<p>I'm currently a freshman and I came into college undeclared (I still haven't declared my major), but I thought I was pretty dead set on declaring the Evolution and Ecology major at my school (we have the third best program in the country.) It's in the college of biological sciences, and I'm really interested in biology and evolution. If I decided that wasn't for me, I was also considering Neurology, Physiology, and Behavior or a different major in the college of biosci. I was thinking that after I graduated I could go to graduate school in something more specialized--some ideas were environmental science/policy, ecology, microbiology, epidemiology, etc. I have also considered getting a Ph.D and attempting to become a college professor, but I've been reading how ridiculously competitive and arduous that can be, so I'm not making that my dream. I have also been reading about how horrible the job prospects are for biology majors, which has been a bit discouraging. I would love to get into some sort of research or environment policy, but I'm worried that the job prospects for biology majors aren't good enough. </p>
<p>Anyway, because of all this uncertainty, I have also been considering a math major (probably applied math). I am generally pretty good at math, and I really enjoy it, but I don't know if I would enjoy devoting my undergraduate education to it. I also don't exactly know what the job prospects are for a math major; I always see things about finance, accounting, and programming, none of which interest me (at least I don't think they would. I'm not really sure what these jobs would entail.) I really would prefer to go into scientific research, but I also want good job prospects and financial security (I don't need to be rich, but I want to live comfortably.)</p>
<p>Basically, I'm wondering if it's a bad idea to major in biology and get my masters (possibly Ph.D) in a biology related field. I feel pretty passionate about biology, and hopefully I could get into a good graduate program. I feel less passionate about math but I think I could handle majoring in it. </p>
<p>And one last question I have is if I can change my discipline in graduate school. For example, could I major in Math and do something bio related in grad school?</p>
<p>You might consider the following programs, which could leave you well-positioned to pursue employment in chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, or software development roles:</p>
<p>Alternatively, you could do a double major, dual major or major/minor with any engineering- or computer-related major and any biology-related major.</p>
<p>If none of that looks good, you could try to talk your way into the individual major program in something like bioinformatics or computational neuroscience or something. I’d seriously recommend doing one of the above things, though, since (a) they probably won’t let you do an individual major and (b) even if they do, employers might be wary of “personalized” majors (maybe not… depends on the employer).</p>
<p>You could definitely major in math at the undergrad level and transition to biology, CS or engineering at the graduate level. The worst-case scenario is that you’re not as competitive in the applications process and may have to settle for a less selective school. Moreover, you may have to take some remedial courses, if you aren’t prepared for the program academically.</p>
<p>Ok, I’m going to say this. Major in whatever you want to. Just because you major in Biology, doesn’t mean you’re limited to Biology related jobs. I know people that have majored in all different fields and have gotten decent paying jobs. For example, if you want to work in investment banking with a Bio major, you can. My cousin’s husband works for a firm that hires all different types of majors. It’s all about how much work you’re willing to put into what you want to achieve. And yes, monetary wealth is important in happiness, but so is non-monetary wealth. Say you want to work for a huge Wall Street Bank, like JP Morgan or Goldman Sachs. Are you ready to work 120+ hours a week? Are you willing to sacrifice having a family life, barely seeing them because you have to fly out to see your clients or stay in the office until 3 a.m. or sometimes overnight? Yes, you will make tons of money(if you make it to Managing Director, they make well over 8 figures, assuming you aren’t burnt out in the first 5 years as an analyst) but if you aren’t happy outside of your work life, it won’t matter. We’re all so wrapped up in a certain type of lifestyle that it imprisons us. My family lives in a nice house in the suburbs, with 3 cars, on a 50k salary. How so? It’s all about how you use that money. Live within your means, and try to keep credit card debt to a minimum. Yes some jobs offer no benefits. Who cares? The whole benefit system is a scheme. You invest your own money into a mutual fund which will provide your retirement. Forget Social Security and all that nonsense, it’ll be defunct by ~2030. Smart money management is true financial security.</p>