<p>I'm having difficulty deciding which major to pursue. They all seem really interesting to me and I'm planning to do some sort of pre-health, I'm not exactly sure which yet. Is there any major that you would recommend me doing or not doing? Can you also rank the major by the difficulty of the upper division courses that I'll be taking?</p>
<p>difficulty i would say</p>
<p>psychobio, MCDB/MIMG, biochem</p>
<p>as for what to choose, dont worry so much about it now (assuming you're an incoming freshmen). once you start taking some classes, you will see what you like and will likely change your major anyways. if you are unsure, i would start with a life science major because if you are a physical science (like chem/biochem) then you have to stick with the harder chem series once you start it.</p>
<p>i started as biochem and found out i reallllly hate chem after the previous quarter. i'm now phy sci, and i really wish i had made that decision before starting chem...</p>
<p>But if you start life sci, don't you have to stick life sci?</p>
<p>yes, you would. but theres several different life sci majors to choose from.</p>
<p>taking the 20/30 series would be more "universal" as it can fullfill both life and physical, but its longer and harder. technically it would be the better choice if you are really unsure and want to keep ALL your options open. taking the 14 series would be easier, but you are restricted to life science majors only.</p>
<p>i think you can petition to swtich between the series at the 'ochem junction' but havent really heard about that much...</p>
<p>In addition to the above, the majors psychobio, MCDB, and MIMG have the exact same lower-division requirements (first 2 years). So you have some time to decide for those 3... if you rule out biochem... but yes what VTEC said!</p>
<p>don't do biochem. i have a lot of friends who are almost done with biochem and they said they hated it. unless you plan on getting a Phd in biochem or something crazy, i wouldn't take a biochem major. Not only is it a HARD major, but the material is pretty dry. To be honest, if you want to go into medicine, and you want to major in the sciences, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason for you to think about physical sciences. (i know i might get flamed for being narrow-minded but im a realist)</p>
<p>as for the other life science major, it doesnt matter. you don't (and can't) decide until you finish lower div classes. take ALL the life science sequences (physics, chem, math). after your life science sequence (1-4) you'll know what you wanna do (MIMG/Neuro/MCDB/Physci...).</p>
<p>What's so bad about biochem? I've never heard of that kind of stuff from my friends... How is it hard and dry? And what's considered something crazy for PhD? :confused: Don't premeds need to do a majority of the biochem stuff anyways(all the lower div stuff, the 153 series)?</p>
<p>ehh iono. may be i just hate chem a lot. but most of my friends do wish they had majored in somethin else. i guess it really depends on the person?</p>
<p>I'm a biochem major and loathe 153 series. I loathe Voet and Voet!!! 110A and 156 are more like math classes and therefore they are doable. 153 series' exams are conceptual. Exams of MIMG classes are even more conceputal than 153 series... And you need a lot of time on studying science journals. </p>
<p>Psychobio is my pick.</p>
<p>I agree with Bruinboy on the life science thing. I was biochem but now EE bio... back in high school I thought that biochem was a life science.</p>
<p>So would MIMG be more interesting than biochem?</p>
<p>that depends....do you find microbology, immunology, and molecular genetics to be more interesting than biochemistry?</p>
<p>there will be people who think MIMG is more interesting. and there will be people that think biochem is more interesting. but that doesnt matter because they dont know what YOU think and what YOU personally like or think is interesting...</p>
<p>Haha, good point...:D</p>
<p>Biochemistry is a tough major if you hate chemistry and memorization. However, the people above me are complaining mainly because they are not good at chemistry. Don’t take other people’s “word” for it. Biochemistry is an extremely versatile major, and it will allow you to pursue research, medicine, graduate school, and pharmacy. That being said, it is not required to be a Biochemistry major anymore than it is required to be a MCDB/psychobio/14 series major to pursue medicine. </p>
<p>People say they hate biochemistry because they do not have a grounded understanding in organic chemistry. If you are seriously considering Biochemistry, first consider if you can memorize large volumes of information, and secondly if you can understand reaction mechanisms. The most important thing, however, is to have a deep understanding in chemistry so that the information you learn does not overwhelm you. Pre-meds try to “memorize biochem” too much rather than understand the material using chemical principles. If you memorize all of biochem, it is the worst major in the world.</p>
<p>I am currently a biochem major and can admit that Biochem contains a lot of useless information. For example, you learn about metabolic pathways such as glycolysis and the citric acid cycle. In these pathways, you will be coerced to memorize a few dozen enzymes. Is it going to help you in life? HELL NO. However, you should understand that Biochemistry does not stand alone in its emphasis on rote memorization. MCDB/psychobio/neuroscience all contain TONS of memorization. The only difference is that the Biochemistry material is very dense and will require a lot more emphasis on lecture notes rather than book reading. In psychobio, for example, you will read hundreds and hundreds of pages (sometimes MANDATORY). In Biochemistry, the teacher never makes you read hundreds of pages, but makes up for this by assigning extremely dense passages.</p>
<p>As I said earlier, Biochemistry can be rewarding. I will agree with the above comments–it’s probably not the best major for medical school due to its rigorous material. But you should know that almost everyone thinks Biochem is hard, and your grade is assigned by a curve. As long as you think Biochem is less hard than the individual next to you, you will be fine.</p>
<p>just take 14series, 20series is nutz</p>
<p>i heard psychobio might become the most competitive since everyone has realized it was easier…i heard stuff like mimg may be easier just because of this fact</p>
<p>If you would direct your attention to Jtanton’s past posts in his profile, you will see that most of them are just a pathetic attempt at sarcasm for God knows what reason, so I wouldn’t really take anything he says seriously. </p>
<p>Do you seriously have nothing better to do in life than ■■■■■■■■ this forum with your idiocity?</p>
<p>^ lol calm down there mr. premed-competitive-gunner lol…and no ive actually helped give advice many times on this forum…its funny tho when premed gunners like u ask dumb questions thats all….and i think u have nothing better to do in life, considering you looked at my past posts in my profile…someone is A STALKER AND CREEPER</p>
<p>and tell me u dont talk like this in real life, “If you would direct your attention” hahahha</p>
<p>just relax dude…why so serious?</p>
<p>and about the above post in this thread…ive actually heard this from many ppl and if u talk to upperclassmen u will hear them say the exact same tihng about psychobio…but u probably dont know too many upperclassmen considering ure sooooo UPTIGHT</p>