What to Major in for Medicine?

[mattmanx001]

I'm an entering freshman at Towson University, and I plan on applying to Medical or Pharmacy school. However, if I don't get in or decide not to pursue medicine or pharmacy, I want a good fallback major that has good career opportunities. I like science, so I want to stick with the field.

My school offers an interdisciplinary B.S. degree program in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics and you choose one of the three (Molecular Biology or Biochemistry or Bioinformatics) to specify in. I plan on either following the interdisciplinary program with the biochemistry track, or just majoring in ACS-certified Chemistry.

My school doesn't have a plain Biochemistry major, and there is no engineering either.

Which one is better for medical/pharmacy and at the same time will have good career opportunities if I continue to graduate school?

Please give me any thoughts, tips, advice, and ideas about it and anything else. Thanks everyone!

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[cloverpie]

I'm an entering freshman at Towson University, and I plan on applying to Medical or Pharmacy school. However, if I don't get in or decide not to pursue medicine or pharmacy, I want a good fallback major that has good career opportunities. I like science, so I want to stick with the field.

My school offers an interdisciplinary B.S. degree program in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics and you choose one of the three (Molecular Biology or Biochemistry or Bioinformatics) to specify in. I plan on either following the interdisciplinary program with the biochemistry track, or just majoring in ACS-certified Chemistry.

My school doesn't have a plain Biochemistry major, and there is no engineering either.

Which one is better for medical/pharmacy and at the same time will have good career opportunities if I continue to graduate school?

Please give me any thoughts, tips, advice, and ideas about it and anything else. Thanks everyone!

Honestly, wherever you think you'll get the highest GPA. You're learning how to work and stay on top of things in undergrad. Med school is where you'll actually start learning what you need to learn to be a doctor.

 

[michmedic]

BSN If Med school doesn't work, you could always make 60,000 and get lined up for CRNA school.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Well Towson is a pretty chill school, I think majoring in basic bio will be both relaxed and allot you enough time for EC's. However if you want back up then major in something like economics.
Generally biochem or bio or even chem are piss poor majors to enter the market and make a starting salary anywhere near decent. So unless you love the idea of being a lab tech for most of your life at NIH then I recommend you choose something with a higher potential income.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

Underwater Basket Weaving.
They love that liberal arts shiat at medical school.

Wish I was joking

 

[cloverpie]

Underwater Basket Weaving.
They love that liberal arts shiat at medical school.

Wish I was joking

I wish you were joking too. No, for real, isn't music the major with the highest percentage of accepted applicants? Major in something that you absolutely love. You'll get a high GPA and from there, you can branch into lots of options. I've seen English majors go into management consulting, biology majors who went to law school, etc. It's all about performance.

 

[cloverpie]

Do what you love. Don't waste your time in a major you despise just to impress medical schools. Medical schools don't much care what major you choose as long as you perform well and finish the pre-requisites. If you like interdisciplinary biochemistry and ACS-certified chemistry, go for it. You can't go wrong. Plenty of research opportunities out there if you don't end up in medicine.



Bad idea. Pick something you like. A high GPA in a subject you hate will not make you happy and will make it very difficult to speak with passion about your education at interview (medical school or otherwise). That being said, work hard to get a great GPA in whatever you choose.



Ugh. Search "nurse" in the pre-allopathic forum for the can of worms you're opening with this choice.

I assumed the OP was picking from majors he was already interested in. Also, you're not going to get interviews if you have a 3.0 from Caltech after majoring in physics because of passion for physics (see mdapplicants). You're just going to be have a 3.0. Pick what you love but be savvy about it if you're considering medicine.

 

[michmedic]

haha I know Docbert. The OP did say " something to fall back on with good career opportunities". I'm assuming that he likes the medical field. Just sayin!

 

[cloverpie]

haha I know Docbert. The OP did say " something to fall back on with good career opportunities". I'm assuming that he likes the medical field. Just sayin!

This is where Docbert's advice rings truer than ever. So many pre-meds say that they "love medicine." How the heck can they say that when they have never been a doctor? It's infuriating when people say that and more often than not, those are the kids who flame out spectacularly as pre-meds. They don't consider the years of science coursework, the time in a lab, the hours spent studying for the MCAT and get frustrated, disappointed and underperform. You have to love the journey itself , not "love medicine." The best way to do this is to pick a major you love and that will allow you the best chance of keeping medicine open as an option.

 

[mattmanx001]

Yes, I feel like I would really enjoy the interdisciplinary major and would do well in it. I just wanted to make sure that it was a good callback that could lead me to a good career besides cleaning lab rate cages.

 

[mattmanx001]

*fallback

 

[mulberry]

well, what is your passion? i've been a natural body builder since undergrad and from there I chose the route of nutrition & dietetics. I learned a lot more than the average physican knows about nutrition these days. I was required to take most of the pre-reqs and voluntarily finished the requires pre-reqs for med school. if I go into primary care, this will definitely help me in the long run.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

Art, Exercise Science, Nutrition/Dietetics.

All easy, interesting majors. As long as your GPA/MCAT are high and you have all the prereqs done, they don't care, at all.

 

[cloverpie]

well, what is your passion? i've been a natural body builder since undergrad and from there I chose the route of nutrition & dietetics. I learned a lot more than the average physican knows about nutrition these days. I was required to take most of the pre-reqs and voluntarily finished the requires pre-reqs for med school. if I go into primary care, this will definitely help me in the long run.

That's super-cool. You could make a great case for all sorts of specialties with your training down the road because "you are what you eat." And I need to back away from the Cheetos...

 

[mulberry]

That's super-cool. You could make a great case for all sorts of specialties with your training down the road because "you are what you eat." And I need to back away from the Cheetos...

um considering I want to go into internal medicine? yes, I will make a great "case".

that's what separates you from me. you think it's all about what you eat but do you even know the science behind the stuff you're eating?

 

[PreMedOrDead]

Caterpillars?

 

[cloverpie]

um considering I want to go into internal medicine? yes, I will make a great "case".

that's what separates you from me. you think it's all about what you eat but do you even know the science behind the stuff you're eating?

You specialize with fellowship after internal medicine for many specialties. Let's see. I know that yellow 5 is bad for boys? While I don't know the science behind the stuff I'm eating, I think ignorance is bliss when it comes to the Peeps I'm about to eat. Nom.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

Major in what you love. I chose to major in psychology and I still did well in the prerequisites and enjoy my major. Good luck, no matter what you do OP.

 

[Neuronette]

I strongly suggest that you choose a BA major bc it is more versatile in terms of career opportunities...unless you are sure that you would like to pursue something in science/research/engineering as a fallback career.

 

[Ansar]

If you're thinking of medical school or pharmacy school, I think Chemistry would be a good major. It's a fun field on it's own, anyway.

 

[235788]

spanish

 

[mattmanx001]

Major in what you love. I chose to major in psychology and I still did well in the prerequisites and enjoy my major. Good luck, no matter what you do OP.

Thanks, your words mean a lot!

 

[mattmanx001]

If you're thinking of medical school or pharmacy school, I think Chemistry would be a good major. It's a fun field on it's own, anyway.

Yea, I think chemistry (ACS certified) would be a good choice too. In my school, the only difference between the Chemistry major and the Interdisciplinary major is two classes...(Theoretical Foundations of Physical Chemistry needed for chem major, and Biochem II for Interdisciplinary major)

 

[Cypher321]

Not engineering.

 

[mechengmed]

Not engineering.

I disagree. Engineering is good because even if you only get mediocre grades you can still get a well paying job. If you do that with biology, well you may end up teaching high school biology as your career. I'm doing engineering and even though I'm having to take a 5th year to get in enough science classes, I will be able to take a year or two off before medical school and make good money while I do.

 

[Ironmandoc]

Not engineering.

Completely disagree. Engineering is one of the most profitable fields and has a promising future especially if you go into energy.

 

[Cypher321]

Completely disagree. Engineering is one of the most profitable fields and has a promising future especially if you go into energy.

For the record, I am in my last year of a ME degree.

I just think if you're going to go engineering, chances are you know that's what you'll be majoring in ahead of time. I haven't heard many stories of people switching into engineering. If you're unsure about what major to choose and want to go to medical school, I think it's better to pick something else instead of tossing the dice to see if engineering is a good fit.