New to the forums; have a obvious/maybe not so obvious question.

[iFLo]

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Hello sdn, as the title states, I'm a new forum member. I had been following posts on sdn for sometime now, because I like the support of this community regarding feedback, suggestions, and advice giving that occurs here. So, today I decided to actually make an account.

So here's my small dilemma, which may or may not have an obvious answer: I'm currently an undergraduate student studying biochemistry. I chose the biochem major because it covers a lot of prereqs for med schools, but I'm curious as to how benefits compare to that of microbio (my other interest). I will testify that I do enjoy biochem, and I'm not really sure if med schools significantly care what undergraduate degree applicants have. If the degree doesn't matter, would a degree in biochem, or microbio be more beneficial. If they're equally as benefial (or the potential: not beneficial) are there any pros and cons that I should be aware of with either of them?

Excited to see your responses, thanks for the help.

 

[deleted357625]

Hello sdn, as the title states, I'm a new forum member. I had been following posts on sdn for sometime now, because I like the support of this community regarding feedback, suggestions, and advice giving that occurs here. So, today I decided to actually make an account.

So here's my small dilemma, which may or may not have an obvious answer: I'm currently an undergraduate student studying biochemistry. I chose the biochem major because it covers a lot of prereqs for med schools, but I'm curious as to how benefits compare to that of microbio (my other interest). I will testify that I do enjoy biochem, and I'm not really sure if med schools significantly care what undergraduate degree applicants have. If the degree doesn't matter, would a degree in biochem, or microbio be more beneficial. If they're equally as benefial (or the potential: not beneficial) are there any pros and cons that I should be aware of with either of them?

Excited to see your responses, thanks for the help.

There's no pro's or cons, both are very good degrees. Just pick the one you think you'll do better in/like more.

 

[iniquus]

Major doesn't matter. Major in whatever you find interesting, do well in the pre-reqs, and you're golden.

A biochemistry major may still do poorly in med school biochemistry just by what the professor chooses to focus on--same goes with microbiology.

 

[aSagacious]

Quite honestly I think the difference between biochem and microbio are negligible, both from an admissions point of view and by content. Until late junior year most of the required courses will be very similar. Senior electives will really be where the two majors split. With this in mind, you can readily choose one now (arbitrarily) and have plenty of time to switch when you are later in your college career (and have a stronger preference).

 

[MrBird]

Biochem. They seem be accepted at a higher percentage than any other major. Though that may be because there are just a crap ton of biochem majors, and statistics are misleading.

 

[Long Way to Go]

Biochem. They seem be accepted at a higher percentage than any other major. Though that may be because there are just a crap ton of biochem majors, and statistics are misleading.

Source?

 

[aSagacious]

Biochem. They seem be accepted at a higher percentage than any other major.

 

[FSUseminoleEM1]

Biochem. They seem be accepted at a higher percentage than any other major. Though that may be because there are just a crap ton of biochem majors, and statistics are misleading.

While this may be true OR false (obviously), my observation is that chemistry & chemical engineering majors are far more present on our campus than biochemistry majors. I didn't find many until I actually got to the biochemistry sequence & lab.

That said, I liked the biochemistry sequence. This was probably facilitated by an awesome professor in the first semester (he was 35, seriously looked barely 21 & goes to music festivals on the regular). If you're one for minute details & specifics (vitamin structures, enzymes, genes, intermediates, etc), then biochem is for you. If you're more into "bigger picture" concepts, maybe microbio will be the better option?

 

[CopaceticOne]

The most important thing is to study something you enjoy. Contrary to what many people on SDN believe, the cookie cutter approach towards med school isn't always the best path. If you don't like what you're doing it will be evident to those around you, and possibly end up being reflected in your grades. Use your time as an undergrad to get a diverse education, try 1-2 classes outside of your comfort zone, and major in something that you like and enjoy. In the end you'll be happier and it will show when you talk about your studies with others.

 

[Danlee07]

There arent that many biochemistry majors because it's a more heavy-detailed major compared to the other sciences...

As a backup, biochem will yield more doors than microbio.

 

[paul411]

Long post for a simple question.

Major doesn't matter. Pick an interesting major, maintain a high GPA and make sure you have enough time for extra curricular activities.

 

[iFLo]

Thanks for the help everyone. I asked this question because I'm considering switching to a microbio major, from the current biochem. I enjoy both, but really wanted to weigh them against one another to avoid making an impulsive change. Are there any longterm benefits, or other major differences, than separate the two?

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

Biochem. They seem be accepted at a higher percentage than any other major. Though that may be because there are just a crap ton of biochem majors, and statistics are misleading.

First of all, the humanities guys have the best admissions rates and math majors have the highest mcat scores. Second, the statistics would be misleading for samples that are smaller, so the biological/life science majors would have the least-misleading data, and that for math majors, a minority, would be more misleading. Finally, choosing a major based on this info is pretty illogical because the differences are small* (unless you are the specialized health science major), doing what you LIKE may actually make you better at it, the schools don't really care, and the whole causation-correlation thing. (*okay, i know that's subjective, but I'm not gonna take the time to see if its significant)
Also, theres no data available for bichem, or mocrobio separately--it's all lumped as biological science, so this debate will have to wait until someone requests that data from the aamc. Here's aamc data on this admissions rate if you really care:
https://www.aamc.org/download/161692/data/table18-facts2010mcatgpabymaj1-web.pdf.pdf

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Thanks for the help everyone. I asked this question because I'm considering switching to a microbio major, from the current biochem. I enjoy both, but really wanted to weigh them against one another to avoid making an impulsive change. Are there any longterm benefits, or other major differences, than separate the two?

There is really no difference whatsoever that picking one over the other will make in the application process. Do you enjoy one over the other? Do you think it will be easier to get good grades in one over the other?

 

[Propylene]

Hello sdn, as the title states, I'm a new forum member. I had been following posts on sdn for sometime now, because I like the support of this community regarding feedback, suggestions, and advice giving that occurs here. So, today I decided to actually make an account.

So here's my small dilemma, which may or may not have an obvious answer: I'm currently an undergraduate student studying biochemistry. I chose the biochem major because it covers a lot of prereqs for med schools, but I'm curious as to how benefits compare to that of microbio (my other interest). I will testify that I do enjoy biochem, and I'm not really sure if med schools significantly care what undergraduate degree applicants have. If the degree doesn't matter, would a degree in biochem, or microbio be more beneficial. If they're equally as benefial (or the potential: not beneficial) are there any pros and cons that I should be aware of with either of them?

Excited to see your responses, thanks for the help.

I'd look at the classes that seem more interesting to you and stick with that. There is no perfect major for medical school. For me it was a lot easier to make the choice when I got older and talked to people in different majors; it helps to get a couple of different perspectives.

Another important thing to consider is grade deflation: hard majors that have generally lower GPAs. Medical schools generally don't know which majors are harder; it is the GPA that matters. If you still are genuinely interested in the subject, though, then go for it!

 

[NickNaylor]

There is really no difference whatsoever that picking one over the other will make in the application process. Do you enjoy one over the other? Do you think it will be easier to get good grades in one over the other?

Your signature makes me laugh every time I see it.

 

[KindofBlue]

I'm pretty sure the majority of applicants/matriculants were biology majors..
That doesn't mean that med schools prefer one major over another, but personally I think it helps with the biological sciences section of the MCAT more than Biochem does.

 

[FSUseminoleEM1]

I'm pretty sure the majority of applicants/matriculants were biology majors..
That doesn't mean that med schools prefer one major over another, but personally I think it helps with the biological sciences section of the MCAT more than Biochem does.

Disagree. I had several passages in my preparations & the real exam involving biochemistry concepts. Most were enzyme & glycolysis based. I know one of the Gold Standard exams I took had one about enzyme kinetics (Michaelis-Menten stuff) - definitely a more difficult biochem topic. I was able to knock these passages out basically as fast as I could read & click the answer. 👍