Hello There!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey! Sorry for starting another "what should my major be" thread, but I have some questions. Alright, a little bit about me, I'm currently in the summer of my junior year, which means that this upcoming fall, I'll be a senior. I'm by no means a genius, but I do very well. Anyways, there are three things that I would consider pursuing in college: premed, music, and culinary arts. I pretty much know that I'm going for premed, but I haven't decided on my major. If I can, I would like to do something more than just the typical bio, chem, etc major, if I can. I wouldn't mind double majoring. I've also taken four years of French, and I plan on dual enrolling during my senior year at a local college, so I'll most likely minor in French.</p>

<p>My first question is: are there any schools that offer both a premed program (I know premed isn't a major), and a culinary program? I realize that culinary is usually a two year program, so maybe a school where I could get a biology major (or something similar), and take the classes for a culinary major? I tried to search and look for some, but I didn't have too much success. What I was also thinking is possibly attending college and a culinary school at the same time, but I don't know how rigorous either schedule would be. I was also considering attending undergraduate school, and then taking a a year or so to take culinary school before medical school, but I feel like that would be kinda annoying or inconvenient. Any thoughts?</p>

<p>Alright, the other major I would considering is a music major. I've played guitar and bass for around 6-7 years and I've played drums for around a year. I also took piano lessons when I was a kid for a year or two, but I haven't really taken lessons since then. I can still play, but I'm a slow sight reader. I can play a couple songs, but classical pieces are way out of my level. Anyways, my concern with a music major is that I don't think I'm proficient enough to make it into a music major program. I can take lessons until I graduate from high school, and I can also take lessons while I'm at college, but how well should I be able to play before applying? I know that most colleges require an audition beforehand, how hard is it usually?</p>

<p>Anyways, sorry for the long post. I've been thinking about this for a while, and posting here was pretty much my last resort. Hopefully, someone can chime in and give me some advice. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>You need to decide whether you want to be a doctor or a chef. If culinary is just going to be a hobby, then you don’t need a degree in it. </p>

<p>You need to separate what you’ll be doing as a career with what you’ll be doing for hobbies (maybe cooking and playing an instrument). Doctors don’t usually have time for 2 - 3 completely different careers. :)</p>

<p>However, it is a good idea to have an “stress outlet” like playing an instrument or cooking (or some other hobby). :)</p>

<p>My son’s friend is a pre-med/bio major with a music minor - but she came in with a lot of AP credits. However, unless you come in with a lot of AP or dual credits, doing a double major can be difficult to graduate on time. </p>

<p>There are universities that let non-majors/non-minors participate in ensembles, quartets, etc. That may work for you.</p>

<p>Thankfully, you’re a rising senior, so you have time to decide. :)</p>

<p>What do you see yourself doing as a career?</p>

<p>What are your stats? Is money a concern or will your parents pay for wherever you get in?</p>

3

<p>Well, credit-wise, I took one AP class last year, four this year, and plan on taking 3-4 next year and dual enrollment class. I current have a 4.05 weighted GPA, according to my school’s GPA system. I scored a 30 on my ACT, and took it again last week. Depending on my score, I might take it again in the fall. I’m hoping for at least a 33. I also took the SATs, but haven’t gotten my scores back and I might take those again, depending on how they go. I don’t think I’ll get full rides, but my parents are willing to pay/student loans for whatever’s left, as long as I don’t go to an extremely expensive school.</p>

<p>Obviously, in the future I plan on going into a medical field, but I think I could see myself working in a restaurant, depending on when I retire (which I have no clue when I would). I was also thinking about a music major because I like music and learn more about it. I also want to do a more out-of-the-box major than bio/chem/etc, and don’t mind not majoring in one of the above. I don’t know if I would ever actually use it for more than to impress possible employers, schools, etc.</p>

4

<p>Thankfully, you don’t have to major in a “typical” pre-med major (chem or bio), but you do have to fit the pre-med curriculum into whatever major you do choose. </p>

<p>My son is pre-med with a Chemical Engineering major. He chose that just in case he decides that he doesn’t want to be a doctor. </p>

<p>If you get an ACT 32/33, then you could get some good scholarships at the schools that give them (not all schools give merit scholarships). </p>

<p>You should also take the SAT - some do better on the SAT (especially those who find that the Science Reasoning section brings their composite down on the ACT).</p>

<p>Learning more about music is a lot different than majoring in it. Those who major in music have a passion for it and are willing to put in many, many practice hours. It sounds like music is something you could either minor in. </p>

<p>What state are you in?</p>

5

<p>kusuftw,</p>

<p>You can major in anything while fulfilling premed requirements: a couple years of chemistry, a year of physics, a year of bio, calculus, and a year of humanities.</p>

<p>There are two basic kinds of music undergraduate education. One model is a performance-based “school of music” or conservatory model. These are preprofessional programs that usually require high-level performance skills at the time of application/audition, and a commitment to hours and hours of practice on one’s instrument. It doesn’t sound to me as if you are qualified for such programs, and they are hard if not impossible to integrate with premed. The other model is a liberal-arts music major, which tends to be more like other humanities majors in terms of time requirements, and which integrates music into a broader curriculum of study. This program would generally emphasize music history and theory, not performance (though many liberal-arts music majors are also very proficient performers). It would be easier to combine this kind of music major with premed; in fact it’s a pretty popular combination. You would find departments that offered this kind of major at most liberal-arts colleges or university “colleges of arts and science.” From your post, you sound like you’re a bit behind an average liberal-arts music major in terms of your music preparation, so you might want to beef it up in your remaining time in high school. A music minor would be another option, as I think somebody has already suggested.</p>

<p>Some schools, for instance Cornell, offer several “tracks” for music majors depending on how much they want to specialize and whether they intend to make music their career.</p>

6

<p>How about Nutrition as a major? </p>

<p>Have you worked in a restaurant?</p>

7

<p>^ SlithyTove, you got to it before me. Nutrition may be a good option to bridge your culinary and premed interests. The Nutrition majors I have seen are quire rigorous and include a variety of biology, chemistry and health science courses.</p>