<p>Biochemistry
Biochemistry(Medicinal Chemistry)
Biological Sciences (Cells, Genetics, Development Biology)
Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Microbiology
Molecular Biosciences/Biotechnology
Physics
Chemistry</p>
<p>Which major would best prepare me for Medical School. Please don't answer saying, "Major doesn't matter when applying to Med. School". I enjoy anything science related, especially Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. I'm leaning towards Biochem (medicinal Chem). WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK???? Thanks. Plz no rude/unhelpful comments!</p>
<p>Do the major that gets you the highest GPA. However, I would stay away from plain biological sciences. Biochemical sounds fine, and if you really want to do it, you’ll probably get a high GPA.</p>
<p>Ask yourself: What major interests you the most? What major will increase you chance of attaining 3.8+ GPA? If your answer is Biology, for instance, then you should go for it. Since you are good at Math and Science, you should consider Chemical Engineering since it is the safest major. You can fall back on it if you do not make it to medical school. Besides, the problem solving and critical thinking skills you learn in ChemE will help you in medical school. The only disadvantage of majoring in ChemE is that it is not easy to maintain high GPA.</p>
<p>Well to me, in the end, its about doing well in the MCAT. I think that deciding a major based on MCAT prep is not ridiculous because I do like all the sciences. Let me check Chemical Engineering as I really haven’t looked into that yet. Other than that THANK YOU VERY MUCH!</p>
<ol>
<li> Choose for best MCAT preparation and highest GPA.</li>
<li> Choose for best backup options if you decide not to go to medical school or do not get into medical school.</li>
</ol>
<p>Really good way to look at it! The University I want to attend has a 4+1 program for Biochemistry (Medicinal Chemistry). That +1 year would be so I can get a Masters in it. If med school doesn’t work out, I wouldn’t mind getting a PhD in Biochem and working in a research/Pharmaceutical/Biotech lab for the rest of my life. But I think that with my preference towards Biochem (Med. Chem) would be really good for MCAT, GPA, and BACK-UP Plan?! Do You Guys Agree???</p>
<p>Do you guys think that a PhD or Masters in Biochemistry with emphasize in Medicinal Chemistry would provide me with a “Stable/Safe/Lucrative/Enjoyable” job if I got rejected from med school? I’m not concerned about wages or any bs like that. A good fall-back plan is always nessecary in this field and possibly others? Or do you guys think that a other major that I listed would BETTER prepare me for MCAT while being easy for GPA? Thanks Guys! More responses would def. help!</p>
<p>So, I initially went into undergraduate with the goal of medical school, so hopefully I have some insight for you. :)</p>
<p>My intended major out of high school was Neuroscience, I was accepted to Harvard and Hopkins, and they were my top choices. However, I ultimately decided on Honours Health Sciences, because the degree had more variety and was more suited to my interests.</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, you have to understand medical school and a career as a physician before you base your entire undergraduate studies on this goal. First and foremost, undergraduate science majors are time consuming, even more so if you want an outstanding GPA. Therefore, you have to love what you do, because you’ll be spending the majority of your time in class and studying. </p>
<p>The best ‘major’ for medical school is one that you are passionate about and can succeed at. It is also a major that’s focused and supported. I highly recommend a minor that expands your knowledge base, but also enforces your goals. Any major is going to teach you more than you need for medical school, premedical courses are covered in your first two years. So, for two more years you have to make the skills and knowledge you acquire worth it. I’d plan ahead, guess what kind of physician you’d enjoy being when you graduate and choose the appropriate degree. For example, if I wanted to be a psychiatrist I’d major in neuroscience and minor in psychology. </p>
<p>I think those are some good initial questions to ask yourself, I hope that it helps! :)</p>
<p>I would say biochem just because they tend to do better on the mcat… The new mcat for 2015 is going to have more biology in it. Either way you cant go wrong with a science major.</p>
<p>My advice:
This is unique to you and we can’t really answer this appropriately on an online forum.
But consider that there is a good chance that something happens and med school doesn’t work out (not accepted, you change your goals, or life happens). You do not want to be left with an undergrad that pushes you into a field you have little interest in.
Consider majoring in a field as a safety net, a field where you could have decent chances at finding work and found rather interesting- something you could enjoy waking up to do still.
Then take your pre-med classes on top of whatever degree you have chosen. I believe this is the wisest route. Even for those who swear to succeed to become doctors, life happens and goals can change.</p>
<p>Other factors:
-Med adcoms will admit the best gpas. They really don’t seem to prefer a biology grad over a music major, as long as the prereqs are satistied and all else is equal.
-If you can, you may want to add a science minor instead of just getting the handful of prereqs out of the way. The first two years of med school (traditional) are depth science courses/labs and preparation is always a wise choice as well.
-I would not recommend a major in the sciences in the current economic situation- the hard sciences do not have the highest gpas and if med school doesn’t become your route, finding a job may be quite a challenge- even with a phd.</p>
<p>^ Thank you so much, so if anything happens and Med School doesn’t work out, do you think a PhD in Biochemistry (Medicinal Chemistry) land me a well paid, stable job? Which major of the listed above would have the best job stability/growth with a PhD? THANKS!</p>
<p>Out of the ones above, I would say chem engineering or biotech. However, despite the fact that these have better prospects than the other majors, they still aren’t great. </p>
<p>Have you ever thought about biophysics? People with that major tend to still be able to go into the medical field as medical physicsts. You would need a graduate degree in medical physics though. If your school doesn’t have a biophysics degree, major in biology and physics. Medical physicsts seem to have pretty good job prospects.</p>
<p>You can do a lot with biochem most people cant think past medicine or pharmacy but there is plenty. For example research teach at university level or you could go into pharmacy you could even go into the manufacturing of new drugs. My point is if you love it and you work hard then you will find a job. Good luck</p>
<p>Manufacturing drugs in this country is declining at a rapid rate. Thanks to over-regulation by federal agencies like the FDA. By the time you are almost done with the drug trials, the patent is basically close to expiring. If the patent is expired, you cannot put it on the market. Research positions at universities, especially at the Ph.D level are minimal. The only way drug manufacturing will ever come back, is if the FDA minimizes it’s regulations. The costs of the trials are somewhat prohibitive. If a good profit cannot be made from it, there’s no point in allocating all the funds into the research. At the end of the day, it’s all about the bottom line. Ineffective medications are cheaper and can produce a bigger profit, hence why you don’t see a cure for cancer or Aids. If they cured it, nobody would need treatment anymore.</p>