If you are NOT a biology major..post here!!

[Thundrstorm]

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
Wow...I didn't know there were so many folks here that actually ventured outside of biology. **gasp** I know adcoms will appreciate the fact that we can write well, think critically, read and analyze dense material, and communicate our ideas effectively with others.

First of all, being a non-bio major does not necessarily mean you can read and write critically, just as being a bio major does not mean that you can't.

I agree with the poster above...biology really does seem like "memorization of minutia." Don't get me wrong...I think neurobiology, human physiology, and molecular genetics are GREAT fields with tons of fascinating research going on within them...but after talking with dozens of MCB (molecular-cell biology) majors here on campus...I just get the feeling like it's just one huge memorization fest.

Bio is a lot more than memorization. I'm curious. What's the highest level bio class you've taken? I can see how you would consider some classes to be largely based on memorization, but I certainly didn't think that most of my classes involved only memorization. You also have to understand, synthesize new ideas, etc., just like in any discipline.

For some reason, I get the feeling that many of these biology robots (hence the term..."biobots"), could never write a decent persuasive essay about anything.

This "biobot" can **gasp** read, write, and communicate effectively. She tutors writing in fact, often to non-science majors. But how can that be? She doesn't think; she only memorizes!

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[AD2020]

Major: Biological and Environmental Engineering
Minor: Biomedical Engineering

Engineering is a great way to get into medicine because of the focus on problem solving. Also, I think that the focus on design and modeling of biological systems has given me a more profound understanding of these systems than memorization alone would have. At one of my interviews I was told "we need more engineers in medicine" (shortly after I was waitlisted ).

My only complaint is that combining pre-med and engineering gave me a lot less flexibility in deciding my schedule. I wish I had had the chance to take more philosophy courses.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Originally posted by Thundrstorm


First of all, being a non-bio major does not necessarily mean you can read and write critically, just as being a bio major does not mean that you can't.



Bio is a lot more than memorization. I'm curious. What's the highest level bio class you've taken? I can see how you would consider some classes to be largely based on memorization, but I certainly didn't think that most of my classes involved only memorization. You also have to understand, synthesize new ideas, etc., just like in any discipline.




This "biobot" can **gasp** read, write, and communicate effectively. She tutors writing in fact, often to non-science majors. But how can that be? She doesn't think; she only memorizes! [/B]

lol. The "highest level" biology class I've taken is a graduate class in neuroanatomy and the graduate lab (6 hours/week) that accompanies that course. I'm taking that class this semester. I've also taken upper division biology classes including Human Physiology, Ecology/Evolution, and Human Anatomy. Needless to say, I've had some biology experience beyond the 1 year of general biology required of everyone. And yes, I really do think that biology is MUCH more based on rote memorization and much LESS based on conceptual analysis. I'll make certain exceptions for some courses...namely, molecular genetics and immunology which require a pretty deep conceptual understanding of the material.

I never said that being a non-bio major automatically confers those qualities onto the student. Please read that part of the again...**eyeroll**. All I said was that adcoms would appreciate these qualities in a student...the MAIN underlying assumption being that the student is a humanities/social science major. You're right...being a "non-bio" major doesn't necessarily mean that you can read and write critically...because that "non-bio" major could just as well be a chemistry major who is just as inept at writing as the typical bio major.

From your poorly constructed rebuttal, it looks as though you're saying that the average philosophy major or comparitive literature major doesn't have better writing skills than the average biology major. This is WRONG...of COURSE your average philosophy major would have superior writing skills because philosophy majors have to write MANY more papers, read thousands of pages of dense material, and analyze arguments much frequently than the average biology major who has to memorize pathways, structures, the position of the thalamus relative to the lateral ventricles, etc.

You're right if you're trying to imply that not ALL humanities/social science majors have better reading/writing skills than all biology majors. But if that was the case, you're refuting an argument that never existed (a "straw man") because I never made any absolute statements. My comments above refer to the average joe in each major and certainly not to everyone in these fields because everyone knows that exceptions exist.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Originally posted by superdevil
jesus tapdancing christ.....

are you implying that all non-bio majors exhibit these qualities? or are you saying that bio majors lack these skills? in either case, that's ridiculous.


wow....that's just so....stupid. many bio majors are proficient linguists, pal. whenever i'm tempted to start a thread like this, i usually just grab a bottle of lotion and go to the bathroom.

oh well, gotta go--this "biobot" has to go play basketball with some black people and then go make a withdrawl from First Jewish National Bank.

Your reading comprehension skills are so utterly piss poor..it's sad. Read the beginning of the post again...nowhere does it say that ALL non-bio majors possses these skills or that ALL bio majors lack them. No one is talking about absolutes here because as we all know...there are always exceptions.

I'm just saying that the average joe in comparitive literature or philosophy would probably have better reading and composition skills than the average joe in biology. Why you might ask? Doesn't the philosophy major have to WRITE MORE PAPERS on a regular basis? Doesn't the philosophy major also have to read thousands of pages more of dense material (Nietzche, Kant, Kirkegaard, Mills, etc) than the biology major? If Student A had to write 150 pages worth of papers in one semester and Student B had to write 50 pages of papers in one semester...who would you say would have the superior writing skills over the long run (assuming that Student A has to consisently write more papers)?

Also, throw in the fact that Student A's papers are being graded based on writing style, quality of prose, as well as basic content. I've written papers before in ecology, epidemiology, and other biology classes and the papers were ONLY graded based on content. Yes, you need to follow basic conventions of grammar and structure (with a minimum of grammatical and spelling errors)...but the style of writing was never really looked at.

As for your comments on racial stereotyping...LOL..absolutely ridiculous. You really belong in a 5th grade english class. Well..good luck with the basketball and withdrawal from the bank. Next time...pick up a reading comprehension textbook before you try (and fail miserably) to refute one of my posts.

 

[Spitting Camel]

Yo Berk,
Last I checked, my major didn't require me to take only Bio classes. I have taken many African American Studies courses, philosophy courses, anthropology, writing courses, and many other humanities classes. Frankly, I found it much easier to BS a paper that you can dance your way around (philos, anthro, AfAm)than to write a lab report based on an accumulation of data, and analyzing that data in order to explain whether your results coincide with a certain biological pathway (Which, by the way, requires that you thoroughly understand concepts so that you can analyze where the experiement went wrong). I am a better writer because of my Bio classes, and no offense, but I feel like I have to dumb it down for the humanities courses. It's just a case of "whatever floats your boat"

What is a shame is people who LOVE biology, but take a different major because it will give them a better GPA. If you love Bio, go for it, if not, don't do it just to go to medical school.

After All.....

You can be an English major and still go to medical school.

 

[superdevil]

of COURSE your average philosophy major would have superior writing skills because philosophy majors have to write MANY more papers, read thousands of pages of dense material, and analyze arguments much frequently than the average biology major

in debate, it is often unwise to speak in such superlative, absolute terms, such as saying, "of COURSE the average philosophy major would have superior writing skills..." repitition of action doesn't make someone definitively better at something than the next person. for instance, if i practice playing basketball 16 hours per day, i would still suck ass compared to kevin garnett or kobe bryant. proficiency is not necessarily based on practice, or even effort for that matter.

And yes, I really do think that biology is MUCH more based on rote memorization and much LESS based on conceptual analysis.

that's absurd. you're making sweeping generalizations about AN ENTIRE SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE based on one thing: WHAT IT TAKES TO GET AN 'A' IN A BIO CLASS. memorizing sh.t for exams isn't the same as truly "knowing" biology (which IS possible, by the way-you can understand bio beyond memorization).

biology takes lots of conceptual analysis. if your professor asked you how to come up with a reproducible system for preventing cytochrome C based apoptosis in non-transformed cell lines and you said, "um, i memorized glycolysis in an undergrad biochem class. does that help?" you'd look f****** ******ed, and your professor would be well within his rights to strike you.

please stop bashing biology based on a handful of classes or a half-assed survey that you took of a few bio majors. it really is a deep field if you're concerned with more than just getting good grades in classes. your smugness and condescending attitude does not make your opinions any more valid.

 

[superdevil]

wow, didn't even see that last post

As for your comments on racial stereotyping...LOL..absolutely ridiculous. You really belong in a 5th grade english class. Well..good luck with the basketball and withdrawal from the bank. Next time...pick up a reading comprehension textbook before you try (and fail miserably) to refute one of my posts.

i was merely trying to use an extreme example to show the potential flaw in making generalizations about groups of people. i'm sorry you were so thoroughly unimpressed. perhaps you could mock my post at your next mensa meeting.

the myriad of personal insults was a nice touch though. so nice, in fact, that i've decided to change my mind and agree with you!

seriously, you were just making some unfair generalizations, and i was just trying to illustrate that. i'm sure you enjoyed chastizing me for not reading this thread too closely, so you should be thanking me for boosting your self-esteem so much!

i guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on the many shortcomings of biology and biology majors.

 

[Spitting Camel]

Ok, HELLO! If it gets you into med school, who the heck cares? Are you going to choose your study partners or roomates based on their UNDERGRAD major? No (but if so, you're a ******)

If anything, I would want to be partnered up with a bio major, seeing as how we are not going to need any analytical skills for TWO WHOLE YEARS of med school and therefore, non-science majors would be ill-equipped to handle the skills necessary to succeed in the basic science courses.

Yes, a joke, but it's just to prove how non-science elitism is sooo stupid.

 

[Spitting Camel]

Originally posted by bluedevilchica
LINGUISTICS

hum dee dum... I'll just pretend like nothing is happening... You rock!

 

[Thundrstorm]

I wasn't trying to be a smart-alec when I asked what bio classes you had taken; I was just curious b/c I've found that the higher division classes have required more in-depth thinking and less rote memorization than the gen bio classes.

Poorly constructed rebuttal? You mean my quick response to a post online? I'm sorry if it was poorly constructed in your eyes.

I may have misunderstood your original post, but your term "biobots" seemed to be quite a sweeping generalization to me. I agree that adcoms are probably looking for articulate people who are capable of analytical thought, but it seemed that you were implying that these qualities were somehow demonstrated to them by looking at what a student's major is, and I don't think it's as simple as that.

I don't know whether the average humanities student is a better writer than the average science student, so I won't argue with that. However, sheer volume of papers written does not necessarily mean better quality, and as I'm sure you know, even science majors take non-science electives. Anyway, that wasn't my point. It appeared that you were implying that there is something inherently better about choosing a non-bio major, and that students who are bio majors are somehow less academically well-rounded. If you don't think that, then I apologize, but that's the kind fo attitude that came across in your post.

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
lol. The "highest level" biology class I've taken is a graduate class in neuroanatomy and the graduate lab (6 hours/week) that accompanies that course......


From your poorly constructed rebuttal, it looks as though you're saying that the average philosophy major or comparitive literature major doesn't have better writing skills than the average biology major. This is WRONG...of COURSE your average philosophy major would have superior writing skills because philosophy majors have to write MANY more papers, read thousands of pages of dense material, and analyze arguments much frequently than the average biology major who has to memorize pathways, structures, the position of the thalamus relative to the lateral ventricles, etc.

You're right if you're trying to imply that not ALL humanities/social science majors have better reading/writing skills than all biology majors. But if that was the case, you're refuting an argument that never existed (a "straw man") because I never made any absolute statements. My comments above refer to the average joe in each major and certainly not to everyone in these fields because everyone knows that exceptions exist.

 

[Asclepius]

BA Triple major: Religion, Philosophy, Greek
MS: Molecular Cell Science/Microbiology



Here's the MCAT data by major:

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/char99.pdf

Humanities majors do perform better than othe majors in Verbal and Writing, but science majors generally do not perform better than humanities majors in the science sections (physical sciences is the exception.) I recall seeing somewhere that math majors, generally, have the highest standardized test scores followed by philosophy majors. (Don't let us down, Cerb.)

I feel that humanities and math, because they are abstract, provide better undergraduate training because they focus on critical thinking. Critical thinking is the basis of science, but it really isn't possible to think critically in science well until one has a large basis of knowledge in the sciences. For me, learning Biology was much like learning Classical Greek...it takes some practice before you can think in the new terms. It's only then that you're able to think critically and make connections.
In all honesty, though, the best prepared people, the smartest people, were the ones who loved what they studied, could formulate questions and think about the subject, whether it is a social science, natural science, or Urdu.
Most of the Biology majors I knew took Biology because it was a means to an end...med school, pharmacy, or whatever. The ones I knew that loved biology for its own sake - like many of the people here - developped a broad base of knowledge within a few years and then began working on their own research.

SO everybody...off your high horses.

Having been as "humanities" a major as one can get, all of the "humanities are easy" BS on these boards bothers me. Likewise, humanities superiority bothers me as well.

 

[exilio]

I wanted to go English because:

A) I'll get plenty of science taking care of the med school pre-reqs..and in medical school.

B) I really like writing.

However, due to time and circumstances, an English major is near impossible because it is such a heavy courseload.

So that meant I needed something that would have some overlap with pre-med classes and be interesting, so I am going for a BA in Psychology.

Philosophy would be fun, but my JC sucks when it comes to phil courses so when I xferred I would be way behind.

 

[Thundrstorm]

Originally posted by Asclepius

In all honesty, though, the best prepared people, the smartest people, were the ones who loved what they studied, could formulate questions and think about the subject, whether it is a social science, natural science, or Urdu.

I agree.

 

[uclacrewdude]

Originally posted by Thundrstorm
I wasn't trying to be a smart-alec when I asked what bio classes you had taken; I was just curious b/c I've found that the higher division classes have required more in-depth thinking and less rote memorization than the gen bio classes.

Poorly constructed rebuttal? You mean my quick response to a post online? I'm sorry if it was poorly constructed in your eyes.

I may have misunderstood your original post, but your term "biobots" seemed to be quite a sweeping generalization to me. I agree that adcoms are probably looking for articulate people who are capable of analytical thought, but it seemed that you were implying that these qualities were somehow demonstrated to them by looking at what a student's major is, and I don't think it's as simple as that.

I don't know whether the average humanities student is a better writer than the average science student, so I won't argue with that. However, sheer volume of papers written does not necessarily mean better quality, and as I'm sure you know, even science majors take non-science electives. Anyway, that wasn't my point. It appeared that you were implying that there is something inherently better about choosing a non-bio major, and that students who are bio majors are somehow less academically well-rounded. If you don't think that, then I apologize, but that's the kind fo attitude that came across in your post.

you're not well-rounded -- youre 90% pure!!!

edit: yes, that is lame for a college student

 

[Asclepius]

Originally posted by Thundrstorm

I may have misunderstood your original post, but your term "biobots" seemed to be quite a sweeping generalization to me. I agree that adcoms are probably looking for articulate people who are capable of analytical thought, but it seemed that you were implying that these qualities were somehow demonstrated to them by looking at what a student's major is, and I don't think it's as simple as that.

I'd take a biobot over an elitest snob anyday.

Come on, BPM. I've talked to you several times in chat. I agree with you that humanities majors are great degrees, but it's not right to make these generalizations. There's no point in provoking anger or denigrating another.

 

[Asclepius]

Originally posted by uclacrewdude
you're not well-rounded -- youre 90% pure!!!

How can I get my hands on the other 10%?

 

[Thundrstorm]

Originally posted by Asclepius
How can I get my hands on the other 10%?

 

[Thundrstorm]

Originally posted by uclacrewdude
you're not well-rounded -- youre 90% pure!!!

ha ha, very cute

 

[TheFlash]

Originally posted by Thundrstorm
I wasn't trying to be a smart-alec when I asked what bio classes you had taken; I was just curious b/c I've found that the higher division classes have required more in-depth thinking and less rote memorization than the gen bio classes.

Poorly constructed rebuttal? You mean my quick response to a post online? I'm sorry if it was poorly constructed in your eyes.

I may have misunderstood your original post, but your term "biobots" seemed to be quite a sweeping generalization to me. I agree that adcoms are probably looking for articulate people who are capable of analytical thought, but it seemed that you were implying that these qualities were somehow demonstrated to them by looking at what a student's major is, and I don't think it's as simple as that.

I don't know whether the average humanities student is a better writer than the average science student, so I won't argue with that. However, sheer volume of papers written does not necessarily mean better quality, and as I'm sure you know, even science majors take non-science electives. Anyway, that wasn't my point. It appeared that you were implying that there is something inherently better about choosing a non-bio major, and that students who are bio majors are somehow less academically well-rounded. If you don't think that, then I apologize, but that's the kind fo attitude that came across in your post.

Thudr, welcome to the Wasteland we call pre-allo. Anything you say can and will be misconstrued by the roaming hyenas.

 

[Thundrstorm]

Originally posted by TheFlash
Thudr, welcome to the Wasteland we call pre-allo. Anything you say can and will be misconstrued by the roaming hyenas.

Yeah, I know. What's wrong with me? I've posted in pre-allo and Everyone this week.

 

[SwineLake98]

Originally posted by crazygal
Exercise Science, but it is essentially Human Biology. Brats800 you are so right....why would i study the physiology/anatomy of animals when I can study humans?

Precisely the reason I'm not a bio major...I don't really care about other animals. It sounds awful but it?s true; I don't think I could sit through classes like "Social Organization of Mammals"

 

[exilio]

Originally posted by SwineLake98
Precisely the reason I'm not a bio major...I don't really care about other animals. It sounds awful but it?s true; I don't think I could sit through classes like "Social Organization of Mammals"

My reasoning exactly.

 

[Tiger26]

I'm a political science major. I enjoy studying politics, and I had been anticipating going to law school/phd in poli sci before I decided to go to med school.

 

[ohiopremed]

B.A in psychology.

always loved psychology and am not good w/ the study of evolution and how do deutrostomes live

 

[Jubester3]

Chemical Engineering, because it is a real man's (or woman's) major. Minor in bio.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

in debate, it is often unwise to speak in such superlative, absolute terms, such as saying, "of COURSE the average philosophy major would have superior writing skills..." repitition of action doesn't make someone definitively better at something than the next person. for instance, if i practice playing basketball 16 hours per day, i would still suck ass compared to kevin garnett or kobe bryant. proficiency is not necessarily based on practice, or even effort for that matter.


that's absurd. you're making sweeping generalizations about AN ENTIRE SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE based on one thing: WHAT IT TAKES TO GET AN 'A' IN A BIO CLASS. memorizing sh.t for exams isn't the same as truly "knowing" biology (which IS possible, by the way-you can understand bio beyond memorization).

biology takes lots of conceptual analysis. if your professor asked you how to come up with a reproducible system for preventing cytochrome C based apoptosis in non-transformed cell lines and you said, "um, i memorized glycolysis in an undergrad biochem class. does that help?" you'd look f****** ******ed, and your professor would be well within his rights to strike you.

please stop bashing biology based on a handful of classes or a half-assed survey that you took of a few bio majors. it really is a deep field if you're concerned with more than just getting good grades in classes. your smugness and condescending attitude does not make your opinions any more valid.

This is absolute garbage. Repitition of action doesn't make someone definitively better at something? How DID Kevin Garnett become so good at basketball then? Didn't he have to PRACTICE a lot before he started playing with the pros?

Secondly, you have to COMPARE LIKE THINGS. Comparing YOU practicing basketball a lot against a pro in the NBA makes NO sense. You compared yourself (with lots of practice) against Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. You'd have to take people that are about at the SAME LEVEL already. In other words, if Person A and Person B have both never played basketball before in their lives and Person A practiced 3 times/week and Person B practiced once/month...who would you expect to win if there was a one-on-one game between Person A and B? Note how these two individuals are starting off at the same level.

How the hell did you get through Intro to Stats without knowing that you must compare LIKE things? The rest of the blithering idiocy in your post doesn't even a merit a ****ing response.

"Handful of classes"...lol...what are you smoking? EVERY bio major only gets to sample a small portion of the biology classes at their university (I'm not talking about liberal arts schools here) because you only need X units of upper division work to graduate from the major and it's often not even possible to take ALL or even MOST of the biology classes offered at any given university. For instance, we offer 5 different majors within biology here and there are TONS of classes in each of those departments.
For upper division biology, I've taken Ecology/Evolution, Human Physiology, Neuronanatomy (graduate class), Neuroanatomy lab, Epidemiology, and a botany class. Altogether, this constitutes 17 credits worth of upper division biology. To graduate from the integrative biology major here, you need 26 credits of upper division courses. Doesn't this mean I'm only 9 lousy credits away from finishing a biology degree? I could easily just take 9 credits worth of bio next semester and get it overwith.

So please spare me your, "You haven't taken enough bio classes!" comment. That comment truly was born out of pure idiocy. Why would I comment ON UPPER DIVISION bio courses in the first place if I didn't TAKE a representative sample of upper level bio classes? For the love of God...think.

 

[Mr Reddly]

OMFG that was some dense reading... So where EXACTLY do we Electrical Engineers fit into all this?

I mean, we can't read or write (can you say 'O'?), can't relate, can't memorize, are not socially adept, etc....

 

[superdevil]

BerkeleyPremed, are you still grinding that axe? let it go. you think bio is a shallow field based on memorization. i don't. whenever i tried you explain that, you went totally apesh.t, and basically just tried to ridicule my opinions to death. well done. why's it such a big deal for you to win an argument on an internet forum, anyway?

bio is stupid, and it is for stupid people. i relent.

the mcat quickly approaches, and i probably shouldn't be wasting my time by posting in response to anonymous critiques on my "blithering idiocy."

can we move on now and be adults? truce!

 

[smuwillobrien]

Haha. This is one of the most hilarious threads I've ever read. It seems as though Berkeley feels he is intellectually superior to all biology majors because he is considering switching. Well, first of all you should realize that intelligence comes in many forms. Reading and writing skills are helpful, but if you intend to go into medicine being able to memorize a large amount of stuff will be equally as helpful.

Each course and training style emphasizes a specific skill set. No skill is useful on its own. Don't be such an anal retentive prick.

P.S. If you think you're hot **** give me a personal message and we can start a Nietzsche discussion; I meet all the criteria for a Nietzschian superman.

 

[10minutes]

Math/Physics Major

 

[Blade28]

Bioengineering here.

 

[Nutmeg]

A small point of clarification:

At Berkeley, the biochem major is one of five subdivisions in the molecular and cell biology (MCB) major. Biochem thereby entails 3 courses in undergrad chemistry and an upperdivision physical chemistry class (which may be substituted, if you can get approval), along with 2 lower division bio classes, and 5 upperdivision MCB classes--a year of biochem, biochem lab, genetics, and an elective in MCB. Clearly, not all universities have this bio-heavy approach to biochem, but at Cal, MCB is largely designed to serve as a med school prep major, with a great number of premeds in the MCB program--though they may just as likely be emphasizing biochem, cell bio, genetics, immunology, or neurology, they all get a degree in MCB.

Secondly, I would say that the MCB classes at Cal are substantially loaded with memorization, but not at the expense of critical thinking and comprehension. While your studying may well be memorization-intensive, the test questions are usually very analytical in nature--such as (examples from my neuro tests) "Where would you make a lesion to ameriorate the effects of Parkinson's disease?" or "What clinical effects would a lesion in the left solitary nucleus have?" Genetics and biochem are similar in that one must memorize the pathways and have a substantial vocbulary. For me, the understanding of pathway dynamics is easy so long as I know the pathway, so the hardest part is all memorization, while my chemical engineering classes almost always allow a "cheat sheet" of equations and such, and often allow open books/open notes.

I seriously doubt every biology department is exactly as memorization-intensive. At junior college, my lower division physics was memorization intensive, where they allowed no notes and you had to memorize all of the equations. Actually, in the first semester, my professor said he would provide all the necessary equations, and when the test came around, he wrote "F = m*a" on the board and said we should be able to derive everything from that.

But I'd like to reiterate the point made by others that medical school will likely entail a huge amount of memorization, so if you don't like it, pick a different career ambition. The fact remains that a solid critical thinker with a great deal of knowledge will be more effective than a solid critical thinker who lacks requisite knowledge. One of the things a doctor is required to do is be a repository of a great deal of knowledge about the function and misfunction of the human body. Just because something is tedious doesn't make it unimportant.

I personally don't feel that any one major is intrinsically superior to another. The fact is that the best scholars are those people who have a passion for their main feild of extpertise and at least an open-minded curiosity about other field of study. I would only ever think that a person was stunted in their academic potential if they are close-minded or they lack curiosity. Though my majors are MCB and chemical engineering, I think that learning can often come from unexpected directions. My psychology of abnormal behavior course probably gave me a more solid understanding of the philosophy and practice of the scientific method than any of my "hard science" courses did. My o-chem professor was very rigorous in grading my written work, and did more to shape my writing proficiency than did my English teachers. And a great deal of the most profound insights I've made during my undergraduate education came from readings not associated with any particular class.

I think that there is a great deal of difference between a person who studies biology due to a passionate interest in bio and a person who takes it as the "default major," but there are also a number of other "default majors" that people fall into as a least of evils--CS for tech geeks with no interest in the world away from their computers, business for people chasing dollars, psych for people who wish they could get a degree for reading Cosmo, English for people who want to write but don't have anything to say, communications for people who think it's an "easy major," or poli sci for pre-law students--the trend goes beyond just premed bio majors. I for one just feel sorry for anyone who drives themselves through 4 to 8 years of schooling without having any genuine interest in what they study.

 

[IndyZX]

A small point of clarification:

small point?

 

[Cerberus]

Math/Philosophy, no reason I just randomly drew my major from a hat. Bio major or not I think you are a lamo gunner.

I said it first folks!

 

[Mr Reddly]

Actually, in the first semester, my professor said he would provide all the necessary equations, and when the test came around, he wrote "F = m*a" on the board and said we should be able to derive everything from that.

My only comment is this... "I hated smart ass pricks like that." My second quarter Systems and Signals prof was that way too. I think they get off on some sort of evil thrill out of watching students suffer. If they don't want to give the equations, then fine... But to do it that way is just childish and inappropriate. It's like they never grew up and are still in competition with Freshmen! "Yes Mr Professor. I admit it. You are smarter than me. Yes, you do know more about this subject than I will ever know. Now get a life!"

 

[Nutmeg]

small point?

A small point, drawn out in verbose detail.

 

[Cerberus]

My only comment is this... "I hated smart ass pricks like that." My second quarter Systems and Signals prof was that way too. I think they get off on some sort of evil thrill out of watching students suffer. If they don't want to give the equations, then fine... But to do it that way is just childish and inappropriate. It's like they never grew up and are still in competition with Freshmen! "Yes Mr Professor. I admit it. You are smarter than me. Yes, you do know more about this subject than I will ever know. Now get a life!"

This has led me to a general hatred of academics. It's really kind of sad, I started out college loving learning and read for fun constantly. Now I cringe at the stupidity of academics and the pompous arrogance of academic types who think they are somehow better than everyone else because they spent 20 years studying the fornication habits of a ****ing tste fly. I welcome medical school and learning something that actually relates to what I will do with my life.

 

[Mr Reddly]

I welcome medical school and learning something that actually relates to what I will do with my life.

I'm told it can be like undergrad but even more so in this respect... I hope not.

 

[terpgirl]

IVSP--Human Sexuality and Reproduction

I am one of those people who got creative and wrote their own major ;-) Only taking 4 biology classes (general bio, anatomy 1, anatomy 2, biology of reproduction) to complete my major. Many family studies/womens studies/health classes in my curriculm. No, I didn't write my major to make adcoms happy, but if I for some reason don't go down the path to be an OB/GYN (want a break for a little, have a family, whatever) I'd love to go back to a university and teach women's health or human sexuality.

I was admitted to my school as a physiology/neurobiology major--too much beurocracy and crap going on in the college of life sciences so I knew I should leave as soon as I possibly could.

-Liz

 

[terpgirl]

IVSP--Human Sexuality and Reproduction

I am one of those people who got creative and wrote their own major ;-) Only taking 4 biology classes (general bio, anatomy 1, anatomy 2, biology of reproduction) to complete my major. Many family studies/womens studies/health classes in my curriculm. No, I didn't write my major to make adcoms happy, but if I for some reason don't go down the path to be an OB/GYN (want a break for a little, have a family, whatever) I'd love to go back to a university and teach women's health or human sexuality.

I was admitted to my school as a physiology/neurobiology major--too much beurocracy and crap going on in the college of life sciences so I knew I should leave as soon as I possibly could.

-Liz

 

[Cerberus]

I'm told it can be like undergrad but even more so in this respect... I hope not.

well, i sort of assume the first two years will be miserable but at least clinical seems like it will be relevent...

 

[deleted6669]

bs #1 medical anthropology
bs # 2 physician assistant studies
ms clinical emergency medicine

 

[Fermata]

I'm a Microbiology major!

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Thanks for all of your responses guys...keep those majors and reasons coming! Special thanks to Nutmeg for his "small" point of clarification.
Also, let the record reflect that I DO NOT think that any one major is superior to another or that I'm superior to others because of my choice of major. I just think different majors require differents sets of skills/talents from their students and I've finally decided that I would like to stop employing memorization skills to my classes and start using more analytical writing skills.

 

[Lion-O]

Physics major. I definitely got asked about it at interviews. I'm really glad they let any major apply to medical school... I'd be really depressed if I was stuck being a physicist the rest of my life.

 

[Mr Reddly]

Also, let the record reflect that I DO NOT think that any one major is superior to another or that I'm superior to others because of my choice of major.

I'm superior to others, but not because of my choice of major.

 

[Perrin]

I completed 4 years of architecture school before deciding to persue medicine. So here I am with only one more for a Biochem major and Spanish minor.

Sooo, am I a cross between a Biobot and a human....a Bio-droid. Sweet, I have successfully created a new race.

Haha...I win

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I completed 4 years of architecture school before deciding to persue medicine. So here I am with only one more for a Biochem major and Spanish minor.

Sooo, am I a cross between a Biobot and a human....a Bio-droid. Sweet, I have successfully created a new race.

Haha...I win

**flips the switch in the back of Perrin's head into the OFF position** I just turned off this biobot so it can't talk anymore..phew. **wipes sweat off forehead** Hopefully, more biobots won't malfunction anymore..but if they do...thank God for the ON/OFF switch.

P.S.: Oh...before I forget...

 

[Zweihander]

I welcome medical school and learning something that actually relates to what I will do with my life.

so tender...
so naive...

 

[Spitting Camel]

lol, id rather not get involved in the mud-slinging. thanks for the compliment btw ur profile says University of California...which one?

Oops... sorry it took so long to respond. That would be Irvine.