Zoology, botany, ecology--anyone care?

[Verloren]

I've heard a lot of people say the benefit of majoring in bio is that you take a lot of molecular and cellular bio classes. Med schools like knowing that you're prepared for their science classes.

But besides the semester each of biochem and cell bio that is already included in my major, I plan on filling up my advanced bio credits with classes concerning anatomy, organ systems, zoology, ecology, evolution, etc.

Are med schools going to look at my bio major, expect a mol/cell expert, and be unpleasantly surprised by my lack of those kinds of classes upon looking through my transcript? Do they brush the zoology, botany etc classes aside as if they were some "I-took-this-in-college-just-for-fun" classes (or maybe place them on the same rung as humanities classes) or do these classes have some inherent value?

To be honest, I did the biology major because of my fascination with these subjects, not really because a huge number of pre-med kids are biology or chemistry majors. But now it's sophomore year, and I'm beginning to actually think about how med school will look at me...

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[metallica81788]

I am a Bio major and thought I wanted to go the Cell/Molecular route, but my interests changed and I switched to a Marine Bio concentration. I've taken Marine Biology, Ecology, Herpetology, Parasitology, and Environmental/Marine Microbiology so far and have yet to take Biochem.

No interviewer has ever questioned my lack of typical "pre-med upper level" Bio classes so far, even though my letter writers wanted an explanation. Mine was that I would never get to take classes like this again, and if an English or History major can get in why not a Marine Bio?

 

[Verloren]

Mine was that I would never get to take classes like this again, and if an English or History major can get in why not a Marine Bio?

This totally makes sense!

 

[metallica81788]

Glad I could be of some help. I definitely remeber being in your situation and feeling like I might have to take some boring classes just to be viewed as a typical bio major. Just take what you want, as long as you can do well in it and it actually applies to your degree credits.

You sound like you know what classes interest you, so go for them and don't settle. If you know what you like, you can justify it to anybody.

 

[willen101383]

There are many ways to get to medical school. You only get one undergraduate experience. Take your prereqs, kill them if possible, and study whatever interests you. Would you rather sit through endsless hours of lecture on crap that doesnt interest you, or actually enjoy what you are learning. An interviewer is going to be way more impressed by a student who can discuss their area of study with some enthusiasm...rather than yeah i took molecular/cell bio crap to look good for adcoms (and read way too far into my class selections). I was a bio major undergrad as is typical....but my post bacc masters was in FORENSIC SCIENCE....because that seemed cool to me! I learned some very cool bio/med related forensic stuff,helped conduct (not watched...but got arms deep) in about 10 autopsies....and I can now match bullets/fired cases, interrogate criminals, and know the law surrounding all of that. Yes my unorthodox masters did come up in my interviews....yes I did talk about it with enthusiasm...yes my interviewers were interested in our discussion...and yes I did get accepted...to more than one school. Moral of the story. Study what you like!!!!

 

[Verloren]

Take your prereqs, kill them if possible, and study whatever interests you.

It's pretty important to me that every other class I take is interesting and worth my time.

 

[willen101383]

Hey man I definately know how it goes...I went through it too. Something I did in undergrad was to take physics 1/2+labs over the summer. Eased up my course load considerably my junior year. I never was on the "go straight to med school from undergrad plan," so I also took orgo labs after I graduated...which was nice to say the least.

You have to remember that almost everyone is going to have your stats...or better. Everyone is a great student. What are you going to take/do to make adcoms think "wow this guy is different." I highly doubt they are really reading into your BCMP course choices too heavily as long as they are rigorous science courses and you do well in them.