Psychology major

[NP545]

---

Members don't see this ad.

To anyone who is/has majored in psychology and going to med school,

Do you have any regrets about your major, and how interesting is psychology as a major?

 

[CourageMD]

To anyone who is/has majored in psychology and going to med school,

Do you have any regrets about your major, and how interesting is psychology as a major?

I have no regrets about majoring in psychology. I found psych very interesting. Though there is a lot of repetition with some topics. Some of my favorite courses were Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical Psychopathology, and Learning and Behavioral Analysis. The only thing I would have done differently is take a few more upper level science courses as an undergrad. But I knew I wasn't going directly into med school. So I had time to take some courses after I graduated.

 

[type12]

My only regret is my mom.

ba-dum-tish

 

[WillburCobb]

No regrets here. I found that I LOVED social psych, something I was dreading and only taking as a requirement for my major, and almost ended-up going to grad school for it instead of med school. Also, my stats skills/knowledge and ability to analyze academic articles/research is 100s of times better than most students who went the traditional bio/pre-med route at my school thanks to having to take 4 semesters of stats/methods and most of my psych classes using academic articles instead of texts.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

At the time it was the right major for me, but in hindsight it's garbage. You can get more out of watching documentaries and just taking intro to psychology. If I were to do it again, I'd do neuroscience. Psychology is something to consider only if they have a bio heavy program. Most research coming out from other areas is rubbish. Just crap conclusions aggregated from undergrads filling out surveys.

 

[WillburCobb]

Most research coming out from other areas is rubbish. Just crap conclusions aggregated from undergrads filling out surveys.

Well it certainly does exist, "most" is a pretty strong word.

 

[NP545]

I have no regrets about majoring in psychology. I found psych very interesting. Though there is a lot of repetition with some topics. Some of my favorite courses were Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical Psychopathology, and Learning and Behavioral Analysis. The only thing I would have done differently is take a few more upper level science courses as an undergrad. But I knew I wasn't going directly into med school. So I had time to take some courses after I graduated.

Did the lack of upper level science classes ruin your chances of med school the year after? If so, how? (mcats, science gpa, etc)

 

[NP545]

At the time it was the right major for me, but in hindsight it's garbage. You can get more out of watching documentaries and just taking intro to psychology. If I were to do it again, I'd do neuroscience. Psychology is something to consider only if they have a bio heavy program. Most research coming out from other areas is rubbish. Just crap conclusions aggregated from undergrads filling out surveys.

Did you get into your med school anyway? Would a neuro major have gotten you in a better one or prepared you better?

 

[NP545]

At the time it was the right major for me, but in hindsight it's garbage. You can get more out of watching documentaries and just taking intro to psychology. If I were to do it again, I'd do neuroscience. Psychology is something to consider only if they have a bio heavy program. Most research coming out from other areas is rubbish. Just crap conclusions aggregated from undergrads filling out surveys.

My college has a Neuro program and also a Psych program... I'm not 100% sure which to choose but I'm leaning towards Psych and minoring in Bio...how you you consider that choice?

 

[572776]

To anyone who is/has majored in psychology and going to med school,

Do you have any regrets about your major, and how interesting is psychology as a major?

If your school offers two different tracks (BS and BA in psych), take BS. Otherwise do neuroscience or biology.

 

[WillburCobb]

Do what interests you. Schools don't care what your degree is in. I was accepted with psych and music and it made for good conversation during interviews. A friend of mine was accepted with a philosophy degree and received the only merit scholarship his school gives out. I could on and on with other anecdotal evidence.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Did you get into your med school anyway? Would a neuro major have gotten you in a better one or prepared you better?

I did get into medical school, but I didn't pick a major to go to medical school. At the time I had other plans. Another major may or may not have prepared me better or gotten me into a better school, but I can never go back to that age to try it and know. However, I did spend 2 years of my life and significant amount of money on an education that I feel was useless.

This topic is about hindsight, so that's what I give. I don't spend time regretting my choice though because it's done deal and gets me nowhere, but it's just what my opinion is.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

My college has a Neuro program and also a Psych program... I'm not 100% sure which to choose but I'm leaning towards Psych and minoring in Bio...how you you consider that choice?

If it is about getting into medical school, any major will do that. AAMC releases statistics about it. Ultimately, major in what you like, but my point is that the major is nothing special and you can learn more about it on your own.

I've been 7 years out of undergrad. I remember more of what I learned through BBC documentaries than in psych class. Spending money to learn things you'll easily forget because they are trivial is a bad investment. Majors outside the social sciences and humanities pay off more, intellectually and financially. Remember, just my opinion.

 

[CourageMD]

Did the lack of upper level science classes ruin your chances of med school the year after? If so, how? (mcats, science gpa, etc)

Oh no, nothing like that. As long as you have the pre-med requirements, you're all set. I just wanted to increase my science knowledge and raise my sGPA a little bit. But like some of the others said, you can major in whatever you're interested in and get accepted to med school. However, I'm sure a science major will allow you to be more prepared than some others.

 

[NP545]

Do the science majors tend to do better than psychology majors in med school? Or is it a fresh start for both?
For ex: overlapping from undergrad topics, or all new?

 

[WillburCobb]

Do the science majors tend to do better than psychology majors in med school? Or is it a fresh start for both?
For ex: overlapping from undergrad topics, or all new?

Fresh start for both. Very little carries over.