<p>Hello everyone! I've always read posts from this website and i finally decide to register in order to meet more people and gain more knowledge! I hope i'm asking this in the right forum..
Before all else, i'm currently a senior in high school and as of now i got accepted to pennstate, rutgers, lehigh, and u of rochester. Still waiting for villanova and drexel to respond. My grades all A's, took all ap courses, im very hard working and dedicated person.
Here is my original plan: if i go into the field of medicine, i want to end up being a general surgeon. Lot of studying, heavy load classes, no sleep...i've researched everything in and out and i'm ready to take the responsibility BUT as i researched more.. i figured that what if medicine is not my right calling? (At my high school, we don't have any stats or business classes and the science department is not as challenging as colleges, obviously). So just by researching online and asking students in these fields, i have a great amount of interest in actuarial science.. and if i go into that i'd want to end up being an actuarial analyst. I even called up insurance companies to find out their work load and such. </p>
<p>Of course i'm not aware of how exactly the courses will be in both fields but i know that both of these require LOT of work and dedication. My goal is to study something(s) that interest me(i love math and chemistry), pays well, and for something that is different and very demanding in the future and once i finish grad school, i won't have difficulties finding a job. </p>
<p>My question is, is it possible to double major premed and actuary at the same time? Because i know you can't just be exploring stuff and all of a sudden end up in an actuarial class. They are both BIG steps because the exams are no joke from the descriptions that i have read. And once i go into college, i don't want to switch out or change majors and certainly don't want to waste any time because both the programs are lengthy and require a great amount of time. For undergrad, i want to get all my requirements in ASAP and say if i go to pennstate it'll be easier since they have a very good actuarial program and i'll take MCATS junior year and the first probability exam for actuary after i finish the required courses. And then i would transfer (hopefully to a better school such as Columbia.. which has been my dream school since ever and they have actuarial and medical programs) </p>
<p>So what do you think? Am i missing out on something that i should know? Am i going on the right path? Does this sound realistic? Are there any other demanding occupation related to finance or actuary that i should look into?</p>
<p>Can you major in premed and actuarial science- of course! Pre med is not an actual major per say, and it is not wise to simply major as a premed since so many people apply to med school. So the general rule of thumb is to take the prequisites and major in something else. Actuarial science seems like a very good thing to major in as it will get you a job after graduation if you do well on the exams. You can take the pre med prerequisite in addition to your major; and they generally are not too hard to fit in. Theses courses usually include Genereal Bio 1&2, General Chem 1&2, Orgo 1&2, Human Anatomy and Physiology 1&2 (or a course called Anatomy and a course called Physiology- the idea here is that you have taken two courses), and sometimes biochem. Check with various med schools on their requirements.</p>
<p>If your true passion is actuarial science, then do it- because as long as you are smart and hardworking (which I’m sure you are) you will succeed and find a job. Actuaries and financial analysts generally have good job prospects</p>
<p>Keep in mind that “realistic” depends on the person. Some people can play a competitive sport that travels a lot and get A’s in their classes. Some people struggle to get B’s without any extracurricular activities. It all depends on how you work.</p>
<p>Thank you very much! And yes i didn’t exactly mean premed as a major but i would go in as a bio or chem major. And one thing i didn’t understand was… SO many students that i’ve talked to go for premed but i wonder how many actually get into med school because i’m your scored have to be pretty high especially for top med schools. And thank you for your support… i know it’ll be a heavy load but let’s see were it takes me!</p>
<p>Pre-med is not a major; it is a set of courses taken alongside any major.</p>
<p>While a few schools have specific actuarial science majors, you can prepare for such a career by majoring in applied math or statistics and including the “Validation by Educational Experience” courses listed at [Be</a> an Actuary](<a href=“http://www.beanactuary.com%5DBe”>http://www.beanactuary.com) .</p>
<p>I can tell you this, we cannot predict what fields will be hot in the next 4 or 5 years. We can’t even tell what will be hot the next milli second, just like in the stock market. I can tell you this though, both the fields of finance and medicine will always be important. If anything, instead of majoring in a science like bio or chem, which currently have negative growth, major in something like Economics, Accounting, Finance, Computer Science, or something where what you learn can actually be applicable to the real world and take the classes needed for med school on the side, this way you will have something good to fall back on. Science, although drenched with math classes which is always a plus, is more theory than practical.</p>
<p>^ That. Make sure you have a strong foundation in computing knowledge, statistics, and learn some business skills. Med school prereqs can be taken on the side or over the summers between school years. Many people fail or never get in on their med school journey since soooooooooooooooooooo many people are applying these days. You need a back up plan.</p>
<p>Wow thats a really good point… I never would’ve thought of that. So i shouldn’t major in bio or chem … but along the lines of Economics, Accounting, Finance, Computer Science…like you said and out of those i seem to have the most interest in Finance which is even better because it’s a step closer to actuary. I guess i’ll discuss this more in depth with my academic advisor since i’m going to visit pennstate soon. But if i take all the premed req classes on the side, will that prepare me for MCATS by my junior year? </p>
<p>I also need some explanation in something else… say i’m majoring in finance but i’m also taking premed classes and i’ll also probably get some business classes (which includes micro macro, accounting, and computer courses) …wouldn’t that be the same even if i major in a science such as biophysics but my main goals are still actuary and premed so i’ll still have those same classes …am i right or am i misunderstanding the purpose of “major” and “minor?”</p>
<p>Here’s the thing: Employers only care about the name of the degree. They usually won’t ask for your transcript, and if they do, it will be to verify your GPA, not to see the classes you took. If you want to work as an actuary, they probably will want to see your GPA, but will be more concerned about the actuarial tests you passed. They will want to see either finance, math, or actuarial science as the degree, but will prefer finance and actuarial science over math. </p>
<p>Med schools, however, will not care about your major, or even the classes you took (as long as you have the prerequisites) They will care about your GPA and your prerequisites. That is about it. So while biophysics is a nice idea (and is a bette idea than pure bio- medical physicsts are a hot career compared to bio ones), it would probably be better to say your major is finance so that if med school falls through, you have a backup plan.</p>
<p>That also makes sense. When looking for a job as as an actuary you said they want to see either math, finance, or actuarial degree… does that fall under the undergraduate years or is that graduate? Because undergrad would be usually a BS/BA degree.</p>
<p>So the way i’m understanding is that, for actuary, they want the name of the degree as well as gpa and exam scores. For med, they want the req classes, gpa, and mcat. But when it comes to naming a major …it’s better to have a finance/math then any science related because of the negative growth and because a LOT of people are going for med. And i just said biophysics as an example i’m not trying to go into it but i think i read about a major called biomathematical … but either way i would have the same classes because at the end of the day my goals are still premed and actuarial science, right? It’s just important to have a fiance/math major and degree for the actuarial side.</p>
<p>And i agree on having a finance major over some type of a science combo major because it’s logical enough to be a back up plan but i’m certainly not taking chances with any of these. If i go into it, i’ll come out positive results in both because both fields will obviously cost me a LOT.</p>
<p>The needed educational preparation, including the “Validation by Educational Experience” (VEE) courses, can be completed within a bachelor’s degree program. An actuarial science major should be tailored for that purpose, although other majors such as finance, math, statistics, or economics should be able to fit in the needed course work.</p>
<p>How about i just double major. Because if i major in economics, med school will question me saying why i majored in eco and came to be a doc…that would kind of be a downer due to the competition. And if i majored in a science, then when i go get a job as an actuary after i pass first two test, they would question why i came to them when im majoring in a science. I know they both look at gpa, exam scores, grades, work, volunteering, classes, but they also see what i majored/minored in on my transcript.
So double majoring sounds more convenient right? So i can major in biochem and maybe economics… i want to major in something that will 95% benefit me in what i’m trying to achieve i definitely just don’t want to take chances. Any other majors that are good enough and have a positive outlook/growth in the future?</p>
<p>You will see that those with majors other than biological science were not disadvantaged in medical school admissions. For example, 190/387 (49.1%) of math and statistics majors who took the MCAT matriculated to medical school, 2277/5107 (44.6%) of social science majors who took the MCAT matriculated to medical school, and 9797/22863 (42.9%) of biological science majors who took the MCAT matriculated to medical school.</p>
<p>I see what your saying. So now my question is… what major will set me up for the exams for actuary and what major will set me up best for mcats…</p>
<p>I know they dont require a specific major but i want to major in something that will prepare me fully with both topics and exams and something that will balance out well.</p>
<p>Math classes are the only ones that overlap. With high gpa, and great exam scores, i’ll get a job as an actuary (after passing 2 exams) …which is before i get into med school. And of course the college i attend will guide me in when to take all these classes and stuff like that. I want to go into surgery and by that time i’ll be done with actuarial studies since i don’t HAVE to take all five exams to get a job. I also have to take into consideration, i need time for research, volunteering and working hours. Only time that will be very hard if i double major with this is around the time when i’ll be studying for MCATS and the first 2 tests for actuary. But considering everyone’s suggestions and comments, i’m still confused on what to make my major?! I keep asking this question because i dont want to make a mistake in choosing something that’ll make the employers or med schools question me …i want to have it all balanced out.</p>
<p>Am i making it more complicated by doubling med with actuarial science?</p>
<p>What is your primary objective? Do you want to go into the field of finance or the field of medicine? Both fields have an enormous potential to make anywhere from 6+ figures, moreso on the finance side of things. However you need to also realize, that with medical school, you will be taking on a lot more debt, plus you will need to purchase malpractice insurance which costs a lot of money. But honestly I think the financial field is better. Why? Because even doctors need a thorough understanding of finance and economics.</p>
<p>Honestly, like many incoming freshmen, i don’t have a specific objective or passion that i am CRAZY about. I’m just chasing the things that i like and what interests me …which is medicine and math and these two happen to be the things i can get most out of. Many have told me to stick to med only but i dont just want to let actuarial science go …what if that’s better for? …if i double major, chances are very less that i will exceed if i major in science…i’ll always think that i should’ve majored in the AS field too…if i major in stats or something thn i might have ups and downs getting into med school.</p>
<p>In every direction i go, there are problems.</p>