Easiest and Hardest Majors at UCI?

[sirsharif329]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Ok, so I created a thread a while ago asking whether I should go to UCLA or UCI. I chose UCI. Now I'd like to know what are the easiest biological majors and the hardest biological majors over at UCI. My GPA is very important to me and I know I can do well on the MCATs, I have an extremely good track record on testing and great study habits.

Also, my father wants me to stay home to save some money, but I don't think that's a good idea because I live all the way in los angeles. Commuting to UCI would take over an hour to get there, and another hour back everyday. That would kinda drain me of energy and I need to put that time and energy towards studying, the path to becoming a doctor is a very rigorous path and I don't wanna pinch pennies while I do it. The quality of my education comes first. So do you think I should commute? Given that I'd be tired everyday, I'd waste 2 unnecessary hours a day, and that seeing as it's an hour drive I'd be spending a lot of money anyways? I believe I should dorm, I just need to hear it from you guys show I can show my dad and convince him to let me dorm. Money is not an issue btw, he's just trying to save >_<

 

[Zedor]

Psychology...the easiest major anywhelre.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Psychology...the easiest major anywhelre.

I wouldn't generalize that.

 

[circulus vitios]

The quality of your undergraduate education doesn't matter as long as you don't go to a complete crap school.

 

[Asyouwereatrio]

Ok, so I created a thread a while ago asking whether I should go to UCLA or UCI. I chose UCI. Now I'd like to know what are the easiest biological majors and the hardest biological majors over at UCI. My GPA is very important to me and I know I can do well on the MCATs, I have an extremely good track record on testing and great study habits.

Also, my father wants me to stay home to save some money, but I don't think that's a good idea because I live all the way in los angeles. Commuting to UCI would take over an hour to get there, and another hour back everyday. That would kinda drain me of energy and I need to put that time and energy towards studying, the path to becoming a doctor is a very rigorous path and I don't wanna pinch pennies while I do it. The quality of my education comes first. So do you think I should commute? Given that I'd be tired everyday, I'd waste 2 unnecessary hours a day, and that seeing as it's an hour drive I'd be spending a lot of money anyways? I believe I should dorm, I just need to hear it from you guys show I can show my dad and convince him to let me dorm. Money is not an issue btw, he's just trying to save >_<

Why did you choose to go to UCLA over UCI, if you're from LA and interested in saving money?

If you're still set on UCI, I would suggest moving closer if you're going to commute. There are plenty of 500-600/ month places to rent in the area (room shares).

Anyway, at UCI, if you're going with science, stay a bio major. It allows you breadth and the ability to "choose" (to some extent) what classes you can take whilst fulfilling a lot of the pre-heath professional school requirements. If you're a non-bio major, a lot of the core bio classes are "major" restricted until the "second enrollment period" (at which point all majors are allowed to enroll), but there usually isn't enough class space.

 

[Zedor]

I wouldn't generalize that.

I would. Regardless of the demands of the professor, psychology is not too mentally challenging. I say this based on having done a hefty amount of studying through various texts. It is not the same type of synthesizing material that is required from the basic sciences. Sure, some of the science based psychology courses are difficult, but if you are looking for the easy route, you could stick to developmental psych and stuff like that.

 

[bravofleet4]

i graduated from uci with a biology degree and almost a chemistry degree as well.

i'm not saying you won't get into medical school but you should major in something that you like and maybe more importantly can use. a B.S. in general biology alone is worthless.

 

[orthomyxo]

I don't know anything about the majors at UCI, but if you can avoid the hour commute, do it. I used to commute 1.5 hours one way to get to school. It was the worst experience of my life, so I transferred to somewhere closer to home. Not only is my tuition now ridiculously cheaper (yay state schools), but it only takes me 20 mins to get there. Best decision of my life, hands down.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Psychology...the easiest major anywhelre.

inb4gravitywavesheadexplodes

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I would. Regardless of the demands of the professor, psychology is not too mentally challenging. I say this based on having done a hefty amount of studying through various texts. It is not the same type of synthesizing material that is required from the basic sciences. Sure, some of the science based psychology courses are difficult, but if you are looking for the easy route, you could stick to developmental psych and stuff like that.

Not really.. it really depends on the person. I personally find most of the basic sciences pretty easy, with biology being on par with psychology in terms of difficulty. Secondly synthesizing material? That made lol because most basic science classes won't even begin to ask you to critically think about the material let alone apply it. Anyways you really don't know what you're talking about and you're making huge generalizations about a huge field that spans across an extremely huge spectrum of difficulty.
But again I'll repeat what I've said many times before.. there are two psych areas in UG. One that all majors can take and doesn't require a grasp of research methods and statistics and then there is one directed towards psych majors with those skills. The latter is significantly more difficult is all I can say.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Why did you choose to go to UCLA over UCI, if you're from LA and interested in saving money?

This. Rationale and final decision does not compute.

 

[aSagacious]

inb4gravitywavesheadexplodes

 

[sirsharif329]

This. Rationale and final decision does not compute.

Ok, I chose UCI because I really needed to get away from my parents. Constant bickering, on the edge of a divorce, constant problems, mother and father blaming and taking their anger out on me etc.

Also, UCLA premed to medical school acceptance rates are a joke. Grade deflation over there is notorious. UCI is less cutthroat and has a ton of great internship and volunteer opportunities. PLUS I like the whole quiet scene going on there as opposed to the boisterous LA environment.

And I'm really not trying to save money. If I had chosen to go to UCLA I would've dormed there as well. There's no way I'm going to study in this chaotic living environment at home.

So I was just hoping you guys could post your opinions on how ridiculous the whole 1 hr plus commute would be to UCI everyday and another 1 hr back so that my dad could realize that it wouldn't be the best decision.

 

[sirsharif329]

Oh, and I was wondering if I could get your opinions on other majors at UCI. The ones I'm mulling over are microbio and immunology, biochem, or neurobio.
Psychology seems too easy and I do want a challenge as well as a major that's going to prepare me for my MCATs. But I also don't want something that'll kill me.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

...as a major that's going to prepare me for my MCATs...

No major is going to do that any better than any other. Major in what you like and are most interested in.

 

[Zedor]

Not really.. it really depends on the person. I personally find most of the basic sciences pretty easy, with biology being on par with psychology in terms of difficulty. Secondly synthesizing material? That made lol because most basic science classes won't even begin to ask you to critically think about the material let alone apply it. Anyways you really don't know what you're talking about and you're making huge generalizations about a huge field that spans across an extremely huge spectrum of difficulty.
But again I'll repeat what I've said many times before.. there are two psych areas in UG. One that all majors can take and doesn't require a grasp of research methods and statistics and then there is one directed towards psych majors with those skills. The latter is significantly more difficult is all I can say.

If you say so.

To the OP, you don't have to declare a major until your junior year. You can use your frosh/soph years to take some introductory classes and hopefully that will give you an idea of what you're interested in.

 

[rHinO1]

I agree with Pons, the best advice I every received was to major in something I enjoyed. If you really like the material, then you will do better in your classes. I went to UCSD, and I chose to major in Human Biology. I liked the broad topics in the core classes, the flexibility to select a lot of bio electives, and that I was able to knock out the pre-reqs at the same time.

First, I would decide what major I like the best, regardless of its application to applying to medical school. Then, if I was sure it was still biology, then I would find whichever one would allow you to take the most electives (and classes you found the most interesting).

In general, the areas you listed (neuro, micro, immuno, and biochem) are very different. Personally, I have no interest in microbiology, and I never took it. Immuno was one of the more challenging course that I took, but it is very interesting. Biochem is very difficult, and for me, required a ton of memorization that I forgot most of after the class (metabolic pathways etc...). I never took any neuro classes, but I did two years of research in the neurosciences. It is a fascinating subject, but I'm not sure if I would have majored in that field. General biology, may allow you to take the most electives, and therefore, let you take classes from all of thos majors.

Like someone said, a degree in biology is pretty useless if you don't get into medical school or graduate school. However, there is practically no difference in usefulness, or ability to obtain a job, between any of the different bio majors you listed, so take what you like the most. BTW I'm not disparaging biology degrees here, IMO most undergraduate degrees are pretty useless, outside of business, chemistry, or engineering (those are probably the best "bang for your buck" degrees).

Then again, if I was looking for a career in biology, then I probably would have done a biotech internship and done well for myself there... maybe.

 

[Asyouwereatrio]

Oh, and I was wondering if I could get your opinions on other majors at UCI. The ones I'm mulling over are microbio and immunology, biochem, or neurobio.
Psychology seems too easy and I do want a challenge as well as a major that's going to prepare me for my MCATs. But I also don't want something that'll kill me.

All Bio majors start out at UCI as Biological Science Majors. After year 2, then you are allowed to specialize into those majors you offered.

Also Rhino is right, choose a major that you'll enjoy! A Bio degree by itself isn't very useful in terms of a career unless you use it as a stepping stone to graduate/professional schools...

 

[LuciusVorenus]

First off, don't commute. Everyone at UCI who commutes says it's a huge drain on them. You'll live in on campus housing freshman year (it's pretty cheap) and off campus for the last 3 years. For off campus housing, I think it usually averages around 500-600 a month per person for a 3 bedroom house.

As for majors, within the biology department the biochemistry major is said to be the hardest. The easier majors (from what I've heard) include genetics and neurobiology. One really useful thing about the biology department at UCI is that they're the only school with a required grade distribution. You'll never have a class that gives LESS than 17% As. However, the school itself is huge, and you might have problems getting into the labs and upper division classes of your choice.

If you're thinking outside the biology department, the physical science majors (particularly chemistry) are apparently the hardest at UCI. Psychology is apparently the easiest. I'm not saying this is true of all schools, but at UCI most of the psych tests are multiple choice so I think this is where the "easy" part comes in. English and the humanities are "eh". Apparently UCI has a great comparative literature program that attracts a lot of ivy grad TAs, so the grading is known to be really deflated.

If you have any other questions just ask 🙂

P.S. If you're looking for a fair yet challenging major, try BME. If you're good at math/physics BME shouldn't be a problem for you at all. The grade distribution in the classes are extremely generous (25% As) but the tests are brutal (average is usually around the low 30s).

 

[KTownGT]

Oh, and I was wondering if I could get your opinions on other majors at UCI. The ones I'm mulling over are microbio and immunology, biochem, or neurobio.
Psychology seems too easy and I do want a challenge as well as a major that's going to prepare me for my MCATs. But I also don't want something that'll kill me.

Microbiology is a very cool degree. Especially when you start delving into the 4th level classes.

 

[Tots]

Definitely don't commute. OC <-> LA traffic is horrendous and it will drain you. I know from experience. Also living on campus, especially your freshman year, is a good opportunity to make connections and get involved on campus.

In terms of what Bio Sci major you want to do: Don't worry about it. You can't switch into Micro&Immuno, Biochem&MolBio, Genetics, Neuro until after your sophomore year. Most people don't specialize but there are definitely some +'s and -'s to transferring into one of the smaller bio majors. I am a M&I major at UCI and there are only 9 of us total. This quarter I am taking a class with 10 people and 3 professors. It is awesome!

If you think your interested in a major outside bio sci I would say gooooo for it. BME and Public Health Sci will allow you to enroll in the core Bio Sci classes(and other pre-reqs) without the "majors only" requirement problems. If you want to major in something else it can be more difficult to get into the pre-req classes, though its not impossible with proper planning(maybe some deception too). If you want to know how PM me and I can give you some tips.

If you have any questions about the Public Health Sci major, Bio Sci major, specialized bio majors or housing at UCI(I am a RA) I would be happy to answer them over PM.

 

[obgyny]

Oh, and I was wondering if I could get your opinions on other majors at UCI. The ones I'm mulling over are microbio and immunology, biochem, or neurobio.
Psychology seems too easy and I do want a challenge as well as a major that's going to prepare me for my MCATs. But I also don't want something that'll kill me.

Yayy for UCI!!!! 🙂 I went to UCI for undergrad, now I'm going to UCI for medical school this fall 😎. I was a Neurobiology major, PM me if you have any questions about it.

As someone said earlier, everyone starts out as a Biological Sciences major (if that's what you end up picking), even if you start out as a freshman or transfer in as a junior. Then you can change your major into one of the bio specialties (Neuro, Micro/Imm, Genetics, etc) just before either your junior year or senior year. So you have time to decide which of the specialties you want to chose (or you can just stick with Biological Sciences) and chances to take classes in different areas of bio. I thought I was going to do the Genetics major after taking Genetics. But then I took a Neurobiology class and fell in love with it even more and decided to major in that. As everyone has been saying, major in what you're interested in. As a premed, you'll be taking all the classes you'll need for the MCAT anyways (g-chem, o-chem, physics, etc), so it doesn't matter which major you choose.

I'm really happy that I picked Neurobiology. They have a year-long seminar for the Neuro majors (so there's only about 30 people in your class... instead of the usual 450 people in the big bio classes). It gives you a chance to get to know your fellow Neuro majors. And the class is more of a discussion of research in Neurobiology instead of lecture style, so it was really interesting and my favorite class. Neuro was challenging (just as much as the other bio majors I'm sure), but it certainly won't kill you. I was just fascinated by the subject 🙂.

PS: One of my friends was a double major in Biological Sciences and Psychology at UCI. In her opinion, she thought that her Psych classes were much easier than her bio classes.

 

[phonyreal98]

Psychology...the easiest major anywhelre.

I would. Regardless of the demands of the professor, psychology is not too mentally challenging. I say this based on having done a hefty amount of studying through various texts. It is not the same type of synthesizing material that is required from the basic sciences. Sure, some of the science based psychology courses are difficult, but if you are looking for the easy route, you could stick to developmental psych and stuff like that.

I've learned more about experimental design and data analysis from courses in my psychology major than in all of my biology, chemistry, and physics courses. Just sayin'.

 

[SilentSoldier]

I've learned more about experimental design and data analysis from courses in my psychology major than in all of my biology, chemistry, and physics courses. Just sayin'.

I do like how the psychology curriculum requires you to take a course on experimental design and data analysis. Would've helped me in my research if it was a requirement for the bio major.

And everyone who goes to UCI knows that business economics is the easiest major there 🙂

 

[sirsharif329]

Thank you all very much for your answers, honestly it was really helpful. I was actually a bit interested in neurobio and was wondering if you guys could describe it a bit more for me.

- How hard was the curriculum and was there a grading curve?
- How large was the class size?
- Was the course material interesting? It seems rather appealing to me.
- Are there a lot of internship and volunteering opportunities at UCI? If so do you think you could give me some tips of a nice list of opportunities I should try and take advantage of.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

Thank you all very much for your answers, honestly it was really helpful. I was actually a bit interested in neurobio and was wondering if you guys could describe it a bit more for me.

- How hard was the curriculum and was there a grading curve?
- How large was the class size?
- Was the course material interesting? It seems rather appealing to me.
- Are there a lot of internship and volunteering opportunities at UCI? If so do you think you could give me some tips of a nice list of opportunities I should try and take advantage of.

1. All biology classes have a standard grading curve. At least 17% As must be given, and no more than 17% Ds+Fs combined. However, in upper division courses most professors tend to give more As.

2. The core bio classes (97, 98, 99 - the ones everyone takes) are all around 300-400 people. The upper division classes tend to be smaller, ranging from 100 to 30 people depending on the class. If you want more detailed numbers, go to reg.uci.edu and look up the bio classes open for enrollment.

3. This depends on what you like you really. Like others have said, you'll have 2 years to make up your mind, so you'll know by then which of the majors you find interesting.

4. Research opportunities are all over the place. As for clinical volunteering, it can get a bit competitive at hospitals. Most of them fill up really fast. Look for small clinics. My advice is to get involved in research as fast as you can (particularly UROP and SURP). Make sure you find a good professor who will give you some level of independence. Non clinical volunteering jobs are all over the place (soup kitchens, day cares, etc). If you do really well in chemistry or biology or math, try and become a LARC tutor. They give you a lot of independence (you lead group discussions of 5-10 kids on your own) and it's also the highest paid job on campus.

 

[Tots]

Thank you all very much for your answers, honestly it was really helpful. I was actually a bit interested in neurobio and was wondering if you guys could describe it a bit more for me.

- How hard was the curriculum and was there a grading curve?
- How large was the class size?
- Was the course material interesting? It seems rather appealing to me.
- Are there a lot of internship and volunteering opportunities at UCI? If so do you think you could give me some tips of a nice list of opportunities I should try and take advantage of.

LuciusVorenus pretty much covered the main points.

4. For clinical volunteering opportunities you really need to have a car. That seems to be the biggest barrier preventing people from getting involved with clinical opportunities early. LuciusVorenus is right that a lot of the positions fill up early but if your willing to drive a little you can definitely find hospital volunteering. That being said I volunteered at the UCIMC and it was not a terribly valuable experience. A lot of students volunteer through CCE at Hoag or St. Marys or at Western Medical Center. I encourage you to volunteer at local clinics like Share Our Selves, MIAH or the Outreach Clinic (http://www.ucioutreachclinic.org/). The Outreach Clinic is student run and is always looking for new volunteers, especially highly motivated 1st/2nd years.

I also second his advice on becoming a LARC tutor. I am a long time LARC tutor and love it.

 

[obgyny]

Thank you all very much for your answers, honestly it was really helpful. I was actually a bit interested in neurobio and was wondering if you guys could describe it a bit more for me.

- How hard was the curriculum and was there a grading curve?
- How large was the class size?
- Was the course material interesting? It seems rather appealing to me.
- Are there a lot of internship and volunteering opportunities at UCI? If so do you think you could give me some tips of a nice list of opportunities I should try and take advantage of.

1. All biology classes have a standard grading curve. At least 17% As must be given, and no more than 17% Ds+Fs combined. However, in upper division courses most professors tend to give more As.

2. The core bio classes (97, 98, 99 - the ones everyone takes) are all around 300-400 people. The upper division classes tend to be smaller, ranging from 100 to 30 people depending on the class. If you want more detailed numbers, go to reg.uci.edu and look up the bio classes open for enrollment.

3. This depends on what you like you really. Like others have said, you'll have 2 years to make up your mind, so you'll know by then which of the majors you find interesting.

4. Research opportunities are all over the place. As for clinical volunteering, it can get a bit competitive at hospitals. Most of them fill up really fast. Look for small clinics. My advice is to get involved in research as fast as you can (particularly UROP and SURP). Make sure you find a good professor who will give you some level of independence. Non clinical volunteering jobs are all over the place (soup kitchens, day cares, etc). If you do really well in chemistry or biology or math, try and become a LARC tutor. They give you a lot of independence (you lead group discussions of 5-10 kids on your own) and it's also the highest paid job on campus.

Just adding to what LuciusVorenus said:

1. The regular lecture & lab classes are usually based on a curve, but not all (Physiology comes to mind). The required year-long seminar series for Neuro majors I described in my previous post (N112 A, B, and C) is not based on a curve. I believe it was just straight scale, since there were less than 30 people in the class. How "hard" the curriculum is really subjective... I mean it was tough, but manageable. I maintained a 3.99 GPA while being involved in a lot of ECs and work... but that won't really tell you how hard it will be for you.

2. The core bio classes are 300-450 people. I felt like upper-division bio classes were smaller: 100-200 people. And as I said, the Neuro seminar is only ~30 people.

3. If you want to see if you'd like the material, I definitely recommend taking N110 (Neurobiology and Behavior). This class is required if you want to become a Neuro major anyways (if you don't like it, it would still be applied to the Bio Sci major). This was the class that convinced me to switch to the Neuro. There are other Neuro classes you can take that aren't restricted to Neuro majors. Check out the class schedule.

4. Research is awesome at UCI! If you're interested in research, look into programs Excellence in Research and UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) on the UCI website.

There are a ton of hospitals near UCI and all over Orange County. Hoag hospital has a very structured volunteer program and is very popular. But it's pretty competitive to get into. But there's also CHOC (Childrens Hospital of Orange County), UCI Medical Center, Western Medical Center, and lots more. There are also clinics, the only one I can think of right now is Share Ourselves (SOS) Free Medical Clinic. Additionally, UCI has a lot of clubs for premeds, health, community service, etc.

So there's no shortage of opportunities!!! 🙂