<p>Let me start by saying that I know a person's undergrad major doesn't matter to adcoms. Part of my problem is that I love biology but I also love psychology and am currently a double major. Originally I was only a psychology/premed major but decided to go ahead and pick up the biology major when I talked to my premed advisor and discovered I'd only be 3 hours away from a biology major by the time I took all the courses I needed and wanted to take.
While the biology courses would serve me better in the long run I don't wanna drop psychology because I really enjoy it and also because I feel like if I major in biology and minor in psychology then I'll just become part of the premed pack. I feel like also obtaining a B.S. psychology may make me stand out at least a little more than if I only obtained a degree in biology.
At the same time, if, God forbid med school doesn't pan out, I could see myself working either one of these fields. So there's my dilemma. Any suggestions and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>My D is a first-year med student who was a biology major. She is really glad she majored in biology and feels many of the classes have helped with the first year of med school. She just had a test in immunology/microbiology and felt her virology class in undergrad helped. She also had cell bio last semester and her undergrad classes helped in that.</p>
<p>The ad coms do not care whether your major is biology or psychology. Extra biology classes might help you pass your classes in med school.</p>
<p>I don’t think having a psych BS will make much of a splash with the adcom, it is not an uncommon major, not is it too wild and crazy to see a double major with psych. Your last point, however, is totally reasonable and valid. You like both, you could see yourself doing both, so continue to do both until a time where you feel like this is no longer true. There is no penalty for dropping a major along the way if that is how you feel.</p>
<p>As stated above. Keep taking coursework you enjoy-you’ll tend to earn the best marks in these courses! Keep exploring your interests. By not being bio major, you’re free to take extra courses (science or otherwise) that help broaden your knowledge base.</p>
<p>Does your school offer a combined program? At my school we had a major called “psychobiology” which was essentially a psychology and biology double major, with a core set of classes, and then you get to pick which “electives” from both fields you want to take. Now the name is changed to “integrated neuroscience”. But maybe your school has a similar interdisciplinary approach? If not, you could also create your own major if your school offers that, and combine courses from both fields that you’re interested in. This method would require a LOT of consulting with the advising office at your school however.</p>
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<p>Do medical school students usually take microbiology in medical school?
Do medical school students usually take psychology class?</p>
<p>Also, does the virology class overlap with the immunology class in medical school?
It appears to me that virology would overlap with microbiology, but not with immunology. I would also guess most colleges rarely offer the virology class. (But how would I know?!)</p>
<p>I took microbio in college. The focus is a lot different. In college we mainly focused on broad concepts (the diff b/w gram negative vs gram positive, transduction vs. transformation vs. conjugation, etc.). We covered all of that in around 1 hour in med school. The rest of the time focused on covering the presentation, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment of various bacteria (Staph aureus, Strep pyogenes, Klebsiella, etc. etc. etc.). This is BRUTE memorization. I think we had to memorize around 40 bacteria in approx. a week. Then came the viruses. Then came the protozoa. Followed by worms and fungi. All memorization. In my microbio class in college, we probably only learned the specifics about 5-6 microorganisms total, the most obvious ones (E. Coli, Clostridium, HIV).</p>
<p>Immunology is typically covered separately from microbio in college. But, in med school (and on med school textbooks like the one by Levinson), immunology and microbio are usually covered together.</p>
<p>I personally think you should only take college versions of med school courses (genetics, biochem, microbio, cell bio, etc.) if you have genuine interest. These subjects are covered so fast in med school (a day to a week at most) that you would only gain a couple of days on your med school classmates despite the fact you had to sit through a semester long college course. The exception is that some of these courses (biochem) is required for admissions so you’ll have to take these regardless.</p>
<p>Some Med. School prof. indicated on some informational sessions that Biomedical engineers seems to be prepared the best.</p>
<p>Perfectedxchaos: unfortunately my school does not offer a combined program nor do they offer the option to create my own major (at least not to my knowledge). As of the time of this post (because with me its subject to change at any moment lol) what I think I may do is drop the psychology major officially but continue to take a significant number of psychology courses but focus more on biology.
I should note here that the biology curricula that I will be taking fulfills the requirements for what my school has termed a B.S. in Biology with a focus on medical science. As far as taking undergrad versions of med school courses the dean of the school of science and mathematics as well as many of the professors in the biology department have their MD or DO and structure their classes based on med school curricula where its not so much the complexity of the material being covered as opposed to the shear volume.</p>
<p>norcalguy: Thanks for your insightful post. It is very educational.</p>
<p>OP: The difference in the requirements between a BS and a BA in biology at DS’s school is quite small: The BS requires taking a full year of research-oriented senior project, while the BA requires only half a year of any kind of senior project (research or not.) Since the difference is not that much, most students pursue a BS degree.</p>
<p>I heard that every school is different regarding BA vs BS. Some schools even do not offer a BS degree in biology but their BA degree is essentially the same as a BS degree at some other school. Because of this, I think getting a BS degree rather than a BA degree does not gain any bonus point for a student when he applies to medical schools.</p>
<p>^^
My school does not offer a B.A. in Biology at least not as far as the medical sciences designation is concerned. Im not pursuing a B.S. to gain bonus points its simply the degree offered for the medical science program.</p>
<p>I strongly encourage you not to obtain a degree or major that indicates medical science in any way, shape, or form. That’s a red flag for admissions committees.</p>
<p>To my knowledge the degree itself does not indicate medical science it is simply a B.S. in Biology. Med science is more of a focal point and courses along the tract are geared more towards those wanting to pursue a career in medicine as opposed to general biology majors. The following is an excerpt from the undergraduate catalog:</p>
<p>“In light of the fact that our Biology majors have a variety of career interests, we have organized the Biology degree into four different tracts. These tracts are designed to guide students in selecting courses that will best prepare them for their chosen field. The four degree tracts are: Medical Sciences, which gives students optimum preparation for Medical School or Dental School…”</p>
<p>However, I’m curious, why would a medical science designation be a red flag?</p>
<p>Medical schools want academic candidates – the sort of candidates who would be prepared for PhD programs if they were interested. Degrees like “pre-medicine” are signals that those students are preparing on a professional rather than an academic track.</p>
<p>Oh ok. That makes sense. I was actually considering a PhD program and doing research in genetics.</p>
<p>bluedevilmike and All,</p>
<p>"Medical schools want academic candidates – the sort of candidates who would be prepared for PhD programs if they were interested. Degrees like “pre-medicine” are signals that those students are preparing on a professional rather than an academic track. "</p>
<p>Would you please elaborate a little more on your comments? It is interesting that Medical schools would like to see applicants volunteering in the hospitals, in ER’s, shadowing doctors, etc. But, they would not like to see students in Pre-med or Medical Sciences! Does it mean that they would like to see more REU’s rather than volunteering in the hospitals? Would that be the case for research oriented medicla schools? I told my boys that he needs to prepare for two summers each for REU’s and real hospital experiences. Would it still make sense? </p>
<p>Would you also see any issues with the following degrees for medical school? Which ones are better in the sense that the required courses are most useful (or least irrelevant) for medical school? Also, which is the best one if the student could not get into medical school?</p>
<p>1) Biochemistry?
2) Miomedical Engineering?
3) Microbiology?
4) Biology?
5) Chemistry?
6) Biotechnology?
7) Others?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>When it comes to EC’s, you need clinical experience. Research is also important at research-oriented medical schools, but a balance is very important.</p>
<p>But your academic work should be academic. Classes should be geared as if you were going on to get a PhD in your major. Vocational majors – like pre-medicine – just aren’t academic enough for continuing studies.</p>
<p>The majors you listed are fine except for probably your #6 and obviously your #7.</p>
<p>I heard biotech engineering is viewed quite favorably by med schools. Maybe all these guys were from UCSD and had an easier time getting into their own med school.</p>
<p>bluedevilmike, Thanks for the insight.</p>