Majors at Yale (bio, math and philosophy, german, women's)

[technogirl21]

Hey! I was looking for some current or recent undergrads to tell me a little about the following majors at yale (strengths, weaknesses, experiences, research opportunities, reputation etc)

-Biology (Molecular, Cellular, Developmental)
-Biomedical Engineering
-Biology (Ecology and Evolutionary)
-German Languages and Literatures
-Mathematics and Philosophy
-Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies

I know its all over the board but those are some of my interests that I’d love to hear more about! For reference, I hope to either get an MBA or go into bio related research (don’t want to be a doctor!)

[Yale2014Alum]

Depends on what kind of bio-research you’re interested in, but on the surface your aspirations for MBA or research screams biotech career to me, so I’d go with Biomedical Engineering (which is what I majored in incidentally). If you want to stay in research (and have any kind of career progression / wage progression in the field) you’ll need a PhD. If you move to the business end, MBA.

[BB1313]

I am also looking to go to Yale and am interested in biomed, women’s, and German (and astrophysics). I know I can’t comment as a Yale student or graduate, but part of the reason Yale is so appealing is because of how easy it is to take the courses you would like. Since you don’t declare a major for two years, I’m sure if admitted you could try out the various programs and decide what you would like to major in. I plan to double major or have a minor, so don’t forget that’s always an option! Part of the reason I am focusing primarily on biomed is because I went to a summer camp focused on it and thoroughly loved it. You could try doing something similar with your prospective majors.

[gibby]

Since you don’t declare a major for two years, I’m sure if admitted you could try out the various programs and decide what you would like to major in.

@BB1313: In yesteryear (about 20 to 40 years ago) that may have been somewhat true. However, all colleges (Yale included) are now run by bureaucratic bean-counters, and before you can declare a major during your sophomore year, you MUST-MUST-MUST have taken the INTRO COURSE for that major during your freshman year or 1st semester of your sophomore year. For example, a student cannot declare Anthropology as a major unless they have taken Intro to Anthropology during their freshman year or 1st semester of sophomore year. So, students at Yale (and most other colleges) need to hit the ground running with at least somewhat of idea of what they want to major in during their freshman year. (Sorry to burst your bubble about Yale.)

[JHS]

@gibby 's information is maybe more correct for biology than for anthropology. This is what the Blue Book says:

Students seeking the B.S. or the B.A. degree with a major in science are expected to declare their majors at the beginning of sophomore year, although a student who has completed the prerequisites may elect a science major later. Sophomores interested in majoring in science should have their schedules approved by the director of undergraduate studies or the adviser designated by the department. Students seeking the B.A. degree with a major in a field other than a science typically declare their major at the beginning of the junior year. In the sophomore year, these students’ schedules are signed by a sophomore adviser, chosen by the student, with whom the program has been discussed.

In the sciences and math, there is a pretty strict progression of courses that build on one another, and it would be very difficult to start in your fourth semester and finish by the eighth. That’s not necessarily the case with most humanities fields, where in a pinch you could probably complete an entire major in four semesters, especially if you had already satisfied your distributional requirements.

That said, no one in her right mind would decide on a major blind at the end of her sophomore year. If you haven’t taken at least one substantial introductory course in a field by the end of your sophomore year, you have decided not to major in that field. And most people try to take the first course in majors in which they might be interested during their freshman years or first semester sophomore year at the latest. People do switch majors after their sophomore years, but they switch into a field where they have already taken a few courses, not one where they have to start over.