I'm about 5 classes away from the major, however. The thing is physics is hard (to most people), and not many people want to take the extra math required (Differential Equns, Linear Algebra, etc.) As a result, the demand is low, so they can only afford to offer upper level classes once a year, and I'm on the wrong end of the cycle, so I would have to stick around an extra year just to be able to take those classes, it's unfortunate, because i love physics but it's not worth it to me to waste a year when I could be an MS1 somewhere. But about the job outlook for physics majors, it's great! You can work pretty much anywhere. National laboratories (with particle accelerators, etc), in industry (testing/engineering), in academia (teaching/research), places like NASA, you name it, you can work there. If you like math, then go with physics. I wish I had started off as a physics major, but I was like most pre-meds and I went in with a Bio major and decided it wasn't the best way to go for me. Good luck!

-imtiaz

 

[iamlost]

i am not sure about what you said, imitaz. with the gov. budget cut in defense and the cold war being over, there's not that much for straight pure physics majors. the place to be is bio or something related to bio, with much of current breakthrough in science coming from that field. as to physics being hard, I totally agree with you; unless you like physics and math, physics is not worth pursueing b/c of smaller job market and (this is pretty important to me) b/c the chance of achieving some great breakthrough is pretty slim, unless you're the next einstein.

God Be With You Premeds
Thanks

 

[Socceroo4ever]

The previous two posters bring up a valid point to consider. Just how viable are pure fields in the major now? We know that academia is always a good way to go, so we'll leave that out of considerations for now. I do dispute, though, that because the Cold War is dead and the government budget is down that physics is a dwindling field. Particle accelerator research and astrophysics are still two very important fields. Biophysics is also gaining importance with the continued space exploration program, studying the effects of apparent weightlessness and other factors on the human body.

I also dispute that the major body of medical research comes from biology. Actually, I agree that previously this was true, but currently is not. Rather, a large bit comes from biochemistry, and another hefty portion is done by physicians themselves.

Nevertheless, both biology and physics remain as possible career choices for anyone interested in them. Personally, I prefer chemistry: for every year of education a chemist has compared to a biologist, the chemist's outlook is far better... pay's better too!

To each their own, I suppose!

 

[Djanaba]

And yet, of all undergrad majors finding work before or after grad school in their field, philosophy majors do the best!

I think a big part of the answer to this question relies on the "what if" of not getting into med school. If you don't, will you want to pursue graduate studies in psych, neuropsych/psychobio, or computer science? If the answer is yes, then you have no worries. (Doing grad programs in any of these fields will make you infinitely more marketable and likely pull in a higher salary for you, and many science grad programs will pay for themselves as you go.) If the answer is no, however, then you may want to reconsider.

To me, the most important thing about picking a major is finding something you are IN LOVE with. You *will* find its niche in the job market, and if you are passionate about your field, it will show. Focus on what you love to do, and on nailing those premed reqs hard-core. But I wouldn't worry to much about crossing that future bridge just yet, provided you are happy and comfortable in your course of study as it lies right now.

 

[imtiaz]

There is no IF !!! IM GOING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.

 

[sebastian]

Originally posted by imtiaz:
There is no IF !!! IM GOING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.

I find this response quite unusual, even humorous, since the advice wasn't intended for you. But since you have demonstrated your strong will for going to medical school, I would like to know your reasons for being so confident since your below average stats truly don't reflect a unique or even typical medical school candidate.

Go ahead, amuse me.

 

[PimplePopperMD]

What a mistake it would be to major in Chemistry if you don't like Chemistry. Yuck. Because in addition to being miserable, you'll not do so well, and your necessity for a "backup" plan will foil your "number one" plan (of getting into and going to medical school!).

My advice (as a former psychobio major!) is to major in WHATEVER YOU'RE INTERESTED IN! If the med school thing doesn't pan out (as it doesn't for many premeds) you can look into options then. Don't think you can't get into a Chem lab and do chem research as a Bio major. Of course you can. You'll have taken two years of chem.

Anyway, good luck. Major in what you want, and do very well. That way, you'll not need a backup plan (hopefully!)

 

[wingy]

What made you change your mind to not be a biopsychology major? What are you majoring in now and are you still premed?

Thanks!

 

[imtiaz]

Originally posted by sebastian:
I find this response quite unusual, even humorous, since the advice wasn't intended for you. But since you have demonstrated your strong will for going to medical school, I would like to know your reasons for being so confident since your below average stats truly don't reflect a unique or even typical medical school candidate.

Go ahead, amuse me.

It was meant to be humorous, and I'm glad you are amused. Mission accomplished.

-imtiaz

 

[tr]

Hey, I don't think there's been enough stress laid on this most important fact:

It is unusual for one's undergraduate major to have *any* bearing on one's later career.
The only instances in which undergraduate major is related to eventual career choice are jobs requiring advanced science degrees (usually academic, government, or industry positions). And even those can be pursued by anyone willing to go back to undergrad to make up the missed coursework.

You can be a doctor, lawyer, consultant, computer geek, finance wizard, business guru, university administrator, and on and on and on, with ANY undergraduate major you like. It is enough to do well in it.

What do you think happened to all the people with 'unmarketable' degrees in things like philosophy, literature, political science, linguistics, ethnic studies, or what-have-you? Most of the ones I know are either in law school or raking in the bucks on Wall Street.

Major in whatever you like. In any case, achieving job security by choosing a major you dislike is a poor strategy, as what you're most likely going to secure for yourself is a job that you also dislike.

But whatever it is that you like, be sure to do well in it. Good grades are not only useful for entry into medical school, they are often the only evidence you will have to convince a prospective employer of your competence, intelligence, and tenacity.

Best of luck, and don't do nothin' I wouldn't do!

 

[baylor21]

Speaking of back up plans...

It is definitely not true that all majors are created alike (speaking ONLY about backups, not med school).

While it is true that some in some jobs you dont have to have a degree thats in that direct field, in high-tech areas you definitely would. I find it highly incredulous that someone could get a job as a computer scientist or engineer unless their major was in that field (unless you spend all your free time writing code even though it has nothing to do with your studies).

BTW, physics majors have an excellent chance at getting jobs that engineering majors also compete for. I have seen alot of job notices that are looking for EE's, CE's and/or physics majors for very similar jobs.

This being said, if you go into a major that you dont absolutely love, that is the worst possible thing you could do in college academically.

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"There is nothing more powerful on this Earth as a man who has nothing to lose. It does not take ten such men to change the world--one will do." Elijah Mohammed

 

[tr]

baylor21: Yes, of course. If you want to be an engineer, you need a degree in physics or engineering. I did not mean to imply that there are *no* jobs which require specific undergraduate preparation. But *most* jobs do not.

As I understood it the issue at hand was getting *a* stable job after graduation, not the *specific* job of an engineer. My point is that there are many stable jobs which do not require any particular major.

 

[Nanon]

Baylor;

While it's true that you can't get an engineering job without an engineering degree, you CAN get a job in the computer industry WITHOUT a computer science degree. Hell, you can get a job in computer science without any degree at all. The people hiring for these jobs just want to know that you can get the job done, they don't give a rats ass about your degree. Case in point, my husband's current job title is Senior Unix Systems Engineer (his business card says Senior Duct Tape), and he graduated with a BA in physics. I myself was a computer programmer for five years, sans even a high school degree. Unless you include my GED.

I am now majoring in Cognitive Science, emphasis in Neuroscience, very similar to psychobiology. I'm majoring in this field because a) I'm facinated by it and 2) if I fail to get into med school (deity of your choice forbid), I see a bright future in it for me. I have enough research ideas to keep me going for years.

I say, major in what you want to major in. Then be the best you can in that major.

Nanon

PS: My husband is going back to school right now to complete the PhD requirements for Biophysics. Is he bad ass, or what?

 

[baylor21]

Nanon,

I was speaking more to the case of engineering, and while it is true that you don't HAVE to have a degree in computer science to get a computer job, you WILL need some kind of technical/science degree unless you want to just want to maintain the code without adding anything to the field of computers.

Almost every scientific major nowadays uses some level of computer programming. While what you say is definitely true in the past (and somewhat in the present) I think that in the future you will find it much harder to just walk in off the street and get a computer job.

Things are getting so complex now with computer systems that its very difficult for a person with no technical degree to actually make a contribution to the field.

Remember, computer science and computer programming are NOT the same thing, although there is some overlap. Programming (as you have implied) requires no special skills, while actually designing the systems does.

On a side note: Although not an accurate descriptor, it is becoming increasingly common for people to call themselves an engineer who #1) do not have the required P.E. license and #2) do not have a degree in engineering. In fact, it is illegal in most states to publicly advertise engineering services without those 2 things. Right now theres an exemption to positions within companies but there has been some indication this will change soon.


Hmmmm... and I thought 'doctor' was the only job title people tried to encroach on....

My thought for the day: Software Engineer = Computer Programmer

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"There is nothing more powerful on this Earth as a man who has nothing to lose. It does not take ten such men to change the world--one will do." Elijah Mohammed

[This message has been edited by baylor21 (edited 09-04-2000).]

 

[shotokankarate]

Originally posted by Socceroo4ever:
My parents are applying the same kind of pressure on me: they don't think I'll commit long enough to get into medical school, and so they want me to consider graduate work in my field of choice as an option to medical school. Well... nowadays, it's sweeping the floors and scrubbing glassware for science majors who don't have any graduate work! Either way then, I'm looking at graduate work in either medicine or biochemistry. Likewise, I think a lot of these other degrees can be similarly construed: the more graduate work you have in that field, the better your job outlook is. I really don't know what physicists and psycobiologists focus on, but I imagine the Ph.D.'s in those fields are academic professors doing research on their own time.

Can't say this will help anyone, but my impression is that if you're worried about your post-undergraduate career, I'd say think about graduate school before you worry about anything. Good luck!

Graduate school is not going to be any easier. You are talking about a long committment. It means taking courses, doing research, preparing for comprehensive exams and if you pass these exams you become a ph.d candidate. Once you become a candidate, you write a juried dissertation while continuing to teach and do research.

In a ph.d program you do not have the luxury of being only a student. You will function as an instructor, researcher, and student. Some programs are even harder to get into than med school. I did not get into a ph.d program in clinical psych and I am a med student now.

 

[Socceroo4ever]

I think you essentially rephrased what I said earlier.

Don't see the point of bringing that bit up again. Sort of doesn't make sense to restate the obvious now, does it? Heh!

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Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night,
God said "Let Newton be," and all was light.

-- Alexander Pope