<p>Hi! I am a senior that is going to be a college Freshmen this coming fall!
My plan is to go to a university and take MCAT and then to a med school.
My only concern is should I major in Biological Science or Medical Laboratory Sciences?
I am going to decide between:</p>
<p>University of Kentucky (UKY), Pre-medical Laboratory Science
University of Texas-Austin, Medical Laboratory Science (entry level)
Texas A&M Uni., Biological Sciences</p>
<p>But I do admit that I have strong feelings for UT-Austin or UKY.
I mean, UT-Austin is a good school that is well know, and not that UKY has "stupid students" but if I go into UT-Austin I will compete against people who are most likely will be smarter than that of UKY's pool. So, my other concern is, I think there will be a better chance for me to get a slightly better GPA when going to UKY, but I think at the same time it is a loss for me to not attend UT-Austin. I am just completely lost here and I have talked with several people (parents, counselor, teachers, etc...) and I still feel lost.
And I know what my abilities are and I know I try hard but trying only gets you so far. To be great, you need that "extra" factor and a lot of gifted people out there (not that I am not gifted its just there are a lot of smart people who are just smarter than I am out there). </p>
<p>So, I really would like some advice from older wiser students, doctors what I should do. I think viewing this in a different angle will help me make my decision for my future. What do you think about this matter?</p>
<p>I am open to any criticism, advice, comment, etc...</p>
<p>Thank you so much!</p>
<p>I think it’s a mistake to automatically assume that the competition in your pre med classes at UKY will be less than at UT. At all colleges, the most competitive students tend to cluster into a few STEM majors–and that includes pre-med. There are smart, competitive students everywhere. UT does not have an exclusive claim on them.</p>
<p>So I wouldn’t make a decision on that basis alone.</p>
<p>I strongly suggest you choose the college you feel is the best fit for you, the one you would feel most comfortable attending and the one you think will give the best chance to be successful and happy. Yes, happy. It’s not worth .2 of GPA point if you spend the next 4 years being miserable. (BTW, there is substantial evidence that a happy student does better gradewise in his coursework than an unhappy one.)</p>
<p>It’s Ok to pick a college on other than a purely academic basis. Pick it because you’ll have a social life you want, or a sport team you can root for, or the school has an awesome library. Or whatever is important to you.</p>
<p>You do not need any particular major to do pre-med, although you need to take the pre-med courses alongside whatever major. Biology majors typically include the pre-med courses, but about half of medical school applicants had an undergraduate major other than biology.</p>
<p>It is commonly said that medical school admissions dislikes students who majored in “specialized health sciences” as undergraduates; if medical laboratory science is considered such a major, it may not be the best choice from the point of view of getting into medical school.</p>
<p>One very important thing to consider between different schools is cost and debt. Medical school is expensive, so you want to save money for it and avoid dragging undergraduate debt along. Also, biology majors do not have good job prospects if not going to medical school or other health professional school, so watching the costs is important in that case.</p>
<p>The caliber of the students in science and engineering classes at UT Austin will be higher than that of students at UK. However, both of these schools are state schools, so I am sure there are more important factors for you to consider like cost (what is your state of residence?), environment, fit, etc.</p>