<p>So the more I read up on majors for the pre med path, almost every starts off saying "you don't HAVE to major in biology..." and ends up almost implying that not majoring in biology is more favorable in the eyes of medical schools. i'm really interested in majoring in bio...but is there any truth to this? thanks!</p>
<p>No, it's fine. Plenty of bio majors get into med school. You don't have to major in it, but there's no disadvantage to majoring in it.</p>
<p>I'm in the same situation right now, sort of wanting to major in biology but afraid that it might come across to med schools that I'm just majoring in it for the sake of being a pre-med...</p>
<p>When we say you don't have to major in biology, that's all it means. Feel free if you want to.</p>
<p>As with all majors, some of the upper level classes tend to be hard and time consuming. For biology they include Mammalian Physiology, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Evolution, Embryology,and if your school offers it Gross Anatomy.</p>
<p>"For biology they include Mammalian Physiology, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Evolution, Embryology,and if your school offers it Gross Anatomy."</p>
<p>That is highly school dependent as far as which courses are offered... and generally depends on the faculty at your uni.</p>
<p>I am a biology major and I found most lower division biology classes extremely boring but upper division ones were neat, esp. vertebrae physiology.</p>
<p>I think if you're going to end up in medical school, I don't think your major is going to be the main obstacle in the way.</p>
<p>I wanna do Biomed Engineering, but I'm afraid that'll mess up my GPA. If I do Biology then I think I can get a pretty high GPA. But sometimes I find it boring and it doesn't always include fascinating things.</p>
<p>I wanna do Biomed Engineering, but I'm afraid that'll mess up my GPA. If I do Biology then I think I can get a pretty high GPA. But sometimes I find it boring and it doesn't always include fascinating things.</p>
<p>Hmm. Biology is a very broad term... as are most disciplines. I don't really think you'd find it boring if you took classes on topics that interest you.</p>
<p>so is the general consensus that a biology major is, at best, neutral for a pre-med, while a major in a social science can give you more of an advantage?</p>
<p>while a major in a social science can give you more of an advantage</p>
<p>I'd hope that's not the consesus. The consensus is that a difficult curriculum is most impressive.</p>
<p>
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so is the general consensus that a biology major is, at best, neutral for a pre-med, while a major in a social science can give you more of an advantage?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, the consensus is that you should major in whatever you like within reason.</p>
<p>^ I suppose that means major in not only what you like but what you are also good at.</p>
<p>Yes, but it is also important, as I wrote, to pick something that appears challenging. Personally, for those not science oriented, I would recommend either philosophy or english...</p>
<p>I say that, of course, because I like those two subjects, they are simply exapmles....</p>
<p>I'm actually thinking about changing my major to philosophy. I'm a bit reluctant to do so because I don't know what I would do with a philosophy degree if med school wasn't a realistic option by the time I graduate...though to tell you the truth, I don't know what I'd really want to do with a biology degree either.</p>
<p>I'm in a very similar boat to fried rice. Not quite the same boat...but certainly one of similar size and construction.</p>
<p>I have another question on this subject. Though many of the posters here agree that it's best to major in whatever that interests you, what if you're interested in something that has NOTHING to do with medicine? Many subjects have connections to medicine to some extent; sociology, philosophy (ethics etc, I would argue), English, communication and business, to name a few. But what if somebody majored in a fine art? As an example, what about film studies or motion picture production? I ask because this is currently one of my greatest interests.</p>
<p>I approached a premedicine adviser with this question once. Though she didn't say anything to persuade me against such a major, she did tell me that some medical schools might question my commitment to the profession if I major in a completely unrelated field/trade.</p>
<p>How do you guys weigh in on this?</p>
<p>somebody majored in a fine art? As an example, what about film studies or motion picture production?</p>
<p>If is a tough call. This is my opinion, no one can really say for sure but:</p>
<p>1) Fine art/Film studies. I think it would depend highly on where you went to school. If you are doing that at Tisch (however its spelled) then you would probably be all right. If you are at a lower ranked school you may run into trouble (as in, are you majoring in something easy just the sake of gliding through college). </p>
<p>2) The film production. Once again, if you are at certain schools, well all right, but even then something this restricted, and semi-preprofessional, would probably raise a few eyebrows.</p>
<p>Take home message: it depends on school/program. It will not be a death kiss but it probably won't make you a stronger applicant.</p>
<p>To affirm uvajack's comments: Art History, an academic study of fine arts, is fine -- but I'd be concerned about film studies.</p>
<p>To analogize, economics is always okay -- but you'd better be a Wharton undergrad if you're going to major in business. (And even Wharton diplomas say Economics on them.)</p>