What is your experience in your major at college?

[wsc2879]

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I am currently thinking about what major I should have at college. I really don't know what major I should take. biology, chemistry, biochemistry......?

I want to choose a major which is science related and have the most premed classes as its required classes ( certainly not Premed major), because I want to take classes as few as possible.( I am lazy😛).

Please tell me your experience of your major? what is the pros and cons of it. Does it do any good for med school or take mcat? is it interesting? is it easy to find a job after you graduate from college if you didn't go to med school?
Does it require you a lot of time to study? Please tell me your feeling about it.

I am currently thinking about to major in bioenigineering because I think it involves a lot about design and create, not just doing experiment in the lab.
Your answer will be very helpful for me.

Thank you for you guys

 

[Dienekes]

First thing: Premed is not a major technically, since you can't get a degree in "premed". OK, now that that is out of the way, I would recommend majoring in something you would enjoy doing for a career in the event you don't get into medical school. Other than that, just try to have fun and pursue something you can maintain a decent GPA in.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Here's the rundown of how my majors went at UNC.

Biology major:

Pros:
-huge subject matter scope
-interesting courses (a huge pro)
-great professors once you're done with the intro and premed classes
-tons of research opportunities
-work load. Labs suck.

Cons:
-tons of classes required (14, if I remember correctly, plus 6 chem courses)
-numerous weeder classes (way too many bio majors at UNC)
-horrendous professors for said weeder classes

Physics major:

Pros:
-incredibly interesting material (to me, anyway)
-some of the best astronomy faculty in the nation in terms of teaching skill and academic merit
-fairly lax atmosphere
-few physics majors, so you'll make friends quickly
-gives in-depth background you wouldn't learn otherwise for various concepts in your chem and bio classes

Cons:
-difficulty. Oh God.
-chance to get a professor who barely speaks English (physics is hard enough when explained properly)

In short, I feel like my majors prepared me exceptionally well for med school. The subjects overlap pleasantly and often inform one another. Hell, I taught several people P-Chem even though I've never had the class. I believe you will have a similar experience with a bioengineering major.

As for finding a job, I've had no problems at all. I mean, I haven't actually changed jobs since graduating, but I've had numerous offers from some local research, biotech, and pharmaceutical institutions. You'll be just fine if you choose to take a year off between college and med school and need a job.

 

[186321]

First thing: Premed is not a major technically, since you can't get a degree in "premed". OK, now that that is out of the way, I would recommend majoring in something you would enjoy doing for a career in the event you don't get into medical school. Other than that, just try to have fun and pursue something you can maintain a decent GPA in.

but you can major in pre-professional health.. which is basically premed

 

[Dienekes]

Hmmm.....that's new to me. I've never seen a school that actually offered a degree in that.

-interesting courses (a huge pro)

Not exactly how I would describe a biology program, but whatever floats your boat I guess. The least interesting part of the premed curriculum for me has been the general biology courses. They seem excruciatingly boring but that may be because my courses were taught by a botanist.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Yeah, general bio wasn't particularly interesting. All the upper-level courses I had rocked, though. Biochem, Evolutionary Mechanisms, etc. were awesome.

And botany...strange you should mention that. I took an intro botany course for the hell of it and found it quite enjoyable even though my interest was virtually nil going into it. We took tons of field trips to botanical gardens in the Chapel Hill-Durham-Raleigh area and focused quite a bit on practical applications of plants, most notably pharmaceutical uses. It wasn't an easy class by any means, but I'm glad I took it. All the physics and biochem were making me even more warped than I already was.

 

[Dienekes]

Yeah, general bio wasn't particularly interesting. All the upper-level courses I had rocked, though. Biochem, Evolutionary Mechanisms, etc. were awesome.

And botany...strange you should mention that. I took an intro botany course for the hell of it and found it quite enjoyable even though my interest was virtually nil going into it. We took tons of field trips to botanical gardens in the Chapel Hill-Durham-Raleigh area and focused quite a bit on practical applications of plants, most notably pharmaceutical uses. It wasn't an easy class by any means, but I'm glad I took it. All the physics and biochem were making me even more warped than I already was.

Well, our botanist is completely cracked out and an ******* to boot. I also seriously question his intelligence. There was nothing useful in the course. Although now I can tell you more about how you get O2 from a plant than I ever wanted or will need to know.....

Evolutionary mechanisms sounds like a really boring topic. Personally evolution (which I believe 100% in, just FYI) is just kind of dull to me. I however really enjoy the cell biology, histology, pathology, etc sort of things. This is why I will be working (in the process of transferring at the moment) on a bachelors degree that will qualify me as a pathologist's assistant.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Oh, I forgot to add that as a gigantic con of UNC's bio major: virtually no classes are human-focused. There's A&P and...well...that's pretty much it unless you get permission to take a class at the med or public health schools.

 

[Quadratic]

Engineers play hard, but work hard first. If you're lazy, you might want to reconsider before dedicating a lot of energy toward an engineering major.

 

[Law2Doc]

I am currently thinking about what major I should have at college. I really don't know what major I should take. biology, chemistry, biochemistry......?

I want to choose a major which is science related and have the most premed classes as its required classes ( certainly not Premed major), because I want to take classes as few as possible.( I am lazy😛).

Please tell me your experience of your major? what is the pros and cons of it. Does it do any good for med school or take mcat? is it interesting? is it easy to find a job after you graduate from college if you didn't go to med school?
Does it require you a lot of time to study? Please tell me your feeling about it.

I am currently thinking about to major in bioenigineering because I think it involves a lot about design and create, not just doing experiment in the lab.
Your answer will be very helpful for me.

Thank you for you guys

After reading your post I'm pretty sure you would benefit the most from majoring in English.😀 As for being "lazy" that doesn't bode well for having medicine as your goal. This road is populated by Type A hardcore personalities who go above and beyond what is required. If you hope to coast lazilly into med school you will find yourself a guppy in a tank full of sharks. Pick something you find interesting, whether it is science or not. Then take the prereqs. Don't try to find the way to get through college taking the fewest courses you can, that's a waste. You are embarking into a career of constant learning if you go into medicine. So it's probably a bad sign if your goal at the onset is to avoid as much learning as you can.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Biology Cons:

Botany, zoology, and ecology....BORING

 

[Rotinaj]

Engineers play hard, but work hard first. If you're lazy, you might want to reconsider before dedicating a lot of energy toward an engineering major.

In my opinion, engineering is a great choice if you're considering medical school.

1. Engineering is often (not always) considered a more difficult degree, similar to B.S. over B.A., and the 3 engineering programs I've looked into require roughly 135 hours while most bachelor's degrees require 124. Also, engineering degrees have little flexibility so there's little room for error. Basically a good GPA in an engineering major shows a lot of strength and discipline.

2. Engineering is notorious for being a solid career choice, so if you decide later on that medicine isn't for you, you'll still be capable of pulling down a hell of a living.

The downside is that it's essentially an applied math degree, so if numbers bore you then it would be a bad choice.

 

[HrvatskiDoktor]

Hmmm.....that's new to me. I've never seen a school that actually offered a degree in that.

Yeah, I know several people at MSU who are pre-med majors. There are other schools that offer that to, but again you can't do anything with a BS in Pre-med unless you go to a health prof school.

To the OP:

I majored in Microbiology b/c I loved my intro to micro class. I loved the prof and the material in the class. But is takes a special kind of person to love microbiology, so I only recommend if you know you are that kind of person!

 

[uzybear]

bio: because i hate math, and love the imperfection of life; and evolution's A-OK with me now that god and i have parted ways 😉

engineering is certainly a solid degree; that and business have some real broad value, but you gotta do what you like

 

[RySerr21]

I am currently thinking about what major I should have at college. I really don't know what major I should take. biology, chemistry, biochemistry......?

I want to choose a major which is science related and have the most premed classes as its required classes ( certainly not Premed major), because I want to take classes as few as possible.( I am lazy😛).

that is a horrible way to pick a major, and you will likely regret it later. if you dont have a genuine, passionate interest in biology, or chemistry, or biochemistry.......then dont major in any of them. its that simple. in addition, if you are lazy, you will hate every one of those majors. beyond the exceptionally brilliant, please show me one lazy person who has taken and done well (which you will need to do as a pre med) in courses like biochemistry, physical chemistry, molecular bio...etc.

if you dont know what you have a genuine passion for....then dont pick a major yet!! take classes until you feel you've found something that you enjoy studying. if you dont do it like that, you will seirously regret it.

i'm a kinesiology major and I knew i was going to be one from day 1 (i even chose my college based on the kines program). i study ALL the time but its b/c i absolutely love what i am learning, and i can't get enough of it. i seriously want to know everything i can possibly know because it all fascinates me. not only that, i am taking what i am learning and it is having a direct impact on my life. thats how you should feel about your major. The courses I am taking this semster are Anatomy II, Health Psychology, and Diet/Disease and Exercise. I simply can't get enough. I could talk to you for 4 hours about why Kinesiology is the best major you could possible choose, and how friken cool it is, and why it is so amazing..... i bet that even if you have no interest in the subjet, i'd get you get excited about the subject b/c my excitement would likely rub off on you! There are many classes in my major that are optional, and I don't have to take them in order to graduate...but i want to take them all, and in the end I will probably have ended taking most of them!!! You should feel this exact same way about the classes involved with your major, not "oh this class is cool b/c it fulfils a pre med requirement and is part of my major". You will never enjoy college like that. Seriously.

 

[fireflygirl]

I was a Business/English dual major and absolutely loved it!

Pros:

• lots of practical experience in the business major (money management, running hypothetical business, oral and written communication skills)
• now things have changed with the whole housing market showdown, but with good grades and strong summer experiences, it was easy to get a job in the Top 5 IB firms
• gain enough general knowledge with the business degree that you could do a lot in a variety of industries
• did the english major because I love literature and writing and for me it was the "therapeautic" part of all the hours I put into studying, having a dual major
• no regrets about the skills I learned in either majors - despite having to change careers

Cons:

• Easy to get caught up in the "glamour" that is often touted by companies during the recruiting process for business majors - you often don't realise what you are really getting into
• Didn't get a chance to take any science courses having a dual major and so lost a lot of time doing the post-bac and starting from scratch