Biochemistry vs. Biology major @ stony brook

<p>Hey,
I am currently freshman now, i signed up for bio major when i applied here back in high school. i am planning on to change my major from bio to biochem because i though biochem would cover a broader list of topics than bio and better prepare me for the mcat. and also i believer biochem major have less required classes than bio so that i can have more room fro DECs. right now i am doing pretty well. i have a 4.0 gpa for the first term.i have heard that biochem is much harder than bio. i like challenges but i don't want to see my grades suffer as a result of changing my major.
Can anyone give me some opinions? any opinions are welcomed :)</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>Classes are roughly the same. You have more required classes in biochem and less leeeway as in being a bio major. For instance, in biochem, you need to take 1 lab (that being biochem lab), where as in a bio major you need to take 2 labs, but it is any 2 labs of your choice. Also you need to take p-chem as a biochem major, but that is not required as a bio major. You also need to take MAT 127 as a biochem major for p-chem, but you only need until MAT 126 for bio major.</p>

<p>Hey,
Thanks for your reply. What is p-chem? is it pharmacology chemistry?
Which major would need less amount of time to finish?</p>

<p>p-chem= physical chemistry</p>

<p>Both majors take roughly the same amount of time and each has its annoying classes. For bio, you need stats as opposed to Mat 127 and an extra lab as opposed to taking p-chem. For biochem, it is tougher because you are taking biochem 2, physics w/ lab, and cell bio in the spring of your junior yr along with your MCAT.</p>

<p>So most ppl take a yr off if they do the biochem major because it is tough to fit in all of your science classes during the yr. Your alternative could be to take summer classes in like physics, but taking science classes during the summer is not looked upon to nicely if you know what I mean.</p>

<p>my ap bio teacher was a biochemistry major.</p>

<p>he said it's a really structured major that doesn't give much freedom to cultivate other areas of interest but, that it's really interesting.</p>

<p>Yet p-chem is generally useless.</p>

<p>Also little time, if any, to do ECs. So it is all up to you.</p>

<p>If you're doing fine as a Biology major, stay there. As my friend always says, Biochemistry is the easy way out. Do you want to take the easy way out? Keep in mind my friend also thinks that England rules the world.</p>

<p>Seriously, I don't think it'd make much of a difference either way on the mcat.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the opinions. I really appreciated. I probably will stay as a bio major. the biochem major actually require a lot more classes than bio major. </p>

<p>just out of curiosity, i checked the requirements for bio major and they make you choose a area of specialization, some specialization requires alot more classes than other. for example, neurobiology and physiology only require 6 classes while cell biology require 10 classes. wouldn't everyone want to be in the neurobiology specialization since its easier and causes the classes to be hard to enroll?</p>