Double major with minor?

[MichaelC]

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Long story short, I want to major in biophysics for the prerequisites and the job opportunities after my bachelor's degree--that is if I can't get into med school. Sometimes I worry that I'm setting myself up for a course load I don't want just to prepare myself better for med school, but then I keep assuring myself that it'll be what gets me the most chances for jobs.

However, I really love psychology and French. It's just that I worry about the job opportunities with a psychology major.

My questions:

1) Is it possible to do it all?

2) Are there any flaws in my thinking here?

 

[oran berry]

Well, why do you have to add on a second major and a minor? I feel like it would be less stressful to only declare biophysics as a major and just take a ton of psych/french classes to satisfy your intellectual craving. Medical school, from what I understand, isn't something you want to emulate during your undergraduate years. The more stressful the course load the less extracurricular activities you'll get around to doing and so therefore the less impressive your application will be. Adding on that second major and minor will do nothing in the eyes of the committee unless you are able to actually do something useful with them. Of course, don't get me wrong, what you're describing sounds very doable, I just don't think there's much merit in the idea when it comes to admissions.

 

[makeyourself]

Long story short, I want to major in biophysics for the prerequisites and the job opportunities after my bachelor's degree--that is if I can't get into med school. Sometimes I worry that I'm setting myself up for a course load I don't want just to prepare myself better for med school, but then I keep assuring myself that it'll be what gets me the most chances for jobs.

However, I really love psychology and French. It's just that I worry about the job opportunities with a psychology major.

My questions:

1) Is it possible to do it all?

2) Are there any flaws in my thinking here?

Go for it. I am going to finish up both my majors next semester, and I already have a chem minor. It is a lot of work, and senior year you will probably still have to take a full load while your friends do not, but I think it was worth it for me.

 

[musafirah]

you didn't make it clear, but are you interested in physics and physical chemistry (as well as math/statistics)?? if not, don't do biophysics.. you'll have a difficult time. if you are interested in the above, go for it, it will look good. but the first rule is to major in something that makes you happy so you're not miserable and then bombarded with med school.
also just take a lot of classes in different subjects you might be interested in, and talk to professors about the majors you're considering and what opportunities you have in those subjects, before you declare your major.

 

[MichaelC]

Sorry for not making it clear. I am interested in the general material that a biophysics major entails, and I'm excited to begin research projects. I just wondered if I wanted to do psychology more, but after reading some of these comments I think I could satisfy my craving for psychology through a few minor courses.

TriagePreMed: I am interested in French, but am ignorant as to how language institutes typically work. Could I contact my university about how to get involved in that, and would they help with funding to a certain extent?

 

[TarHeelEMT]

Long story short, I want to major in biophysics for the prerequisites and the job opportunities after my bachelor's degree--that is if I can't get into med school. Sometimes I worry that I'm setting myself up for a course load I don't want just to prepare myself better for med school, but then I keep assuring myself that it'll be what gets me the most chances for jobs.

However, I really love psychology and French. It's just that I worry about the job opportunities with a psychology major.

My questions:

1) Is it possible to do it all?

2) Are there any flaws in my thinking here?

If your university allows it, then yeah, it's possible.

If you really like all of the involved subjects, then do it. I had a major in biology, major in history, and minor in Arabic. I was busy as hell, but I enjoyed it.

 

[Serie]

I'd say go for it. Im finishing up my dual degree (two bachelors) and two minors and I wouldn't take it back. I enjoyed taking the classes I wanted to take. Like most posters said if your doing this because you have a keen interest then go for it. However, I had a question about the 1st reply. I heard that you want to take a heavier course load. I read in a way earlier thread that adcomms would rather see a student(20 credit hours) with a lower gpa(3.6) than a student with a lower course load and a higher gpa. is this right?

 

[ButImLETired]

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with a lot of posters and say don't do it.

I kinda went a similar route. I was a double major in a science and a language, and was about a class or two away from a minor in music. Don't get me wrong, I loved what I did. But it didn't do my gpa any favors, especially since I refused to slack on my extracurriculars (so I always had one or two jobs, various clubs, music stuff, etc). And while I graduated in 4 years, I still had to take some time off after college to a) breathe and b) try to get some research experience in cause I just hadn't had the time to do that properly. So I honestly wish that I had stuck with just the language and the music cause they were the subjects that made me the happiest and that I ended up doing best in. The hard sciences do not serve themselves well to being somewhere in the middle of your to-do list- they tend to take up most of your time. Unfortunately, because of my other zillion commitments, something had to give and a lot of the time that turned out to be acing my science classes (and my sanity and sleep patterns).

So my advice is to study what you love and what you know will help your gpa the most. If it's psych, go for it. Get your A's, take your premed pre-reqs, learn a new language on the side if you have time. That way, you won't need a backup plan (does a biophysics degree really guarantee a job in this economy? Cause bio/neuroscience/biochem majors are useless right now, I dont see why biophysics should be so different but I don't know much about it). On the other hand, if your passion lies in biophysics, then maybe take one psych class along with a few pre-reqs and biophys classes to see how you handle the workload, then add some EC's, then slowly try to incorporate all these things and see if you can do them all. Just don't overload in the beginning.

 

[MichaelC]

I contacted the head of the language program at the university where I'm transferring and told her my situation. She recommended the French minor if I really love it, and told me there was only one class in the required curriculum that entailed French civilization rather than learning the actual language.

I'm not sure if she was just biased and wanted to recruit another student, though. Maybe what I need to do this week is contact someone over there in the hard sciences.

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with a lot of posters and say don't do it.

So my advice is to study what you love and what you know will help your gpa the most. If it's psych, go for it. Get your A's, take your premed pre-reqs, learn a new language on the side if you have time. That way, you won't need a backup plan (does a biophysics degree really guarantee a job in this economy? Cause bio/neuroscience/biochem majors are useless right now, I dont see why biophysics should be so different but I don't know much about it). On the other hand, if your passion lies in biophysics, then maybe take one psych class along with a few pre-reqs and biophys classes to see how you handle the workload, then add some EC's, then slowly try to incorporate all these things and see if you can do them all. Just don't overload in the beginning.

Good advice, and from what I understood a biophysics degree was useful. However, I could be wrong.

Does anyone mind elaborating on if biophysics is more useful than psychology at the undergraduate level?

 

[gettheleadout]

Good advice, and from what I understood a biophysics degree was useful. However, I could be wrong.

Does anyone mind elaborating on if biophysics is more useful than psychology at the undergraduate level?

I kind of assumed everything was useless at the undergraduate level...

 

[TriagePreMed]

I contacted the head of the language program at the university where I'm transferring and told her my situation. She recommended the French minor if I really love it, and told me there was only one class in the required curriculum that entailed French civilization rather than learning the actual language.

I'm not sure if she was just biased and wanted to recruit another student, though. Maybe what I need to do this week is contact someone over there in the hard sciences.

Every school has different requirements. At my school it was nowhere near true that the language majors and minors worked like that. Just look at the catalog and see what classes you have to take and what each of them entail.

 

[jm192]

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with a lot of posters and say don't do it.

I kinda went a similar route. I was a double major in a science and a language, and was about a class or two away from a minor in music. Don't get me wrong, I loved what I did. But it didn't do my gpa any favors, especially since I refused to slack on my extracurriculars (so I always had one or two jobs, various clubs, music stuff, etc). And while I graduated in 4 years, I still had to take some time off after college to a) breathe and b) try to get some research experience in cause I just hadn't had the time to do that properly. So I honestly wish that I had stuck with just the language and the music cause they were the subjects that made me the happiest and that I ended up doing best in. The hard sciences do not serve themselves well to being somewhere in the middle of your to-do list- they tend to take up most of your time. Unfortunately, because of my other zillion commitments, something had to give and a lot of the time that turned out to be acing my science classes (and my sanity and sleep patterns).

So my advice is to study what you love and what you know will help your gpa the most. If it's psych, go for it. Get your A's, take your premed pre-reqs, learn a new language on the side if you have time. That way, you won't need a backup plan (does a biophysics degree really guarantee a job in this economy? Cause bio/neuroscience/biochem majors are useless right now, I dont see why biophysics should be so different but I don't know much about it). On the other hand, if your passion lies in biophysics, then maybe take one psych class along with a few pre-reqs and biophys classes to see how you handle the workload, then add some EC's, then slowly try to incorporate all these things and see if you can do them all. Just don't overload in the beginning.

I agree. I doubled up in Chem and Bio. You get no points for a double major. Or a double major with a minor. A friend of mine did one of the summer medical programs and was told by people on the admissions comittee they really didn't care what you majored in or how many---it is all about completing pre-reqs, graduating, and having a good GPA.

 

[Avoidthetiger]

I did a double major (science and humanities) and a minor (came with completing pre-reqs though) and LOVED IT! Though the science major def hurt my GPA... but I came to college to get an education in the courses I wanted and not worry too much regarding my GPA... but then again, that might be why this is my second time applying to medical school.

If you really want the two majors and minor, go for it. Don't get a major just for med school though...just focus on get more As than Bs and use your undergrad as a time to explore, have fun, and learn new things.

 

[SimplySmile]

Hey Michael C. You're a freshman right? If I were you I would just take some courses in all three subjects without officially declaring any majors or minors and see from there what you feels fits the best. Don't worry about declaring anything your freshman year.

Don't decide on a major because you think it will lead to a good paying job, decide on a major that you are passionate about. You'll be a lot happier that way. I can honestly promise that. And you can find careers with a psychology major, you just usually need to attend grad school.

 

[musafirah]

Hey Michael C. You're a freshman right? If I were you I would just take some courses in all three subjects without officially declaring any majors or minors and see from there what you feels fits the best. Don't worry about declaring anything your freshman year.

Don't decide on a major because you think it will lead to a good paying job, decide on a major that you are passionate about. You'll be a lot happier that way. I can honestly promise that. And you can find careers with a psychology major, you just usually need to attend grad school.

yes, this.

I contacted the head of the language program at the university where I'm transferring and told her my situation. She recommended the French minor if I really love it, and told me there was only one class in the required curriculum that entailed French civilization rather than learning the actual language.

I'm not sure if she was just biased and wanted to recruit another student, though. Maybe what I need to do this week is contact someone over there in the hard sciences.



Good advice, and from what I understood a biophysics degree was useful. However, I could be wrong.

Does anyone mind elaborating on if biophysics is more useful than psychology at the undergraduate level?

french minor sounds pretty doable.. biophysics is certainly more useful than bio/biochem/neurosci and even psych.. those are all a dime a dozen, the market is flooded with them. biophysics is not as common a major (less spots for grad students but also much less grad students applying). psych is the 2nd most common pre-med major (after bio of course). personally i think psych is bleh and doesnt help much at all, but thats my personal preference and others might think its useful (do remember there are millions of psych majors and psych grads out there though.. job prospects not as good and you won't stand out for it). biophys is real science and interdisciplinary. i am not sure about getting a job right out of college however.. i'm sure there would be research positions and industrial/pharmaceutical jobs you could get, but its more useful if you get a masters in medical physics (decent job prospects, make good money) or go the PhD route in biophysics (good job prospects). biophys is definitely a rising research field and good to get into.

more importantly than a good back up though, i think that biophysics is more useful towards medical school than psychology.. because of its integration of the three sciences (physics,chem,bio) and use of statistical analysis and some critical thinking. it will also likely help you do better on the MCAT than psychology (there's statistics on majors that tend to do better on mcat and i think its up there, since physics and econ are the top two majors that do best on MCAT).

 

[DirtyJustice]

I had 2 majors in hard sciences and had plenty of free time. I would suggest you ONLY do it if it is something that you are interested in. I don't know how much it helped me in my applications.

 

[ButImLETired]

yes, this.


french minor sounds pretty doable.. biophysics is certainly more useful than bio/biochem/neurosci and even psych.. those are all a dime a dozen, the market is flooded with them. biophysics is not as common a major (less spots for grad students but also much less grad students applying). psych is the 2nd most common pre-med major (after bio of course). personally i think psych is bleh and doesnt help much at all, but thats my personal preference and others might think its useful (do remember there are millions of psych majors and psych grads out there though.. job prospects not as good and you won't stand out for it). biophys is real science and interdisciplinary. i am not sure about getting a job right out of college however.. i'm sure there would be research positions and industrial/pharmaceutical jobs you could get, but its more useful if you get a masters in medical physics (decent job prospects, make good money) or go the PhD route in biophysics (good job prospects). biophys is definitely a rising research field and good to get into.

more importantly than a good back up though, i think that biophysics is more useful towards medical school than psychology.. because of its integration of the three sciences (physics,chem,bio) and use of statistical analysis and some critical thinking. it will also likely help you do better on the MCAT than psychology (there's statistics on majors that tend to do better on mcat and i think its up there, since physics and econ are the top two majors that do best on MCAT).

Well yeah, obviously. There are also better job prospects if you get a masters in say, clinical psych after a psych major. Or a PsyD. And there are "research jobs" available if you're a biochem, bio, or neuroscience major (I know, I had one). So I'm guessing that the job prospects are likely the same for most of the basic hard sciences right after college, engineering somewhat excluded (although I hear it's getting way, way tougher even for engineers to get a job without an advanced degree). It's just the way all of the job market is moving. And biochem too is by definition "interdisciplinary", as is biopsychology (another word for neuroscience). That doesn't make them inherently more hirable than a "pure" subject like chemical engineering, for example.

As for it helping you on the MCAT, that actually sounds kinda interesting. I always thought that a liberal arts major prepared you best of all if you took your pre-reqs plus a few other bio classes as fillers (physiology is always useful). I remember in undergrad I was advised against taking calculus-based physics instead of the non-calculus route if all I needed it for was med school, because you will have neither the chance nor the time to use calculus on the MCAT and wanting to overthink the problem can just lead to a waste of time if physics is not your forte. Plus, you can always work on bio and physical sciences- those are easy to fix. A low verbal score is far, far harder to address and being a liberal arts major can really help with that. But if there's a study showing econ and physics majors do best, then I guess I buy it.

 

[ReptarBar]

michaelc, you got me trippin. do you have a high GPA? what year are you?

 

[PreMedder]

more importantly than a good back up though, i think that biophysics is more useful towards medical school than psychology.. because of its integration of the three sciences (physics,chem,bio) and use of statistical analysis and some critical thinking. it will also likely help you do better on the MCAT than psychology (there's statistics on majors that tend to do better on mcat and i think its up there, since physics and econ are the top two majors that do best on MCAT).

https://www.aamc.org/download/161692/data/table18-facts2010mcatgpabymaj1-web.pdf.pdf
Math, physical sciences, humanities

 

[WorldChanger36]

I am a double major in Biology and Psychology with a Minor in Religious studies and ethics. The only reason I did this is to pull my grades up from a failing freshmen year. Honestly if medical school is your intent the only reason to grab another major is to pull up bad grades.
Is it possible? Sure it is. Do you have to take an insane amount of hours? yep, I take about 18 to 20 per semester and sometimes take a few classes at other universities and community colleges via distance learning. Nothing major through the distance learning mostly Lit course and philosophy.
So it is doable but only do it if you get behind otherwise stick to one major and one minor running about 12 to 15 creds per semester. It is a b***ch to get your grades up once they fall