Hi, I know there have already been posts made regarding this topic; however, I would like to receive information/answers that are more specific to my case/dilemma.
I am really interested in biology, neuroscience, and psychology. In order of preference: (1) biology, (2) neuroscience, and (3) psychology.
I know what the differences are between the three majors; however, my question is: how difficult are they in comparison to each other?
I have always dreamed and aspired to be a doctor. It would be in my best interest to go to graduate school and become a doctor, so it concerns me greatly that if the major I choose is too difficult, I may not get into graduate school, and that would crush me.
**Note: I am a senior in the IB program at my high school. I would not say that I am a genius, but to be in the IB program, I would say that there is a level of intelligence and hard work needed to succeed. I am also doing relatively well in IB. I include this information so that you can get a sense of my level of understanding and knowledge capabilities.
Thank you so much!
Psychology is more of a social science with a lot of math. If you can’t do stats, it will be tough.
Next up the rank of difficulty, I would say biology. It’s just so broad that you can’t really go too in-depth.
Then neuroscience. Very specific area of expertise. Also very limited in its applications other than in neuroscience.
Med schools are not going to judge you on your major as long as you have the pre-reqs. Just make sure you nail the pre-reqs. In fact, a lot of schools actually prefer “other majors”. It lets them say they have a diverse class. As long as you nail the pre-reqs. Find something you really enjoy doing. It will make the countless hours you spend studying seem less tedious. And nail your pre-reqs.
And it never hurts to have really good MCATs.
Good luck.
Pick a major you can “live with” if med school doesn’t happen.
I always tell people that college is a life-changing thing. I know it sounds cliche, but the person you are now is radically different from the person you will be in four years. I was dead set on being a doctor too but freshman year changed all that for me. If you do something specific like neuroscience, your only real career path there is PhD or MD. If you don’t get into med school (you could bomb organic chem or the MCAT, it happens) you don’t really have any other fallback career option.
Trust me, you don’t want to be a lab PhD. It’s a fate I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Google it.
Psychology definitely opens more doors job-wise than biology than does neuroscience.