Deciding Your Major

[PreMedStudent]

Hello Everyone.. I am doing my first year in my undergraduates.. as of now i have declared a BS in Biology as my major. I still am confused as to what i should declare my major, since everyone is a biology major.. I just want to get into medical school. I dont think i will be the top students but maybe a decent student, and after seeing all the biology majors in my school that makes me want to change my mind.
I want to have a major that i can get good grades in and as well the Medical school admissions committee will want.?????????? PLEASE help needed.. Thank You

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[jlee9531]

college is a one time deal.
isnt there anything that interests you?
if there is...or if there is something you always wanted to know about...then you should choose that as your major and just take your med core prereqs and finish them throughout your 4 years in school.

i cant tell you what to do...i dont know what you feel is intellectual or interesting. this is something you need to search for deep inside yourself. please choose a major you will definitely enjoy and not just treat as a means to get a good grade without caring about what it is you learn.

 

[Trekkie963]

My advice on majors is simple: Choose something you like and will do well in.

Medical schools really do not care at all what your major is. As long as you take the pre-med requirements, and maybe some advanced science, your coursework will satisfy any medical school. What medical schools do care about is grades. They want to see a high GPA, and whether it comes from a nanostatistical telepathy major or a philosophy major makes little or no difference to them.

It's totally up to you what you want to major in. Don't let medical school affect your decision.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Pick what you'd like.

 

[Bones2008]

Just think about what you'd want to do if you weren't going to be a doctor. If you had to do something else, what would it be? Then, your choice of major should become clear.

 

[PreMedStudent]

I dont really like anything.. I just want a major that will get me into medical school.. whatever will get me in, i will like it lolz

 

[TheRussian]

I haven't thought about this until someone brought this up to me recently. Though med schools may say they like seeing non-bio majors, ultimately not having a strong background in science will hurt you in the admissions process. Ultimately med schools are looking not only for good doctors but also for future scientists (this is especially true for the top med schoools that have a strong emphasis on research). In addition to that they also want to see that you can handle the science heavy workload of medical school so you want to have some advanced science classes on your transcript.

My advise is to stick with the bio major for now (unless you really start to dislike it). In addition to the bio major I would also recommend that you take some intro classes like psyc, or phylosophy, econ, etc.. and see if you like any of it. Then perhaps you can double major, or minor in something else to show the school that you have other interests.

I think that even though you may think that you never want to do research, you should still try to get into some research at school. It will open a lot of doors for you if you like it, and if not it will still open more doors. I feel that I was rejected from some schools because I haven't had any research experience though I was qualified otherwise.

I never did any research in college because I thought I would never want to do it and now I'm starting to think about getting involved in research in med school. I regret it now.

Disclaimer: These are my opinions on this matter, you are in no way obligated to follow my advise.

 

[Asclepius]

I dont really like anything.. I just want a major that will get me into medical school.. whatever will get me in, i will like it lolz

majors don't get people into med school, the "total package" gets people into med school. You can get in with any major, but it will certainly help if you can demonstrate academic curiosity and passion for learning. If you don't know what you like, take a greater variety of course. I studied Religion, Philosophy, and Classics...med schools loved it.

 

[Asclepius]

I haven't thought about this until someone brought this up to me recently. Though med schools may say they like seeing non-bio majors, ultimately not having a strong background in science will hurt you in the admissions process. Ultimately med schools are looking not only for good doctors but also for future scientists (this is especially true for the top med schoools that have a strong emphasis on research). In addition to that they also want to see that you can handle the science heavy workload of medical school so you want to have some advanced science classes on your transcript.

My advise is to stick with the bio major for now (unless you really start to dislike it). In addition to the bio major I would also recommend that you take some intro classes like psyc, or phylosophy, econ, etc.. and see if you like any of it. Then perhaps you can double major, or minor in something else to show the school that you have other interests.

I think that even though you may think that you never want to do research, you should still try to get into some research at school. It will open a lot of doors for you if you like it, and if not it will still open more doors. I feel that I was rejected from some schools because I haven't had any research experience though I was qualified otherwise.

I never did any research in college because I thought I would never want to do it and now I'm starting to think about getting involved in research in med school. I regret it now.

Disclaimer: These are my opinions on this matter, you are in no way obligated to follow my advise.

but many people get in every year with nothing but the basic sciences...

 

[jlee9531]

but many people get in every year with nothing but the basic sciences...

so true...dont be fooled by the need to be a science major.

 

[TheRussian]

but many people get in every year with nothing but the basic sciences...

That is true but I believe that at the top, research oriented schools it is much more advantageous to have more than just the basic sciences. If you want to do any kind of research, higher level science courses are pretty much necessary.

 

[Amy B]

I dont really like anything.. I just want a major that will get me into medical school.. whatever will get me in, i will like it lolz

How can you not like anything?

Schools want well rounded applicants that have an interest in lots of things not just having an interest in getting into med school. I think you need to find something you can like, because there is no guarentee that you will get into med school and then what will you do?

 

[curlycity]

Whoa, back up - you "don't like anything, just want to get into med school?" You sound a bit lost, premed...just like lots of my undergrad buddies. Use your first year(s) to get your intro Bio out of the way and 1) meet and talk to the professors & researchers at your school, to see if any of their research interests catch your eye and find out if you 'click' with anyone who might be a mentor to you; 2) cruise the student groups, looking to pick up a hobby (other than heavy drinking) and discuss the majors other students have chosen. If you stick with a science major to get a good prep for the MCAT & med school, consider a minor or double major in a (useful) foreign language, or history or sociology or...there are a lot of topics that will be a good education for a future as a physician.

Don't despair. Just spend time actively exploring your school and talking, talking, talking to professors and other students. That way you'll end up in the right major and have a great undergrad experience that reflects your interests and aptitudes accurately to the adcom and will give you some happy memories. Above all, enjoy yourself.