Foolhardy vs being pragmatic

[altamont850]

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My semester is coming to a close and it seems like I'm going to receive decent marks due to hard work. My current major is biochemistry and I know that I will be required to take Calculus 2 and 3 along with the dreaded physical chemistry. I'm decent (not great) at mathematics and I know with hard work I could graduate with a good GPA in biochemistry but I've been thinking that I should switch my major to Biology.

My adviser warned that biology majors are a dime a dozen and that I should stick with biochemistry because:

It's generally considered more difficult
The opportunities for research are abundant
Our chemistry department is more intimate and there are far less pre-meds

What do you guys think?

 

[plumhill]

My semester is coming to a close and it seems like I'm going to receive decent marks due to hard work. My current major is biochemistry and I know that I will be required to take Calculus 2 and 3 along with the dreaded physical chemistry. I'm decent (not great) at mathematics and I know with hard work I could graduate with a good GPA in biochemistry but I've been thinking that I should switch my major to Biology.

My adviser warned that biology majors are a dime a dozen and that I should stick with biochemistry because:

It's generally considered more difficult
The opportunities for research are abundant
Our chemistry department is more intimate and there are far less pre-meds

What do you guys think?

Your advisor is right in saying that there are a ton of pre-med bio majors who apply to med school for pretty obvious reasons, but you should always major in what you love. If that happens to be biology, then go for it! Also remember that you can always do research outside of your major area (I am a microbio major doing research in an engineering lab).

 

[MedPR]

My semester is coming to a close and it seems like I'm going to receive decent marks due to hard work. My current major is biochemistry and I know that I will be required to take Calculus 2 and 3 along with the dreaded physical chemistry. I'm decent (not great) at mathematics and I know with hard work I could graduate with a good GPA in biochemistry but I've been thinking that I should switch my major to Biology.

My adviser warned that biology majors are a dime a dozen and that I should stick with biochemistry because:

It's generally considered more difficult
The opportunities for research are abundant
Our chemistry department is more intimate and there are far less pre-meds

What do you guys think?

Your adviser is right, but what she didn't tell you is that a 4.0 Biology degree is better than a 3.5 Biochem degree.

 

[image187]

major doesn't really matter. go with what you like

 

[altamont850]

major doesn't really matter. go with what you like

I understand what you're saying, but I'm generally interested in many science majors (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Physics). I'm trying to decide which major I should choose which will provide enjoyment as well as a decent GPA (3.6+). I know that biology is generally less strenuous than biochemistry but I've looked at the curriculum and it seems lackluster.

People always say that you should do what you love but I know med school admissions are a numbers game and I want to be pragmatic.

 

[MedPR]

I understand what you're saying, but I'm generally interested in many science majors (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Physics). I'm trying to decide which major I should choose which will provide enjoyment as well as a decent GPA (3.6+). I know that biology is generally less strenuous than biochemistry but I've looked at the curriculum and it seems lackluster.

People always say that you should do what you love but I know med school admissions are a numbers game and I want to be pragmatic.

I don't know what it's like at your school, but at my UG there were only 3 required biology classes for biology majors. Those 3 were freshman bio1, freshman bio 2 (pre-med pre-reqs) and molecular cell biology. The rest of the credits needed to complete the major were upper levels and you could take any of them as long as you completed enough credits.

 

[dfib slim]

.

 

[NickNaylor]

From a strictly utilitarian perspective, biochem will probably the most useful to you in med school. Biology covers too many disparate topics to really be all that useful (e.g., a lot of plant and non-human vertebrate material), and the non-utility of chem/physics should be obvious.

Really, though, that should be pretty low on your list for why you're choosing a major. Go with what you're most interested in and will allow you to get a decent GPA.

 

[Narmerguy]

I understand what you're saying, but I'm generally interested in many science majors (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Physics). I'm trying to decide which major I should choose which will provide enjoyment as well as a decent GPA (3.6+). I know that biology is generally less strenuous than biochemistry but I've looked at the curriculum and it seems lackluster.

People always say that you should do what you love but I know med school admissions are a numbers game and I want to be pragmatic.

I hate to break it to you but biochemistry isn't exactly uncommon inapplicants either. Sure it's not biology, but you're not really going to stand out because you majored in biochemistry.

The last two points, however, seem like legitimate reasons to consider sticking with biochemistry. Research opportunities are great (though I'm sure Bio has plenty) but it's really good that chemistry doesn't have as many premeds because you get better interactions with your professors. Though of course this makes for better LOR down the road, more importantly, this is a valuable mentoring opportunity to just grow as a scientist. In many biology programs the premeds are so numerous that professors do not take them seriously or want to invest in them because it seems like it will be "wasted" on them since they'll never go to graduate school.

If you think you can do well in biochemistry, I would stick in biochemistry if I were in your shoes.