Neuroscience vs Psy Major with concentration in Neurosci

[PurkinjeFLboy]

So I'm wondering if it is worth fighting my last semester at school in order to attain a so-called better major. I am currently a Psychology major with a concentration in Neuroscience. However, if I use up all my electives in my last semester, I can get the Neuroscience major. My question is what should I do? A physician who used to be in an AdComm told me that since I have a low GPA (3.15) that a Neuroscience degree from a pretty tough school (Duke) would help. However, my advisor and prehealth dean said it doesn't matter since the AdComm is going to look at the classes rather than the degree. What should I do? It would be really rigorous to complete those three classes while taking physics and I really can't risk hurting my GPA even more. Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you.

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[ReptarBar]

just because your name is purkinje, pick neuroscience.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Sometimes transcripts show switches in majors. So a switch at the end might make it look obvious that you were just going for the major that looked more rigorous. As that advisor told you, the adcoms will look at the classes and probably won't focus on the name of the major.

 

[jvesco22]

brb taking the plunge and completing the three rigorous classes along with physics
brb graduating with a major in neuroscience
brb lowering my gpa to 2.7 in the process
brb not getting into medical school
brb reapplying and posting in what are my chances forum

Let's be cereal OP, stick with your psych major. With your gpa at 3.15, there is no sense in possibly lowing it any further by taking three "rigorous" classes and physics.

 

[BiopsychStudent]

I majored in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience. Toward the end most of my classmates ended up being biology, neuroscience, and pre-med majors more so than they did actually psych majors. My GPA would have been significantly higher had I taken more "soft" psychology classes in comparison to my biology/neuroscience courseload (3.8 Psych GPA, 3.6 sGPA). I also think that when people see my major is "psychology" they do tend to assume my courseload was lighter than it actually was.

If you've come this far and think you can do the extra work to get the neuro major, I'd go for it.

Ideally, adcoms and potential employers are going to take note that you took Neurophysiology, Cognitive Psychology, and Molecular Biology in lieu of Theories of Personality and Developmental Psychology. However, that's not always the case. I found that when I was looking for an RA position I had to fight a little harder to defend my expertise in laboratory techniques, especially in situations when they were looking for a "BS in Biology or Equivalent Science" and a neuroscience degree would have been more readily accepted.

That's my experience in attaining a research assistant position, however. If you're going straight to medical school this might not be relevant. I imagine adcoms are a little more rigorous than HR people.

 

[PurkinjeFLboy]

Totally agree. When I wanted to work in a lab this year, I had to fully explain that I did have a background in biology and neuroscience, but just didn't declare the Neurosci major since they literally started it a year ago. All my "psychology" classes are actually Neurosci-based classes and some even cross-listed with biology. Plus, my psych GPA is >3.5. It's just that my first two years were horrible (had a 2.7 cGPA after 2nd yr). Plus, the general science classes here are ridiculously difficult (I withdrew with failure from 1st semester of gen chem...did supposedly the SAME class back home at a state school and got an A) and the curve is so high. What really is keeping me from switching is being forced to take Cognitive Neurosci rather than Neuropsychopharmacology. I just wished that there wasn't such a negative perception about Psy majors, especially those who focus more on the biological (aka, REAL) side of psychology rather than the crazy Freud psychoanalytical crap. But thank you guys for all your advice.

 

[URHere]

I would urge you not to change majors if you are contemplating the switch primarily to make yourself look more attractive to medical schools.

I was a neuroscience major in undergrad and one of the first things I learned on the interview trail was that many interviews make little to no distinction between neuroscience and a neuroscience concentration. Although my undergraduate courses were in things like "neurochemistry", "neurodevelopment", "motor systems", etc, many colleges will still provide a degree in neuroscience to anyone taking a mix of coursework in both psychology and biology - even if few of the classes deal directly with the biology of the brain. With such variation between neuroscience degrees, it is really necessary for interviewers to look at transcripts to make any kind of distinction...and, from my experience at least, most interviewers pay far more attention to the GPA than to the courses that add up to it.

Add that to the fact that you do not need a "hard major" to look good to medical schools, and I'd say that it is a fairly moot point.

If switching to a neuroscience major will lower your GPA, your admissions committees will notice that. Why risk it for a degree that they may not even consider more prestigious to begin with?

 

[IDreamtIChased]

As long as you think you can maintain/increase your GPA, I would advise you to pursue a neuroscience major.

It's true they look mostly at the classes, but at least it shows you are ambitious.

 

[still h0ping]

Go with the psych major with the emphasis in neuroscience.. On the contrary, I think med schools definitely appreciate when students pick the "softer" major, since it shows you realize that apart from the science, you're also aware of the social and emotional complexities that makes us human. When you're interacting with patients, you'll care more about their own thoughts, feelings, and unique traits that influences their treatment. I think you'll have your whole med school process to understand the neuroscience, but you won't be getting the same psych classes offered at universities.. I think it's important to value cognitive psych on it's own, since that's what's going to allow you to interpret neuroscience. Anyway, I'm sure med schools will see your interest in neuro from the classes you're taking.