<p>Hi! So im debating between three different major/minor combinations as an incoming freshman at UCSD.Also, I know that I'm interested in psychiatry or psychology.
1. Phys and Neuro Major, Minor in global health (premed) to go to med school and become a psychiatrist.
2. BS in Psych, Minor in global health to get a PhD in child clinicial psychology.
3. BS in Psych, Minor in Econ or Management Science to get a PhD in industrial organizational psychology.</p>
<p>In high school, I never took AP sciences, but I took AP Psych and was so interested in it. I always did well in science, but I don't know if I can handle being Premed plus iI'm an NCAA athlete. I'm also scared about medical school loans because I heard that getting a PhD is free because you work as a TA. Any insight on this would be very helpful. </p>
<p>First, don’t worry about minors, at least to start with. If you’re focused on pre-med or grad school, they aren’t going to care a lot about minors unless it’s very relevant to what you want to do. Your main priority should be doing well in your required classes. From the perspective of fitting in the necessary pre-med courses, neuro would be easier to do that than psych. For medical school, GPA is paramount; for grad school it’s less emphasized but still needs to be solid. You also don’t have to decide between med school or grad school right now, as a freshman. I was uncertain and on the fence until my third year.</p>
<p>I’d recommend making sure that you are meeting pre-med requirements so you don’t fall behind if you do choose that route. (Talk to the pre-med advisor at your school, too.) You should also try volunteering in a hospital or other clinical setting to see if it’s something you want to do (and this experience will also be necessary to get into medical school.)</p>
<p>To keep on track for the possibility of a PhD, try to get involved with research. Look for a professor whose work is interesting, ask to talk to them about it, and see if you can get involved in their lab. Start looking for REUs or other summer research opportunities so you won’t have to worry about conflicting with class and athletics. If you decide to do a PhD, the reality is that you won’t be able to get into a good program without probably 2 years (minimum!) of research experience.</p>
<p>As for cost: yes, PhD programs are funded - through a fellowship, as a research assistant, or as a teaching assistant. But I would not make your decision based on the cost of each option. The career paths for each option are very different. Also, the MD route has a higher upfront cost, but the potential for higher earnings throughout life than an academic career with a PhD.</p>
<p>Sorry for the rant, but hopefully there’s some useful info in there!</p>