<p>Is a B.S. in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry a good degree to fall back on if I can't get into Dental School? What kind of jobs could I get with that type of degree?</p>
<p>Other threads in this very same forum may imply that those would be very bad subjects to fall back on…</p>
<p>Can you tell me why a BS in Biology Minor in Chemistry is a bad degree to fall back on?</p>
<p>I think many people could tell you better than I could about the poor job prospects outside of med school or dental school for Biology or Chemistry degrees, but threads like these say a lot about it:
[ul]
[li]<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1513197-depressed-biology-majors-options.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1513197-depressed-biology-majors-options.html</a>[/li][li]<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/792491-chemistry-majors-what-jobs-did-you-get.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/792491-chemistry-majors-what-jobs-did-you-get.html</a>[/li][li]<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1510308-alternative-careers-chem-majors.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1510308-alternative-careers-chem-majors.html</a>[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>This too:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1507844-what-should-my-exact-major.html#post15980030[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1507844-what-should-my-exact-major.html#post15980030</a></p>
<p>Look up the post made my the users sschoe2, gravenewworld, jlsperling, and frugaldoctor. There are more, overall, it sucks.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the job market is saturated with people with bachelor’s degrees in biology because of all the people who were unable to get accepted to medical school and dental school. Unfortunately, because of this BS market saturation (everyone and their dog has a bachelor’s degree these days) you will need to do something to make your resume stand out. Obviously, if you are considering the possibility of not being accepted to dental school, your grades are probably mediocre, which means you are just another face in the crowd. If you did a mediocre job in undergrad, don’t expect to do well in a PhD program, which many failed pre-med and pre-dental students attempt.
In order to be successful in science it takes a passion for science and a knack for science which would be indicated by good grades.
With a BS in biology, which is one of the worst natural science BS degrees to get because of the lack of lab courses in the major compared to chem/biochem/molecular bio majors, you will be at best a research assistant.
If you are struggling to grip the theory in your courses, such as just barely passing organic chemistry, you may want to think of getting an MBA and going into the business aspect of pharma or biotech.
If the theory seems to come naturally to you and you don’t have a big problem gripping theoretical concepts, you may be successful in a grad school biology program, which basically means your career future will be scientific research. Expect to go for a PhD with this option.</p>
<p>@DanL1993: Exactly, exactly! All of that is so true. I was optimistic about going into Biology and was very confident that I will get good jobs because of my grades, connections (that’s what I thought!), and experience. Boy, was I wrong! I still love science, but when it comes to pursuing careers with a BS in biology or chemistry, my love for that died quickly.</p>
<p>Medical school is highly competitive and it’s getting more competitive each year. I was going to go into a different career until I got a call from a medical school. I applied to many, many schools and only got one interview and acceptance. If you wanna go to medical school, score high on the MCAT and get an excellent GPA because they look at those the hardest. Make sure you pick a major you love but make sure you take the required premed and the recommended classes. You don’t need a science degree to get into medical school. It helps, but you don’t have to. That is why, science degrees are ONLY used as stepping stones for professional careers. If I were to do it all over again, I would not have majored in Biochemistry only. I would of minored in it and majored in something else. Lastly, get good letters of recommendations, volunteer, work experience, etc.</p>
<p>PhD is not really a viable career anymore, unless you are 100% sure you want to only go into research. If you are pursuing a PhD for the money and to get good jobs, you will be disappointed. My last job, I worked side by side with a PhD, doing the same task and I had a BS in Biochem. Is it worth the extra schooling and debt so you can work at the same jobs MS/BS will be doing? Is it worth post-docing for years, and years for 20k with little hope for tenure? PhD route is getting more and more saturated and the tenure positions are getting less and less. You will post doc for years until you are 40-years-old, get fed up with the field and want a career change. I was told by one of my professors to consider to getting a PhD, but I saw through the lies and declined the offer. </p>
<p>If you still love healthcare and you can’t get into medical school, look into allied health fields too. You don’t have to go to medical school to help people. Some of these careers, you can work right after you graduate, you won’t have to attend school too long, and don’t have to worry about being in deep debt.</p>
<p>A PhD science career is a viable path; but, only for the select handful.</p>
<p>The bottom line: To get work as a scientist nowadays, you have to be really really lucky OR really really special. Most people who get PhDs aren’t as talented or special as they think they are… So they won’t get the jobs they want.</p>
<p>That’s reality</p>
<p>If a select handful can benefit from a PhD and if you have to be really really lucky and really really special to get a good job in the sciences, then, those are not viable careers. I would hate to waste my precious years and money pursuing something that wouldn’t get me anywhere in life.</p>
<p>How is it a bad degree to fall back on if you can enter so much with the degree? If I didn’t get into Dental School, then I go into physical therapy, nursing, and etc. I think what you guys are talking about is going to work with a Biology degree and that degree only.</p>