Is it bad to be a Bio major?

[asmith6601]

Hello!

I'm currently a freshman at a liberal arts college and I plan on going to medical school!

Right now I'm majoring in English and completing the pre-med requirements on the side, but I've realized recently that I don't love English as much as I thought I did. One of the many reasons I chose English was because I thought that it would give me an edge up in med school applications because it's different. But the truth is, I love biology and really would like to switch my major and cut English down to a minor. I'll likely also have either a Spanish or music minor on the side. Will this lower my chances of getting into medical schools in the future?

tl;dr: If I switch from an English major to a Bio major, will that lower my chances of getting into medical school?

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[Goro]

Hello!

I'm currently a freshman at a liberal arts college and I plan on going to medical school!

Right now I'm majoring in English and completing the pre-med requirements on the side, but I've realized recently that I don't love English as much as I thought I did. One of the many reasons I chose English was because I thought that it would give me an edge up in med school applications because it's different. But the truth is, I love biology and really would like to switch my major and cut English down to a minor. I'll likely also have either a Spanish or music minor on the side. Will this lower my chances of getting into medical schools in the future?

tl;dr: If I switch from an English major to a Bio major, will that lower my chances of getting into medical school?

We don't care what your major or minor is, only that you do well.

 

[Damson]

I also used to think that taking certain majors might make me stand out and impress the adcoms. But they really don't care very much
They just want you to do the major that fits your interest/goals, nail your med school prereqs, and take additional higher-level biology/chem/phys classes to demonstrate maturity and mastery

 

[carboxylicpremed]

My undergrad committee, which includes adcoms from our undergrad MD school, talked up the english major aspect of my app and told me that it was a plus to them/stood out. I think this contributed to the strength of my committee letter, and consequently may improve my overall application. My Africana Studies classmate had a similar experience. I'm no one qualified but I do get the sense that it helps somewhat with a more well-rounded application and diverse ECs, but so can many other things as well.

However, you have to actually like it. It's more valuable if you speak passionately about a more common major and really integrate it into your philosophy than not be able to at all. The difference really isn't big, but rather what you do with it and how you present it to schools.

 

[holdthemayo]

Don't overthink it.

Do what you enjoy and make sure you get A's.

 

[_Cloud9]

A bio major with a spanish/music minor would be so cool and I am positive that would help you stand out to adcoms! at this point I'm just repeating what others have said but as long as you get the required pre-reqs med schools, the only other important thing is that you do well - and you are passionate about it. Because when you're passionate about something it makes it much easier to learn and do well

 

[openstage]

I agree with everything said previously, however there are several perks that go along with having a traditional PreMed major like biology.

1. Working with a cohort that are experiencing the same challenges, tests, applications.
2. Study groups for the MCAT.
3. Access to research opportunities. I think priority for these goes to PreMed / science majors.
4. Networking to shadow doctors and volunteer in clinical settings.
5. Letters of Recc. that may speak in a knowledgeable way about your potential for a career in medicine or research.
6. Access to a PreMed advisor as opposed to an Liberal Arts Advisor. There are very specific deadlines and time frames that they would know about.
7. You will take more coursework that prepares you for the MCAT, than being in a non-science major.

Just my 2 cents on it,

 

[Ludwig2000]

Yeah I think the hype around heady majors is dying down anyways, as people realize there are good functional consequences from doing a traditional pre-med major. Bio is back baby!

 

[vrazzles]

Don't pick a major just because you think it will impress ADCOMs. It probably won't - especially if you can't demonstrate passion for it during an interview.

Also, if your avatar is actually you, I would consider changing it to preserve anonymity. ADCOMs peruse these forums.

 

[carboxylicpremed]

I agree with everything said previously, however there are several perks that go along with having a traditional PreMed major like biology.

1. Working with a cohort that are experiencing the same challenges, tests, applications.
2. Study groups for the MCAT.
3. Access to research opportunities. I think priority for these goes to PreMed / science majors.
4. Networking to shadow doctors and volunteer in clinical settings.
5. Letters of Recc. that may speak in a knowledgeable way about your potential for a career in medicine or research.
6. Access to a PreMed advisor as opposed to an Liberal Arts Advisor. There are very specific deadlines and time frames that they would know about.
7. You will take more coursework that prepares you for the MCAT, than being in a non-science major.

Just my 2 cents on it,

I fully believe OP should do what she actually enjoys, but I'll give my 0.02 as well as an English major for anyone else who's also unsure about what to study bc I def don't think a nontrad major changes these

1. You still do! Met lots of close friends and great study groups from prereq classes. 50+ of my credits were premed/science related, so the opportunity is still there!
2. Same thing, prereq classes make it easy to find MCAT study buddies
3. Got published as an english major; PIs were very enthusiastic/kind about it and didn't treat me differently except gave me extra writing responsibility (however I understand this might vary by school)
4. Again, volunteering/shadowing has never been an issue, many don't ask for major
5. You're absolutely right. Getting a science LoR from big prereq classes was doable but much harder. But on the other hand, getting a strong one that shows well-roundedness in a different subject is its own benefit.
6. Our premed advisors didn't do anything different by major, they put all premeds in a premed group and reached out to us in terms of appointments/deadlines the same, but again I understand this can be school-specific.
7. True for sciences, but it made analyzing CARS a breeze which is tough to just study up on

I think everything has its own advantages, which is why there isn't a very clear benefit between trad/nontrad majors!

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Not at all, just mundane. In the sea of applicants, bio majors can look awfully alike. But the top still get in easily. Adcoms can also stratify bio majors well, meaning there's nowhere to hide if you have a weakness.

By all means, do what you love. But be aware that being interesting is also a part of the game. I did chemistry and some of my research was in basic astrochemistry. That was interesting and different.

So get creative, pick a neat minor you enjoy, pursue other interests, and so on.

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[treatem-and-streetem]

Bio major here! I am currently in medical school if that answers your question ( I also know many who are bio majors in my class)

 

[Styrene]

Hello!

I'm currently a freshman at a liberal arts college and I plan on going to medical school!

Right now I'm majoring in English and completing the pre-med requirements on the side, but I've realized recently that I don't love English as much as I thought I did. One of the many reasons I chose English was because I thought that it would give me an edge up in med school applications because it's different. But the truth is, I love biology and really would like to switch my major and cut English down to a minor. I'll likely also have either a Spanish or music minor on the side. Will this lower my chances of getting into medical schools in the future?

tl;dr: If I switch from an English major to a Bio major, will that lower my chances of getting into medical school?

Majoring in molecular biology will make the preclinical sciences, and everything thereafter insofar as it relates to that, more enriching and, perhaps, easier. It did for me as compared to some of my friends who majored in non-science fields.

 

[sparkysparkyboomman]

I was a biology major in undergrad.
Ended with a decent cGPA of ~3.7.


More importantly, it has helped drastically with pre clinical courses (such as immuno, micro, virology, etc).

 

[Sleepingdoc]

Most people who were in my class were Bio/Biochem majors.

 

[tessellations]

I was a biochem major. I cannot begin to explain how much it helped me on the B/B section of the MCAT. Having taken upper division science courses for my major made a huge difference.

 

[jarednogeek]

no.

 

[Styrene]

I was a biology major in undergrad.
Ended with a decent cGPA of ~3.7.


More importantly, it has helped drastically with pre clinical courses (such as immuno, micro, virology, etc).

So true

 

[RangerBob]

As others mention, major in what you enjoy and would want to do if you weren’t going to medical school.

Minors are fairly pointless. Get it if you’re taking the classes anyway, but if it means taking even one class you’re not interested in then it’s not worth it. Most of the time I don’t even remember that I have a minor.

 

[Gilakend]

I agree with major in something you enjoy and can do well in. However, I'm gonna actually say I generally don't recommend people major in bio unless they have a plan for it.

Statistically, most people who are premed in UG won't get into medical school. Unless you have some specific job lined up or other educational plans, bio has some pretty poor fall back potential. I would say major in something you enjoy, can do well in, and that will give you a good job that you'll enjoy if you decide medical school isn't for you (nothing wrong with that) or don't get in (also nothing wrong with that).

I was a science major in UG (not bio) and if I could do it over again I would strongly consider majoring in business.

 

[getdown]

What are your job prospects as a bio major if you don't end up in medical school? Food for thought.

 

[HopeP]

What are your job prospects as a bio major if you don't end up in medical school? Food for thought.

Corona minus Virus

 

[Sleepingdoc]

What are your job prospects as a bio major if you don't end up in medical school? Food for thought.

You can be a teacher, work in labs, research..

 

[getdown]

You can be a teacher, work in labs, research..

And are those things something you'd be willing to do for a long time? Will they pay enough for you pay off your student loans?

 

[DNAJB6]

You can be a teacher, work in labs, research..

Beaker cleaner or janitor or McDonald's cashier...

 

[DNAJB6]

The job market for biology MS and PhD candidates is horrendous. Imagine the prospects for a BA or BS.