Which Major? Exercise Science(B.S) or Biological Sciences(B.A)

[AmirTheDoc]

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Idk which major to choose. I REALLY enjoy learning about anatomy and physiology and psychology. The human body amazes me. all of my pre med friends are bio majors. Idk why but i feel like exercise science would prepare me more than biology. I don"t want to learn about animals and life, I want to learn about the human body.

 

[TheRevenant]

Do what you're passionate about. Your ability to succeed in your course of study matters much more than the major you choose (within reason). Exercise science would lend itself better to PT/OT as a fallback career plan as well.

 

[AmirTheDoc]

Would I be able to apply to other professional schools, like pharmacy, dental, PA or PT school with a exercise science major?

 

[TheRevenant]

Would I be able to apply to other professional schools, like pharmacy, dental, PA or PT school with a exercise science major?

I've never looked into those schools myself, but exercise science seems to be the logical prerequisite for PT.

 

[AmirTheDoc]

idk, i might just do biology. Because people keep saying they felt unprepared on mcat

 

[DokterMom]

Do what you're passionate about. Your ability to succeed in your course of study matters much more than the major you choose (within reason). Exercise science would lend itself better to PT/OT as a fallback career plan as well.

So long as your Plan B is to be a personal trainer, PE teacher or physical therapist, then sure, go with exercise science. Otherwise, it's generally considered a less rigorous major.

 

[gyngyn]

Vocational degrees are viewed askance by some evaluators.

 

[AmirTheDoc]

wow, ok bio it is then lol.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

Do what you like or interested in. Med schools barely care about your major.

 

[BeddingfieldMD]

Idk which major to choose. I REALLY enjoy learning about anatomy and physiology and psychology. The human body amazes me. all of my pre med friends are bio majors. Idk why but i feel like exercise science would prepare me more than biology. I don"t want to learn about animals and life, I want to learn about the human body.

As others have said, it doesn't really matter what your pre-med major is, so long as you cover the required courses, learn enough to do well on the MCAT, and can explain with a good reason why you chose your major. Good luck!

 

[YungGeezy]

I switched from bio to exercise science and don't regret it at all. I was accepted to a few medical schools and did not feel unprepared for the MCAT, as long as you take the necessary pre-reqs you should be fine. Study what you're passionate about. However, the major is considered "less rigorous" than biology so make sure you take 1-2 extra science classes like genetics or immunology if your school offers anything like that. Otherwise, you should be fine.

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

Exercise Science curriculums vary greatly by school. At my previous school, there was actually more overlap with the ES major and prereqs than the Bio major (ES required biochem & A&P (though I know it's not a prereq), Bio didn't). So we had a lot of students do ES for that reason and because they felt it was more concentrated on the human body than all the aspects of all living organisms. It was about 50/50 for pre-meds.

But at my current school, Bio far outweighs ES in terms of overlap and popularity with pre-meds.

I've had plenty of students successfully matriculate into all the programs you list from both majors. It's really about so much more than the major.

 

[Turkishking]

Your major is for you. Not for medical schools. Medical schools care that you do well.

 

[RogueBanana]

Kinesiology major checking in,

I learned way more about anatomy and physiology than my bio classmates. Because of that I felt way more prepared for the MCAT (and med school in general) than many of my BIO major friends.

My UNI had one of the best Kin programs in the country and I sub-specialized in ex-phys/health. I also picked up a minor in OCHEM.

Overall I felt it was a great choice. The classes are really what you make of them. They are usually easy to "pass" but to get an A you really need to work for it. Once you add in the pre-reqs for med school its really no different from any other major.

Good luck!

 

[RogueBanana]

Vocational degrees are viewed askance by some evaluators.

Normally Kinesiology (exercise science) is a 4 year program.

 

[gyngyn]

Normally Kinesiology (exercise science) is a 4 year program.

Vocational degrees are those that prepare the student for a particular job.

 

[Weirdy]

Idk which major to choose. I REALLY enjoy learning about anatomy and physiology and psychology. The human body amazes me. all of my pre med friends are bio majors. Idk why but i feel like exercise science would prepare me more than biology. I don"t want to learn about animals and life, I want to learn about the human body.

I did the opposite sort of so hoping to give you perspective.

Did Biology undergrad, MS in Kinese exercise science.

Bio as an undergrad was soul draining. They teach you what's necessary. You'll learn how to study how to survive, how to grind through courses you don't like. It gave me necessary skills but repercussions were: A completely unmarketable degree, and some of the courses covered were completely useless in the context of medically related careers. Again before people start getting upset- Its a very useful major that it teaches you how to struggle, study, and overcome.

Kinese MS I felt was extremely useful in the real world and much more interesting. I could market it a bit more and the internships/job opportunities presented were much more abundant and real-world than biology (which were mostly research related opportunities). However, the courses were not as hard to understand or study through than undergrad biology.

If I could do everything over, I would've picked a major I was more passionate about so I could do better in GPA wise and take all necessary science pre-reqs (bio, upper level bio, chem, ochem, stats).

As long as you take the pre-reqs and do well in them, you should major in what you really really like that is applicable/somewhat marketable should med school plans fall through.

 

[fball22]

Vocational degrees are those that prepare the student for a particular job.

Exercise science is not a vocational degree. There is not a particular job that it prepares you for.

 

[RogueBanana]

Vocational degrees are those that prepare the student for a particular job.

Even still, Kinesiology isn't necessarily vocational.

Several go to PT school, others Med (like me 🙂 ) still others go into biomechanics, health studies, secondary education, etc....

In many ways Kin is like the BIO of health sciences. Not very specific, heavy on the sciences, lots of people choose it for no particular reason, and many use it as a stepping stone for grad school.

There are vocational programs for exercise science at community colleges (such as PTA, physical therapy assistant)
But regular kinesiology is a BS just the same as BIO

 

[gyngyn]

Exercise science is not a vocational degree. There is not a particular job that it prepares you for.

Even still, Kinesiology isn't necessarily vocational.

Several go to PT school, others Med (like me 🙂 ) still others go into biomechanics, health studies, secondary education, etc....

In many ways Kin is like the BIO of health sciences. Not very specific, heavy on the sciences, lots of people choose it for no particular reason, and many use it as a stepping stone for grad school.

There are vocational programs for exercise science at community colleges (such as PTA, physical therapy assistant)
But regular kinesiology is a BS just the same as BIO

I understand.
Nevertheless, it is perceived as a vocational major by many reviewers.

 

[RogueBanana]

I understand.
Nevertheless, it is perceived as a vocational major by many reviewers.

that makes me feel a lot better about my application 😕

 

[gyngyn]

that makes me feel a lot better about my application 😕

It shouldn't.
Majors are a very minor component of the application.

 

[gyngyn]

How do you feel about that?

Reflecting on undergrad, I definitely regret taking a "hard" major that took up a lot of my time that could have been used for leadership, volunteering, and studying for MCAT.

Sorry, how do I feel about what?

 

[gyngyn]

Seems like it should play a bigger role maybe, seeing some absolutely brilliant friends getting glossed over by schools because they didn't have the time to volunteer as many hours or get as many leadership positions as someone taking easier classes.

Extracurricular Activities have an important role in the admissions process because they are the only proxy available for most of the core competencies. Intelligence is pretty common. The other qualities we need can be harder to find.

 

[787593]

Idk which major to choose. I REALLY enjoy learning about anatomy and physiology and psychology. The human body amazes me. all of my pre med friends are bio majors. Idk why but i feel like exercise science would prepare me more than biology. I don"t want to learn about animals and life, I want to learn about the human body.

Will you be lifting weights and running during your MCAT or will you be asked about the electron transport chain?

 

[Goro]

Successful med school applicants need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Reflecting on undergrad, I definitely regret taking a "hard" major that took up a lot of my time that could have been used for leadership, volunteering, and studying for MCAT.

Stats get you to the door, but ECs get you through it. The top schools seem to like tons of patient contact experience, or tons of volunteering in the service of others in need.

Seems like it should play a bigger role maybe, seeing some absolutely brilliant friends getting glossed over by schools because they didn't have the time to volunteer as many hours or get as many leadership positions as someone taking easier classes.