Major

[CancerCureAdmit]

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Hi, I'm going to be an undergrad at UCLA and I'm having some trouble picking a major. As of now, I am a MCDB (molecular cell and developmental biology) major, but I was considering biochemistry as well. I noticed that biochem requires the Chem 20 series, and so I was wondering if the higher series is better preparation for the MCAT (and if has harder grading), or if it even matters at all. People generally say to major in what you like, and I prefer anything analytical and concept-based over rote memorization, which I find kinda brainless and uninteresting. This is why I was considering biochem or even computational biology, as they are grouped as physical sciences and are perhaps more concept based. I also heard that MCDB and MIMG are the most analytical of the life science majors, which I was happy about as well. Unlike a lot of premeds, I love math, physics, chemistry etc. and do very well in them . If I wasn't going for medicine, I would probably be doing engineering, though it seems like a whole lot of unnecessary work for a premed (plus I've heard engineering GPA's are generally lower, which I don't want to deal with at all). This being said, does anybody have any insights on MCDB vs. biochem, and if any major is better prep for MCAT? Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[da8s0859q]

Hi, I'm going to be an undergrad at UCLA and I'm having some trouble picking a major. As of now, I am a MCDB (molecular cell and developmental biology) major, but I was considering biochemistry as well. I noticed that biochem requires the Chem 20 series, and so I was wondering if the higher series is better preparation for the MCAT (and if has harder grading), or if it even matters at all. People generally say to major in what you like, and I prefer anything analytical and concept-based over rote memorization, which I find kinda brainless and uninteresting. This is why I was considering biochem or even computational biology, as they are grouped as physical sciences and are perhaps more concept based. I also heard that MCDB and MIMG are the most analytical of the life science majors, which I was happy about as well. Unlike a lot of premeds, I love math, physics, chemistry etc. and do very well in them . If I wasn't going for medicine, I would probably be doing engineering, though it seems like a whole lot of unnecessary work for a premed (plus I've heard engineering GPA's are generally lower, which I don't want to deal with at all). This being said, does anybody have any insights on MCDB vs. biochem, and if any major is better prep for MCAT? Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

"People" are right -- major in what you like. Consider majoring in something that also allows good employment opportunities should you decide not to pursue medical school. Many of the classes that are virtually prerequisites for the MCAT are classes you'll have to take as actual prerequisites for med school, and other classes are parts of many of those bio-type majors and/or are things that med student hopefuls take as electives.

Hard for me to say whether any major is better prep for the MCAT, as there are test structure changes in the works and scheduled to begin in 2015, which sounds like roughly when you'll be taking it. I'm pretty far removed from the MCAT and am not fully up to speed on that though.