<p>Hey, I am currently a freshman at Revelle, (undeclared) whose goal is to get into med school. I am considering applying next year to an impacted science major (preferably neuroscience and physiology) . I know that before doing so, I need to complete all lower division requirements, (which overlap with a good chunk of my GEs and pre-med prereqs). I looked at the statistics for 2011 and apparently only about 31/151 got accepted into an impacted major in winter quarter and 171/245 got accepted in spring. My question is, what if I don't get into that major, will I still have enough time in four years to major in something else if I remain undeclared?</p>
<p>Or should I declare a major and do the lower division requirements alongside the declared majors requirements?</p>
<p>If you are dead set on going to med school, then I think you should do all the lower division requirements for phys and neuroscience and apply to the impacted major first and if you don’t get in, you can change your major to something that doesn’t have many lower div requirements such as psychology or cognitive science (B.A.) while still doing prerequisites for med school.</p>
<p>1) You don’t need to be a biology major to go to medical school, and whatever myths you might’ve heard about “it’s easier to get bio classes if you’re a bio major” or “medical schools favor bio majors” or “it’s easier to finish med school reqs as a bio major”? False.</p>
<p>2) Declare a major right now. Choose a major that at least has some overlap with your lower divs (psychology or chemistry’s just the tip of the iceberg) so you will be finishing some of its LDs while doing bio requirements.</p>
<p>3) The numbers always scare people because it makes the program seem selective, but I’ve always suspected the low admissions rates (31/151 for winter) are due to people applying when they’ve nowhere near met the requirements to actually transfer in (at least 3 quarters at SD but no more than 6; LD requirements complete). They do admit people that don’t finish the reqs in spring, but you obviously have a higher chance of getting admitted if you do. </p>
<p>4) The “will you have enough time” question would only apply if you’re unsure about medical school, because you will need these lower divs for med school regardless. And it really depends on a lot of other factors: how much AP credit did you start with? How difficult is your fallback major, and how many classes overlap with the bio reqs? Would you be willing to take summer sessions or harder workloads if need be to finish in time? I would flesh out a rough 4 year plan for your “tried to apply for bio and stuck on my fallback major” route just to see what your backup plan actually looks like.</p>
<p>Honestly, major in what you want. If you’re only doing a biology major because you’re premed and no other reason, that’s not a very good reason. If you have a genuine interest in biology, go for it. Take all the lower division classes then apply for the department.</p>
<p>If you have a passion for humanities, be a humanities major! If you are fascinated by the Spanish language, be a Spanish major! Major in what you want because that is ultimately the major that you will enjoy the most and do well in.</p>