<p>Math and the Life Sciences
Your math requirements depend on which Life Sciences concentration you choose - but you’d most likely be required to take Math 21a (multivariable calc, Calc BC is a prereq) and possibly Math 21b (linear algebra) as well. You might also have the option of taking Math 19a/b (math for life science concentrators) as well - it’s a bit easier and has a lot of biology applications.</p>
<p>If you really like math, you might want to consider taking Math 23 a/b (or even 25 a/b) instead of 21a/b. These courses are the proof-based versions of 21 a/b, and are very rigorous (25 being harder than 23… there’s also Math 55 a/b, but that’s only for the Math Olympiad folks). The downside is that these courses would actually be <em>less</em> relevant/useful for life sciences, because they focus on theory and not applications.</p>
<p>Most courses in the Math department are theoretical and would require at least 23a/b as prereqs. You might find classes in the Applied Math or Statistics department interesting - and also more applicable to Life Sciences work. Some of them definitely are geared towards the life sciences (I think you can even concentrate in Applied Math with a biology focus).</p>
<p>Business + Finance Courses
So, unfortunately, Harvard doesn’t offer any business/finance/management courses to undergrads (part of that whole “liberal arts” thing). You can certainly take some Economics classes - Ec10 (the intro class) is very popular, and will make you an educated reader of the Wall Street Journal. There are a couple other Economics courses that could be relevant - Capital Markets comes to mind, but in general they are all theory based.</p>
<p>Cross registering at MIT is an option, but probably too much of a hassle if you just have a passing interest in the topic. If your main interest is personal finance, I’d just recommend reading some blogs. [My</a> Money Blog - Personal Finance and Investing Blog](<a href=“http://mymoneyblog.com%5DMy”>http://mymoneyblog.com) is a good place to start!</p>
<p>Will you be able to get a secondary field?
This depends on a few things:
- How well you plan (and whether you change your mind)
- How demanding your concentration is
- How many of your premed requirements are also concentration requirements</p>
<p>If you end up as a MCB concentrator, your requirements match up well with premed requirements, so you’ll have enough electives to get a secondary field if you want. If you end up as an English concentrator (or to some degree, as an engineering concentrator), the alignment won’t be as good, so it might be hard to find 4-6 classes to get a secondary without very careful planning.</p>