Operations Research?

[h0bbes]

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Hello everyone,

I'm a rising sophomore, and I've been thinking about majors and their appeal to med school admissions. One major that I've been looking at is Operations Research. Here's the course description:

"Operations Research is an applied science, and is concerned with quantitative decision problems, generally involving the allocation and control of limited resources. Such problems arise, for example, in the operations of industrial firms, financial institutions, health care organizations, transportation systems, energy and resources, and government. The operations research analyst develops and uses mathematical and statistical models to help solve these decision problems. Like engineers, they are problem formulators and solvers. Their work requires the formation of a mathematical model of a system and the analysis and prediction of the consequences of alternate modes of operating the system. The analysis may involve mathematical optimization techniques, probabilistic and statistical methods, experiments, and computer simulations."

Would this kind of major look "cushy" to adcoms? I had thought about pursuing BME, but since my school curriculum has changed to be less pre-med friendly, I have begun to explore other options. What do you guys think?

 

[TheRealMD]

Hello everyone,

I'm a rising sophomore, and I've been thinking about majors and their appeal to med school admissions. One major that I've been looking at is Operations Research. Here's the course description:

"Operations Research is an applied science, and is concerned with quantitative decision problems, generally involving the allocation and control of limited resources. Such problems arise, for example, in the operations of industrial firms, financial institutions, health care organizations, transportation systems, energy and resources, and government. The operations research analyst develops and uses mathematical and statistical models to help solve these decision problems. Like engineers, they are problem formulators and solvers. Their work requires the formation of a mathematical model of a system and the analysis and prediction of the consequences of alternate modes of operating the system. The analysis may involve mathematical optimization techniques, probabilistic and statistical methods, experiments, and computer simulations."

Would this kind of major look "cushy" to adcoms? I had thought about pursuing BME, but since my school curriculum has changed to be less pre-med friendly, I have begun to explore other options. What do you guys think?

Do what you enjoy. Anything else is suicide when you suddenly figure out you have no motivation to study.

AND.... adcoms do not care what major you are.

 

[sillydoc2230]

My boyfriend got his master's in OR after a bachelor's in econ. He now works in finance, as do most other OR majors I know. It's a lot easier than BME from what I have heard but a lot more interesting than general econ. If that's what floats your boat, then go for it. However, any bio/medical research you may want to do won't really fill any reqs in OR whereas in BME they might... It's up to you... whatever you find interesting should be okay.

 

[ChiDoc27]

I am rising sophomore too, and I am a political science and history double major. I've talked with my premed committee and with the surgeons that I shadow, and they all agree that the most important thing to understand in undergrad is that the major is not nearly as important as what you get out of it. Adcoms would much rather see a 4.0 in something you loved than a 3.5 in something that you just picked because you thought it would help you get into med school. Good luck picking a major!