Undergrad Major

BU Medical Sciences
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I can't say that I didn't enjoy what i've taken, however in retrospect i think i should have taken somethin which wouldn't have hurt my gpa so much
 
If there was a market for someone with a Bachelor's in Sociology, I probably would have went that route. As it was being a non-trad I wanted to make sure I could get a job if the medical school thing didn't pan out for whatever reason.
 
I think I would have done something easy like sociology or ethnic studies. Easy A's in those classes, plus they're interesting. I'm working as an emt right now, so my science degree means nothing. The only benefit I saw from my biochem degree is getting a job for about 6 months as a lab tech.
 
I'm happy with bio but.....

if I had a chance to do undergrad again, I would major in International Studies, Business Administration, or English and minor in bio instead.

When I was a 4th year, I gave a 2nd year pre-health student this advice. He switched from bio and is about to graduate with International Studies and a minor in bio. He said that it was one of the best decisions he's made.
 
I'm happy with the job I have but I wish I would of done a science degree.
 
I definitely wish I had done a non-science major. I enjoyed my bio classes alot but I've got 2 more years of hard science in med school. Looking back I would've done a major that was completely different than bio like political science, history, music, etc.
 
I got a double major in History and Micro/Molecular Bio, and a minor in Judaic Studies. I loved my undergrad because it gave me a different way to approach problems and solve them. Also, it's a great point for discussion. I got my Micro/Molecular major by adding only a couple of credits because of all my prereqs for medschool. I wouldn't change what I did for a second.
 
MLT2MT2DO said:
If there was a market for someone with a Bachelor's in Sociology, I probably would have went that route. As it was being a non-trad I wanted to make sure I could get a job if the medical school thing didn't pan out for whatever reason.
Click to expand...

There's not a much better market for bio or chem majors either frankly.
 
I enjoyed my science major (psychobiology) because I've always been interested in how things work and why things are the way they are. That being said, I could've made a strong argument for being an Exercise Science and Health Promotion major instead.

Having taken some time off before applying to med school so I could work in the real world, I definitely noticed that I'd be more employable with a nursing degree right now. But if I'm lucky enough to get into med school it's water under the bridge.
 
GainesvilleOwl said:
I enjoyed my science major (psychobiology) because I've always been interested in how things work and why things are the way they are. That being said, I could've made a strong argument for being an Exercise Science and Health Promotion major instead.

Having taken some time off before applying to med school so I could work in the real world, I definitely noticed that I'd be more employable with a nursing degree right now. But if I'm lucky enough to get into med school it's water under the bridge.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think nursing is one of the best kept secrets to all incoming college students. Stable job, great demand, great pay (cousin started off at 80k in LA), reasonable hours, and you also get to think you know a lot more than a physician.
 
LastPolarBear said:
Honestly, I think nursing is one of the best kept secrets to all incoming college students. Stable job, great demand, great pay (cousin started off at 80k in LA), reasonable hours, and you also get to think you know a lot more than a physician.
Click to expand...

^^^

I'd most likely go for nursing if I were to do this all over.
 
LastPolarBear said:
Honestly, I think nursing is one of the best kept secrets to all incoming college students. Stable job, great demand, great pay (cousin started off at 80k in LA), reasonable hours, and you also get to think you know a lot more than a physician.
Click to expand...

Training is also incredibly cheap too. I actually have known a lot of nurses and they are a very chill bunch. But.. being a male I really would rather not be a nurse..
 
I'm about to graduate with a degree in psychology and I can see both advantages and disadvantages of being a non-science major applicant.

I'm a list addict so I'll put my thoughts in bullet point format... 🙄

Pros:

  • I like the different type of thinking that my psych classes require and I think giving my "science brain" regular breaks helped keep me from getting totally burnt out.
  • It's given me a chance to explore another field so I know that I am not rushing into medicine and can be more confident in my decision.
  • There's a lot more to being a physician than just being a good scientist and I think that the skills and information I've gained in my major classes will ultimately make me a better doctor.
Cons:

  • I did not have access to many upper-division science classes that would have made me a more competitive applicant and helped prepare me for medical school.
  • Most of the pre-req classes could not be applied toward my major so I had to stay in school longer (and that means more $$)
  • I did not have access to all the study support that was available to science majors.
  • Many of my science professors were dismissive toward me once they found out my major, and many of my psych professors were dismissive toward me once they found out my career goals.
If I had to do it over again I still don't think I would be a hard science major, but I don't think I would be a psychology major either.
 
LastPolarBear said:
Honestly, I think nursing is one of the best kept secrets to all incoming college students. Stable job, great demand, great pay (cousin started off at 80k in LA), reasonable hours, and you also get to think you know a lot more than a physician.
Click to expand...

I don't know. To me, all of the nursing jealousy on these forums really seems like a grass-is-always-greener situation.

As far as job availability, yeah, nursing is the way to go. Post your resume on monster.com, and you will get multiple calls per week. I have seen this first hand (and the RN I have seen this with has battled some serious substance abuse/legal problems/suspended license issues, so I can't even imagine the demand of a skilled nurse with a clean background and good references). Granted, this is in the midwest, where jobs for professionals seem to be a bit easier to come by.

But all of this talk about nurses making $90,000-$100,000 with their eyes closed is very inaccurate. Nurses make $50,000-$70,000 annually (this is simply a fact), and anything above that is an outlier. Not to mention that they work hard and have to deal with being at the bottom of the hospital hierarchy. Also, I have met very few nurses that are 40+ years old and not extremely bitter about life in general (this is anecdotal, of course).

I'm not saying nursing is a bad job. But all of you serious pre-meds and med-students should not be jealous of their shorter training time and lesser training expense. They should be the ones jealous of you, when you are making four times as much money as them at the same age.
 
argentrans37 said:
I don't know. To me, all of the nursing jealousy on these forums really seems like a grass-is-always-greener situation.

As far as job availability, yeah, nursing is the way to go. Post your resume on monster.com, and you will get multiple calls per week. I have seen this first hand (and the RN I have seen this with has battled some serious substance abuse/legal problems/suspended license issues, so I can't even imagine the demand of a skilled nurse with a clean background and good references). Granted, this is in the midwest, where jobs for professionals seem to be a bit easier to come by.

But all of this talk about nurses making $90,000-$100,000 with their eyes closed is very inaccurate. Nurses make $50,000-$70,000 annually (this is simply a fact), and anything above that is an outlier. Not to mention that they work hard and have to deal with being at the bottom of the hospital hierarchy. Also, I have met very few nurses that are 40+ years old and not extremely bitter about life in general (this is anecdotal, of course).

I'm not saying nursing is a bad job. But all of you serious pre-meds and med-students should not be jealous of their shorter training time and lesser training expense. They should be the ones jealous of you, when you are making four times as much money as them at the same age.
Click to expand...

Yeah, most of those nurses making 80k+ live in areas where the cost of living is super high. Average nurse makes about 50kish starting off.

Plus the nursing profession is becoming over saturated. A couple hospitals in my area have hiring freezes on new nurses.
 
i definitely wish i would have chosen a different major.. thats what i get for going to a giant state school where advisors don't care.

based on interests i probably would have chosen history but based on me getting into medical school i would have chosen some BS major like communications so i could get a 4.0 😀
 
I would have had fun with a philosophy degree if I had known for certain I was getting into medical school. I got a degree in biology because it was something I would be happy doing even if I didn't get in, and I'm pleased with how it turned out.
 
I had the bio major and really enjoyed it, but I double majored so i spent half my time on my other major: Political Science.

This might speak volumes to where my style of response writing on here came from. Every school I interviewed at was very interested in my Poli Sci major.
 
I am a Bio major. I might have done Spanish or German as a major if they were offered at my undergrad. I was also thinking recently that I might have been a Chem major, just because I feel chemistry prepares one for intense biology more than the other way around.
 
bananaz said:
prepare me for medical school.
  • Many of my science professors were dismissive toward me once they found out my major, and many of my psych professors were dismissive toward me once they found out my career goals.
If I had to do it over again I still don't think I would be a hard science major, but I don't think I would be a psychology major either.
Click to expand...

Its funny how departments look down on others even though they both contribute to the world. I was a psych major to but I got a BS so i had to take chem and physiology. If I could go back I would go to a school with a TRUE BS for psych with 1 year of bio and chem required and upper science courses...and i would major in spanish.
 
Last edited:
argentrans37 said:
Nurses make $50,000-$70,000 annually (this is simply a fact), and anything above that is an outlier.
Click to expand...

I have no direct knowledge, but they've gotta make more than that here in CT. I'm just a paramedic and I make more than that now. Interesting, though. I guess I always assumed that nurses with bachelors degrees would make more than paramedics with two-year certifications. Maybe I assume too much....
 
I'm currently a public health major and I absolutely love it. I bounced around majors before I found this one, and it was a good fit for me, I love how it focuses on community health and looking at the whole person.
 
Soon to be Nursing AD(N) will be working on a Bio BS soon. I think I am doing it right. I love science, but was scared to commit to something like medical school with no serious exposure to health-care fields. I have gone back and forth on whether I have wasted time pursuing a Nursing degree. However, I have substantially more routes open to me, than most people. I can go NP, MD, DO, CRNA, or PA after I get my BS. (On a side note, their are, BS to NP programs for people that do not get into Medical school. They take an extra year which gets you the RN initials, and cost about the same per year as most Medical schools. You complete your degree in 3-4 years.) Overall, for being a Non-traditional I am pretty happy to have so many choices ahead of me.


(Side commentary)
In my region RN's Start at 40-60k, and after 10 years their base is in the 70-85k range. Tack on overtime, and they can easily break 100k. However, the market is pretty saturated right now, and the wait lists are long for all AD programs. NP's pay range from 80-120k depending on specialty. My region is a low cost of living area.

Most Nurses I talk to are happy with their careers. Most, do not have a desire to go further than an AD.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dscmn
Decent undergrad GPA bad Grad GPA?
Replies
21
Views
2K
Goro
Goro
S
School List Help Please! (ORM, 3.89 undergrad, 4.0 Masters, 501 (124,129,124,124)
Replies
2
Views
1K
Goro
Goro
dscmn
Does major and school do not really matter? I know it is discussed alot already but hear me out :)
Replies
6
Views
1K
Goro
Goro
C
  • Locked
Choosing Undergrad for Med School
Replies
1
Views
1K
chaim123
chaim123
M
Undergrad Courses Expire?
Replies
7
Views
891
Splenda88
S
Top