<p>I'm very interested in biology, but after one year of college, am still unsure as to whether or not I want to major in it and fully devote myself to the subject. There are many other subjects that I am interested in and that I'd like to explore, and with one year down a major in biology would take up most of my time with very little room for outside exploration. </p>
<p>Now, theoretically speaking, if I take the biology/science courses that interest me in college (while exploring other subjects) and major in a less intense science (like environmental science) or minor in something like biology, how difficult would it be to be accepted to a good graduate school, should I decide that I want to really devote my life to biology? By "good" I simply mean a solid school with a good program that I'd want to be in.</p>
<p>And, just to speak for my integrity: It may seem like I basically don't want to work hard to get the biology degree as an undergrad, yet I still want to have many doors open for me should I decide that it's what I want. That really isn't the case. I am willing to work as hard as possible towards something that I really want. However, studying a science full-time is a major commitment and requires one to potentially sacrifice other interests, and at this point I just am not willing to do that. </p>
<p>I guess in broader terms, I'm just wondering how grad schools (minus med/law, etc.) work and how they accept students. Of course, every school is different and every student has a different background, but I was wondering if there was any common ground in the whole system.</p>
<p>I'll let someone else field your actual question since I'm not entirely sure myself. I will point out though that taking an extra year (5 total?) to finish undergrad would give you a decent amount of extra scheduling space, allowing for some freedom to explore your interests. That wouldn't hurt you when it comes to grad school admissions and it would give you some extra time to figure out what you want to do. I came in with a years worth of AP credits, so I used what was effectively an extra year to take a lot of electives, both in my major and in unrelated subjects. Granted my Honors College allows for a ton of flexibility in general education requirements (which is where I counted a lot of my electives), so that helped, but I really narrowed down my interests by taking a wide array of classes my 2nd and 3rd years. Just something to consider if money's not too limiting of a factor.</p>
<p>You don't need to have majored in biology to be accepted to a biology PhD program -- many incoming students have degrees in things like chemistry or computer science. It's helpful, as you suggest, to take many advanced biology classes even if you do not major in biology.</p>
<p>Ultimately, your interest in the subject and the likelihood you'll stick with the PhD program to the end is a big factor in your admissions. With a non-biology major, you'll need to do a little more legwork to convince admissions committees that a biology PhD program is what you really want to do.</p>
<p>You will need research experience, preferably in biology. Research experience and letters of recommendation are two of the most important factors for biology PhD program admission.</p>
<p>Have you just finished your first year of college? If that is true, then I would concentrate more on finding a major that you really enjoy and would like to take classes in than finding a major that will help you get into graduate school. Graduate school is a looooong haul and if you don't like biology enough to major in it now, you're not going to want a Ph.D in it. Take some environmental science classes and see if you like that better; if you do, major in that instead.</p>
<p>You have to looooooooooove your subject a lot, and want to study it 8+ hours every day for very little pay (>$2000/month) and only a long-term reward to look forward to, in order to study it at the doctoral level.</p>
<p>You can certainly get into a solid program with a major in something other than biology as long as you have the requisite classes for entrance, which are usually on the website. Certain biological fields will be more difficult to enter without a major -- for example, I would wager that an ES major/bio minor would have a more difficult time entering a microbiology program than an ecology program. However, it really depends on your research interests and experience. Since you will be a sophomore this year, your main priority should be finding a research project to join in on with an adviser that will help guide you towards graduate school. Research experience is very important, and often that's what propels an out-of-field major into the program of their choice.</p>
<p>As for your integrity: it is totally okay to not want to work your ass off (i.e. burn yourself out) in undergrad and still have many doors open. I had a relatively easy time in undergrad because I picked a major that I liked that still opened me up to a lot of fields. However, your second statement worries me: "studying a science full-time is a major commitment...not willing to do that." You absolutely MUST be willing to do that if you want to get a Ph.D in a science field. A master's not so much, but if a doctoral degree is in the works, then you need to find yourself loving that field so much that you can't imagine yourself doing anything else and being completely satisfied -- or at least that you love it enough that you're willing to put off a good salary, marriage, family, kids, and living well above poverty for 5 or so years in order to study it. I'm not even kidding :D</p>
<p>The only real problem I see is that many places (all of them that I see) want for you to have (in addition to being a biology/science major) chemistries, maths, physics (sometimes)...sometimes up to biochemistry, analytical and physical chemistries. That could potentially pose a problem...I'm a biology major but I don't have a ton of "extra" chemistries, so I'm hoping I can make it despite that. I'm sure I can, if not for any other reason, because I know a ton of people who only took three or four semesters of chemistry and made it as biology majors (but they took math/physics, etc).</p>
<p>Honestly, if you want to go to grad school for Biology, your going to <em>need</em> to have an undergrad degree in biology. I say this for 2 reasons:1) Although you can be admitted into a Bio program having degree in another subject like Enviro Sci, you will be behind the ball so to speak in terms of preparation for grad level bio courses. 2) You may not be as eligible for department funding, which could be the difference between a free grad education or not. </p>
<p>Also, it seems like your undecided in your life choices, which is OK. But before you choose a major you should have a more concrete reason for picking one other than easiness. Comparing different sciences is like comparing apples and oranges. Although some may seem like an easier choice, they could actually be more difficult for you depending on your skills. As a scientist and current grad student I warn you that ALL sciences take alot of commitment of energy and time, there are no easy tradeoffs so pick something you are passionate about.</p>
<p>Apply for a summer REU in biology. That experience should help you determine whether or not you're truly interested in going to graduate school for biology. It will also help your application because you will need research experience for graduate school. As long as you have the minimum course requirements (ie gen bio, gen chem, o chem, calc 1 &2, gen physics, and some additional bio electives), your major doesn't necessarily matter.</p>