[Pre-med] Practical major(s)? Double major in two colleges?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of California - Los Angeles
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<p>Hi,</p>

<p>This is my first post at CC but I've been lurking for a while so I am familiar with the site. :)</p>

<p>My question has to do with, you guessed it, pre-med. But after doing some research on what I was considering doing at UCLA, I am not so sure.</p>

<p>Initially I was planning on majoring in biochem, perhaps, and applying to med school. However, I also am interested in computer science (which is in the HSSEAS) and was considering studying that as well, so that if I were to not be accepted into med school, I could still use my degree for something (what are you gonna do with just biochem, vs. bioengineering or biomedical engineering?). </p>

<p>However I have encountered a number of questions and I hope you guys can help me with clarifications and/or advice :)</p>

<p>Is it possible to double major between two colleges? I.e. if I wanted to do biochem as well as computer science, would this be possible? And if so, would it be practical? Or would the courseload be stupidly heavy?</p>

<p>Also, I know that you don't have to be a bio or chem major to get into med school, but I'd like to have a degree that would be useful in real life if I weren't to get into med school (other than becoming a professor). But.. what other majors among the lines of biochem (which I am actually interested in, not just following the crowd here) would be both practical on their own, <em>and</em> can be leveraged to get into med school? (perhaps with courses that prepare you better for the MCAT?) </p>

<p>--> Does bioengineering make sense? I have heard great things about UCSD's bio*medical* engineering program, but it appears that that major is only available for graduate students at UCLA. However, UCLA offers a bio*engineering* degree for undergraduate students. Is this degree useful on its own in the workplace as well (though if I had a bioengineering BS and didn't get into med school, I would consider applying to grad school)?</p>

<p>Also, how hard it is to get into HSSEAS, and how does it work when applying as a freshman to UCLA? Do they just place you into the college based on the major you submit?</p>

<p>I know these are a ton of questions, but I'm a bit confused and am very interested in attending UCLA. So I really hope you guys can help me out here. </p>

<p>Thank you very much!</p>

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<p>you can be premed and still be computer science or whatever. you just need to take the core chem/physics/life science classes and other med school prereqs in addition to your major classes.</p>

<p>most premeds are life science majors because their major course load overlaps with the premed prereqs, but you can be premed with any major.</p>

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<p>The only courses that are absolutely necessary for admission to med school are the core. After that, just worry about your GPA and MCAT. Also remember that no courses in particular will “better prepare” you for the MCAT. The MCAT is not about advanced knowledge in any of the subjects, but broad and well-developed fundamentals. Your majors may be interesting for the interview or secondary portion of the application process, but it’s not going to really help you much if your science GPA or MCAT is low.</p>

<p>Med school is largely a numbers game. Don’t think that you can outsmart it. Do what you enjoy, but don’t let your “future medical career” dictate your choices.</p>

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<p>

Stupidly heavy, yes. You can Google “cis study area UCLA” and check out the major requirements for CS and biochemistry to give you an idea of what you would be dealing with.

There are some threads on CC within the engineering forum about the differences between BME and BioE. Definitely worth a glance to clear up some misconceptions… esp. in regards to the workplace.

Generally, more difficult to place into than the College of Letters & Science. If you’re generally interested in first, getting into UCLA, you can apply to CL&S. If you’re interested in the engineering school, you can submit an application to them at the beginning of your first quarter and they will consider you based on the criteria they have for the applicants to the school. If you want figures and stats, I would try contacting the department or emailing one of the HSSEAS counselors. I’ve spoken with one of them and have understood, more specifically through the transferring from CL&S to HSSEAS, that it is a pretty holistic approach with obviously, particular focus on grades. They do consider your motives for wanting to be in the engineering school or wanting to pursue ChemE/EE/BioE/MechE… or whatever.</p>

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<p>i would advise against majoring in anything engineering if you are premed because it probably will take a huge toll on your gpa.</p>

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<p>Please don’t double-major with Engineering and attempt pre-med. Please. :rolleyes:</p>