UCLA Premeds, I need your help

[Persistence101]

What is a good major for premeds at UCLA? If you had to do it again, would you major in bio? Thanks

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[Street Philosopher]

There is no "bio" major. If you want to major in science and have a high GPA, then psychobio is the way to go. Don't do engineering because they always get screwed with grades and then end up complaining that no one cares that engineering classes have tougher grading.

Neuroscience was a really cool major, I thought. I only minored in it, but it was only a difference of like 3 classes so I have a good feel for the neuro curriculum.

And of course, philosophy is the best major by far. All my professors in philosophy have been amazing.

 

[Jtak]

all the gunners go physci. it's the best prep for med school but it'll be hard to keep your gpa up. psychobio has the lazy premeds and uninteresting classes. if you just want a high gpa, go psychobio. dont expect to love the classes though. if i could do it again i'd go english. it would've really helped my verbal score and it wouldnt be so damn hard for me to write these secondary essays. you really dont have to do a science major ... just do whatever you're interested in

 

[UCLAstudent]

Actually, there is a biology major. That's what I am majoring in. It's good for pre-meds, but make sure you really enjoy it before you decide for sure. The upper division classes are really intense.

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

Psychobio all the way. You get your pre reqs out of the way then it is all easy A Psych classes, and on top of that the chicks who are psych majors are some of the hotest on campus. South campus sucks, nerds up the a$$.

 

[fakeplaztiktree]

I can't be the only one who was ACTUALLY interested in psychobiology...can I?

 

[calebho501]

I am a Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major here at UCLA, and I liked it. It's probably considered one of the tougher bio major here, but if you're interested in biotech stuff, this a good major.

 

[OB1🤙]

I was a phy-sci major, and after two weeks of school, I can safely say that I haven't been taught a single thing that hasn't been review from undergrad. Obviously, this is not going to be the case very much longer. But the major is FANTASTIC preparation for what you'll be facing in med school. The core phy-sci classes are especially good prep (you get cadavers and everything, albeit not whole ones).

That being said, as was previously mentioned, your GPA may suffer. Mine was pretty atrocious, although doing the crossword in the Bruin in the back row during lectures might have had something to do with that. But yeah. It's hard. It's gunner city. But to me, it was worth it.

Good luck with whatever you choose. And be happy that you're going to school in the post-Toledo and post-Lavin era!

Oh yeah, and apply to Tulane

 

[uclabruins47]

don't do biochem. i was biochem and i regretted it but too late, because even though the major prep courses prepare u for the mcat, the UD biochem classes/labs can really screw u up the ass. not only do you have premed gunners but also you have some pretty smart ppl going for grad school in those UD classes. also, biochem labs just suck ass (and so do their TA's). my gpa suffered cuz of those UD classes...

 

[DrHuang]

everything here is so far accurate

 

[whosereality]

saw this old post and wanted to bump it up!

is physiological science THAT difficult? and is psychobiology THAT boring?

and what's ucla's policy in having two different majors through two different schools? i'm leaning towards psychobiology or phy sci (from the college of arts & science) and possibly design/media arts (from the school of art & architecture) but i'm not sure if that's possible.

thanks.

 

[mdsh00]

saw this old post and wanted to bump it up!

is physiological science THAT difficult? and is psychobiology THAT boring?

Phy-Sci is hard because it's a really competitive major. MIMG and especially Phy-Sci are full of Pre-meds. The next two are probably MCDB and Bio. There are a lot in those two majors (especially Bio) that aren't pre-med. I graduated as a Bio major and I liked it because it was more laid back. This doesn't mean that the classes were easy, just that the atmosphere was not as competitive. If you don't mind classes about evolution or Animal Behavior, consider a Bio major. But like everyone says, major doesn't matter too much as long as you do well in it.

 

[Luminous_1]

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[Daedalus]

I'm a philosophy major at UCLA right now, and I'm loving it so far. The Philo professors I've had have been great. Now granted, I'm going to be going way way over the unit limit and have 20 units a quarter from now until the end of time, but it's all good . I have several friends doing phy. sci. premed, and they all agree that it is the major for the gunner pre-meds. If you like humanities, I would suggest philosophy or english perhaps.

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

i'd reccomend biochem if you'd like to do research and clinical with your MD and MIMG if you're more clinically oriented. both have been good, but biochem is very much harder, not to say MIMG is easy.

 

[tumtum]

(I know this thread is somewhat old, but I would really appreciate some advice.)

Hi, I'll be a freshman (undergraduate) this fall 2008 at UCLA. Right now, I'm undeclared in life and sciences, but I've narrowed down my choices to MIMG (microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics) and MCDB (molecular, cellular, and developmental biology) for now at least. I'm unsure of whether I want to go to medical school but I'm still open to it. Nevertheless, I do want to go to some type of grad school and get a higher degree.

From what I read in this thread, it seems like phy-sci would be the best prep for med school; psychobio (and biology) are the slightly easier science majors. Can anyone describe their experience in MIMG and MCDB? I've heard that people with MIMG as their major have the lowest GPA so that makes me somewhat uneasy since med schools would rather want you to have a high GPA regardless of your major, right?

Also, when would it be the best time to start volunteering, doing internships, doing research, etc. (for example, in what year of college)?

I know this is a long post, but thank you for taking your time to read this.

 

[pazan]

Yeah, everything's been on the money so far.

I was a psychobio major with neurosci minor (the minor is pretty much the major minus 3 classes). Psychobio wasn't good... the psych courses have nothing to do with medicine or science, though occasionally you'll get a good professor. Neuroscience was amazing and I really recommend it -- UCLA is a hotbed of neuroscience research and the professors are top-notch, motivated, and really nice/accessible; the TAs weren't so bad either... much better than any other departments I took classes in. I did take an upper div Phy Sci course and can attest that you'll learn a lot that will prepare you for medical school... but that wasn't what college was about for me, so I steared clear of memorizing every bone in a turtle's body (friend took a class like this, sounds terrible).

In the end, just go with what interests you. If you like Neurosci, do it; if you're more into molecular biology, do MCDB or MIMG; there are a lot of great majors with amazing opportunities for research and to get to know awesome faculty. UCLA is like an amusement park for pre-meds -- there are opportunities abound... just stay away from the rides that get you C's, D's, F's, and W's, because there are plenty of those too.

 

[tumtum]

Oh wow, thank you pazan! I was expecting to wait a while for a post (I even started another thread just in case), but it seems someone replied pretty fast!

Was getting a minor in neuroscience hard? (People keep telling me that it IS an extremely interesting major, but I've also heard that majoring in that could drop your GPA slightly.) I've gotten some advice from collegeconfidential.com that since most of the pre-med majors have pretty much the same preparation requirements, some people said that I should just take those classes and use them to determine what kind of major seems more interesting to me. By the way, when do you have to declare your major?

I was also wondering, the majoritiy of UCLA students are either pre-med or pre-business/ econ. Since there are so many competitive pre-meds, is it hard to visit the professors during their office hours? Is the rumor about UCLA pre-meds frantically rushing to sign up for volunteering at blood drives and other medical events true as well?

My last question (finally): if you attend UCLA for undergrad, is it harder or easier to get into UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine? Some people say that UCLA rarely takes their own undergrad; others say that UCLA is more easy on their undergrad...

Thank you so much.

 

[pazan]

Oh wow, thank you pazan! I was expecting to wait a while for a post (I even started another thread just in case), but it seems someone replied pretty fast!

Was getting a minor in neuroscience hard? (People keep telling me that it IS an extremely interesting major, but I've also heard that majoring in that could drop your GPA slightly.) I've gotten some advice from collegeconfidential.com that since most of the pre-med majors have pretty much the same preparation requirements, some people said that I should just take those classes and use them to determine what kind of major seems more interesting to me. By the way, when do you have to declare your major?

I was also wondering, the majoritiy of UCLA students are either pre-med or pre-business/ econ. Since there are so many competitive pre-meds, is it hard to visit the professors during their office hours? Is the rumor about UCLA pre-meds frantically rushing to sign up for volunteering at blood drives and other medical events true as well?

My last question (finally): if you attend UCLA for undergrad, is it harder or easier to get into UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine? Some people say that UCLA rarely takes their own undergrad; others say that UCLA is more easy on their undergrad...

Thank you so much.

I found Neurosci classes to be good for my GPA... the three core classes (NS 101A, 101B, and 101C) have a B+ average, so you have to try to get a poor grade. I wouldn't major in business, because it really isn't that good at UCLA, especially compared to a school like Berkeley that has its own undergrad business school (my friends in the business program have had a hard time finding high-end jobs unless they have spectacular resumes). And yes, UCLA pre-meds sign up for everything but there are so many programs, opportunities, and spots that if you want to do something you will be able to do it (barring horrible social skills or a terrible GPA)... getting into UCLA med school is hard regardless which undergrad you attend -- if you have a good GPA and MCAT you'll be fine.

 

[SBK]

Well I was a Chemical Engineer (Class of 2007).

South Campus 4 Life.

 

[tumtum]

I found Neurosci classes to be good for my GPA... the three core classes (NS 101A, 101B, and 101C) have a B+ average, so you have to try to get a poor grade. I wouldn't major in business, because it really isn't that good at UCLA, especially compared to a school like Berkeley that has its own undergrad business school (my friends in the business program have had a hard time finding high-end jobs unless they have spectacular resumes). And yes, UCLA pre-meds sign up for everything but there are so many programs, opportunities, and spots that if you want to do something you will be able to do it (barring horrible social skills or a terrible GPA)... getting into UCLA med school is hard regardless which undergrad you attend -- if you have a good GPA and MCAT you'll be fine.

Thank you so much for clearing up a lot of things for me, pazan! It's really great getting advice from someone with as much experience as you. I'll be taking your advice with me when I start college!