Mol/Cell Bio vs Neuroscience

[Instant Noodles]

Just finished freshman year with 3.6 (in relatively light premed courseload with only 2 extracurriculars), trying to choose between Molecular/Cell Bio and Neuroscience for BS

Hoping to apply to MD end of junior year (T minus 24 months)

1. Interest about equal in mol/cell bio vs neuroscience, leaning slightly towards neuro but can't say I love either, knowledge not deep enough
   
   
2. Assuming equal interest, Mol/Cell Bio will be statistically harder on GPA (probably the only departments more rigorous in the entire college are some the engineering, dry sciences like physics/chem, and math)
   
   
3. However, Neuro requires ~35 credits as a major while Mol/Cel will only need ~22, out of a total of 120 credits over 4 years for a degree
   
   
4. "Suppose all medical schools were closed, what would you major in?" said my wise advisor. If no childhood dream of becoming a doctor, I'd pick Computer Engineering so I could get a good job in the exploding field of comp sci (Moore's law, information age). But that's not practical anymore, switching paths now would probably have more drawbacks than benefits. Assuming my AMCAS fails, what does the employment market look like for Mol/Cell Bio and Neuroscience grads? Do you need a PhD to get a decent job at all? Taking a birds-eye view, what does the future of each field as a whole look like? They say Neuroscience will be the next great breakthrough in biology, perhaps in even all of science, just like how immunology and genomics have been the volcanic hotspots of biomedical advancement in the last few decades. Whole brain emulation may just be the key solution to the problem of benevolent AI. Is there a revolutionary paradigm shift just on the other side of neuroscience?

Please vote, thanks in advanced. Any other pieces of random advice or words of wisdom stirred by this post will be also appreciated.

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[slatermd]

Your screen name makes me hungry for your screen name.

You're going to have to hustle if you want to get a job with a bachelor's in either field. The way you present it, everything is equal except workload and relative ease. While I appreciate your modesty, try not to think of it as imperative that you have a bulletproof backup plan; if your goal is to get into med school, there are sacrifices to be made. That said, and based on what you've presented, here's my advice in order of "importance":

1. Protect your GPA
2. Follow your interests

 

[modelslashactor]

it doesn't matter. i would do the mol bio just because it requires less credits which might allow you to do more research, minor in something useful, or take fun classes.

i was a mol bio major and i'd say ~75% of my class did grad school of some kind within 2 yrs out - mostly professional (including law) and the rest ms or phd. the people who got jobs right out did a ton of stuff from ibanking to bio industry to lab managing. the key to getting those jobs was less their major and more the extracurriculars/internships they did so i don't think neuro vs molecular would make a difference.

of note, the NIH has shown particular interest in increasing neuro research so if you see yourself doing research that might have more growth potential.

 

[Evergrey]

Why can't you do Computer Engineering, and take the prereqs for med school + a few upper division courses (biochem and molecular biology, stuff like that)?

 

[Sharpies]

I think Mol Bio will be useful in the long run because the techniques used in molecular biology can be applied to any field, including Neuroscience.

 

[Lil Mick]

Go with computer science. I have several friends in the field without advanced degrees who were able to find employment. If nothing else, you can apply to graduate programs without competing against many people, and the Department of Defense has some sweet scholarship programs if you do happen to go into that field. It will also make you stand out to medical schools, as there are very few computer scientists applying to medical school (1 in my large class).

That being said, if you need to major in some sort of biology, molecular will probably be a better preparation for the MCAT and for your basic science courses.

 

[unhappytnt]

I am a double major in Cell Bio and Neuroscience. So I guess I can answer your questions.

Cell Bio is definitely going to be harder on your GPA. So, from a purely admissions-based standpoint, majoring in neuroscience will be better because you'll end up with a higher GPA. Having said that, I'd strongly advise you to take a few courses in each department to see if you have interest in those fields, because personally I think both would be unbearable in the long run if you don't like the subjects. Also, I hope you are good at memorization as both require extensive reading and memorizing.

As for "what would you major in if you weren't going to med school?" question... That's a tough one. If I had to choose one out of the two alternatives, I'd probably pick cell biology because it's a broader field than neuroscience. With a solid background in bio, you can always get a PhD in neuroscience if you think that's what you want to do. With a major in neuro only, you are pretty much confined to doing that in the future.

Perhaps you should consider double majoring too? Not sure about your school, but in mine Neuroscience is mostly integrated with the biology curriculum, so all I had to do is to take a bunch of additional psychology classes.

 

[CoolWhipp]

Neither. Major in public health and get a 4.00. Having a 4.00 makes it hard for adcoms to say anything about your academic prowess (regardless of how easy the major is cause you hit the "ceiling"). Then, use the extra time on your hands to get a great MCAT score, one that would compliment your 4.00 GPA. And, bam.

 

[Big Dog]

...not all Neuro programs are created equal. Some tend towards more emphasis on CS, others bio, and others Psych. The rigor partially depends on the focus of your college, and whether Neuro courses are offered thru the Bio department or the Psych department, for example.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Neither. Major in public health and get a 4.00. Having a 4.00 makes it hard for adcoms to say anything about your academic prowess (regardless of how easy the major is cause you hit the "ceiling"). Then, use the extra time on your hands to get a great MCAT score, one that would compliment your 4.00 GPA. And, bam.

. Looking back I would've done this and just taken some neuro to fulfill science requirements. Avoiding that year of calc/physics for engineers would have a lovely affect on my GPA.