Should I major in Biology for pre med?

[dreamchasersz]

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I'm a Biology major and i'm wondering if I should switch my major to something else like business or engineering. I saw a couple videos on youtube that informed me that its better to major in something other than Biology so I am now confused and want to know the truth. Thanks I'd appreciate any feedback.

 

[Stagg737]

First off, this should be in the pre-med forums. So if a mod could move this it would be great @Winged Scapula @AlteredScale .

As for your major, you should choose something that you enjoy and that you will excel at. If you get a solid GPA, do well in all your pre-reqs, and do well on the MCAT then your major won't matter. Pick a major for yourself, not a major you think adcoms will like.

 

[Doctor Dream]

If you like bio major, stick with it. If you don't, then switch. There's no end-all-be-all "better" major for this process. The better major from what I've gathered is the one you'll do the best at, like the guy above me said.

If you like business or engineering you'll have a much more practical major to work with if med school doesn't work out. But if you're like me and can't stand either then just stick with the bio.

 

[Moose A Moose]

I was a bio major. If I could go back I definitely would've done either history or english with a minor in bio to take care of those prerequisites. My GPA would've been rock solid.

Ah, well... Hindsight is 20/20. Moral of the story: study what you like!

 

[cloudmurder1]

Study what you like...AND what you can get good grades in. Engineering really hampers many smart peoples' paths to med school b/c they get a 3.5 and can't get higher no matter what, and it takes up time from mcat studying, ECs, and socializing.

If you like bio, keep the major. If you like chem better, switch to biochem. If you like physics a lot, switch to biophysics. These majors tend to have relativelt high gpas among pure science majors.

That major choice doesn't matter to med schools is precisely why it is important to choose wisely.

 

[Gandyy]

A few things....


If you are a Biology major, understand that your degree is nearly worthless if you graduate and dont go into some kind of health professional school.

I know this because I have a biology degree. However, if you are an uber gunner and super confident you will get into medical school... the biology degree isnt a bad idea

Honestly, I would have majored in computer science or engineering while doing the pre-med requirements. People say engineering is tough and it is... but I know plenty of people who have done pre-med engineering with 3.7+ gpas. You will have to work harder than your biology pre-med counterparts though. And they already work hard enough.

 

[gothicfoxes]

You can always major in what you want and complete a minor in biology, as the minor will usually include courses required for admission by medical schools.

As everyone else here has said, pick what you want. Four years can be long and painful if you declare a study you don't 100% like.

 

[doc05]

keep in mind you'll be better off in the long run if you don't go to medical school. so pick a field of study with good job prospects: engineering, business, applied mathematics, etc.

 

[sovereign0]

Your major does not matter, as long as you perform well in whatever you choose. Do you like Biology? Major in biology. Do you not like biology? Don't major in biology.

Don't pick a major for the sake of medical school, because they don't care.

 

[soccerusa]

This seems to have been beaten to death but just pick a major that you like AND that you can do well in.

 

[Romz]

B.Sc in Psychology was "the easy major" at my alma-mater and loads of people from that program matriculated into medicine around the country. That being said, they had decent MCAT scores to back their GPA's up and did sufficiently well in the pre-reqs.

Don't do like I did and go for a challenging major for the "looks" or "prestige" of it because, as everyone has already mentioned, Adcoms don't care.

 

[theriomorphos]

,

 

[theriomorphos]

,

 

[philosonista]

NO.

This may be an unpopular opinion. But, to me, a biology major is the worst major a pre-med could have. You are going to spend years memorizing things in med school, biology nonetheless.

Don't just be a memorize-bot in college. Learn skills. Computer science, engineering, writing-heavy courses, etc. People always think I'm weird because I take the "harder" courses, but there is nothing else I would feel my time is spent well doing as an undegrad.

I do the absolute minimum amount of memorizing.

 

[Reubens]

It absolutely does not matter. Do what you like more than anything.

 

[Hospitalized]

 

[panda16]

I did an integrated business major and I'm glad I did, I actually have skills that I can use outside of just knowing stuff for mcat. That's my one beef with premed tracks in general...you don't really learn any skills that are marketable or real-world useful. But hey. A bio major is great if it can get you into med school so If you like it and you can do well stick with it!

Warning, Engineering can be a notorious GPA killer if you let it!

 

[gyngyn]

We really, really don't care.