Ok, so I am a transfer student (22 y/o) currently declared as a B.S. in Biology at my university, however I am realizing some of the classes are far more difficult for me than I had previously anticipated.
I am wondering if I should switch to a B.A. in Biology, as the only difference is that a B.S. at my university requires 1 year sequence of Organic Chemistry and 1 year sequence of Physics, whereas the B.A. requires neither of these. I feel that if I were to switch, I would save a lot of time eliminating these 2 year-sequence courses from the list. I would also spend less time struggling with the advanced chemistry and math aspects of this major and focus on my love for biology.
I was pre-med as a B.S., but now I am starting to consider alternate routes (yet still keeping med school in mind). I am not sure of what I want to pursue though and would like to keep all options open…
I guess what I am wondering is the following: Do you think switching from a B.S. to a B.A. in Biology would be a wise choice to save time and relieve stress and anxiety on my part, or will it ultimately hurt me farther down the line when attempting to apply to graduate or specialty programs? I understand the differences between the two majors, however I want not for an employer or grad program to look at my application differently because it says “BA” as opposed to “BS”.
Cheers.
If you want to keep med school in mind, you will need a year of organic chemistry and a year of physics anyway. That is, for most med schools. Grad schools will also know exactly what you’ve taken since they will be evaluating your transcript as part of the admission process. Employers, though, may not notice the BA vs. BS, and may not care.
Well you seem to be worried about getting worried, and that’s not the best approach. A good approach would be concerning your ability to keep your GPA high in your B.S. degree. I don’t think B.S./B.A. matters for med school, but a B.S. gives you more options (with extra science and electives) and that’s important for a biology major because there aren’t many jobs labelled “biologist.” You can also call grad schools and ask them if they prefer a BS over a BA.
If you can’t take both these classes and get A’s in them then medical school is not even an option for you. For two reasons. First, they require these classes. Second, they focus on your grades in required classes and especially organic chemistry, so if you think this one class is too difficult then I don’t understand why you think you could succeed in medical school.
You don’t say what these other routes you are considering are. Look carefully into them to make sure they are realistic. The employment prospects for someone in science with just a bachelors degree, regardless of whether it is a BA or BS, are not very good
Generally echoing what the above posters have said.
For medical school or graduate school, the BA vs BS doesn’t matter. Your coursework and experience matter. However, I can’t imagine many graduate programs giving you a pass on organic chemistry; organic chemistry is fundamental to the study of biology, and in many areas, so is physics (though I think every would-be scientist should have an understanding of and exposure to physics). However, there may be other professional programs–for example, PA programs–that may not require these courses, so if that’s your goal, you should be fine (though I’m not an expert on such programs and you should find out whether or not this would affect you).
If your goal is to try and get a biology-related job with just an undergraduate degree in biology, the BA will hurt you. Regardless, as @mikemac said, the employment prospects for someone with only a Bachelor’s degree in biology are poor and unstable.
Hi everybody, I appreciate all of your support. I think I am going to switch to BA and ultimately go for an entry level MSN program and go for NP. Thanks again.
You should work with the health career advisor (or career center, depending on who does the advising at your school) to make sure you understand the requirements to apply to these programs. You don’t want to lose a year before applying because you didn’t know they expect some class or activity. For example many direct-entry programs prefer people with some exposure to the health-care field, others actually require it (http://www.nursing.sfsu.edu/elmsn)
A list of schools offering these programs is at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/nursing-education-programs
Thanks so much Mike! I go to a smaller university so we do not have a pre-health advisor but I am involved in a lot of work at the local hospitals and stuff. I really appreciate your input and those links are definitely useful!
Sounds like you’ll be figuring this out on your own. There is a sub-forum here for nursing at http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/ you can use/read. Probably also other sites on the internet. And if there are nursing programs in your area it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go to an info session.
I suggest building a planner with the requirements & dates of various programs you are considering so that you don’t miss something that would be easy to take care of now (a required human anatomy class, for example, that you might not normally take even as a Bio major).
Best of luck to you!