I am a newly admitted student to Rice apart of the ED applicant pool of 2019, and I plan to pursue the pre-med path at Rice University this fall.
Although I have yet to register for classes yet, I am having trouble picking a major and minor to pursue at Rice. Although I know I am a bit early to decide, I would like to know the gist of the majors students tend to shoot for at Rice University following the premed track.
*Option 1: Engineering excites me. Chemical or Materials Science. However, I heard when coupled with the premed requirements, engineering and premed will be a VERY difficult path to follow, thus lowering one’s GPA to an extent.
*Option 2: I was thinking Env. Studies or plain Chemistry coupled with a minor or two minors (business, naval sciences, statistics, biochem, neuro). This may be the “easier” route, but how does minoring at Rice play out?
*Option 3: Double major in a humanities subject and a subject in natural sciences. Asian Studies with Chemistry for example. Quite a bit of work, but
Note:Those are currently three options I have set myself upon, but I have no insight on their difficulties.
So, I reach out to all premeds currently at Rice, have attended Rice, or just any premed in general.
What have you or are you majoring in? What do you recommend to?
Yes, I have heard quite a few tell each other to major in something you like doing rather than what will appeal to the medical schools for acceptance, for a variety of reasons.
I also plan to pursue ECs at Rice, as do many students. How will all this play out?
In my opinion a biochemistry program is the most highly regarded track to a premed program. A Chemistry program is is also fine but a little outdated compared to the biochem. Theses programs are for becoming a well educated premed student. ECs are for study of things that I LIKE!!!
Hi Kokko, I’m a current premed at Rice. You can major in anything at Rice (except possibly Music) and still be premed. I started off engineering, but I found that I did not have as much free time as I wanted, so I am double majoring in Biochemistry and Hispanic Studies. I also had substantial AP credit, which freed up a lot of my schedule. If you have AP credit (and are using it), that will give you more options.
Really, I would encourage you to find something you like doing. Minoring in Biochem is pretty easy if you’re premed-you may be able to complete it by taking maybe 3 more classes than what you will need for pre-med requirements already. If you decide to go the engineering route, that’s definitely possible - I have multiple friends who are premed engineers - but realize that you will have less free time to be involved in extracurricular or leisure activities. (That’s why I switched out of engineering…I wasn’t as interested in it and it doesn’t give you anything too useful that you’ll need in Medical School).
Honestly, I would say not to worry about it right now, since you can really examine different classes/majors/minors once you get to Rice. Freshman year, you will be taking premed requirement classes (General Chemistry, Physics, Calculus), so your schedule is already partially determined and you don’t need to know right off the bat what you want to do.
@solargem, Thank you for your post. Although a biochem is generally more popular, medical schools these days are looking for people who are majoring in something out of the norm right?
@gundam, Thanks two people for biochem. I’ll look more into that major. Thank you?
@yoyoman1, how is that double major playing out for you? I’m guessing it was less work than the engineering major. Which ECs do you participate in if you don’t mind naming a few? That’s three people for biochem as of now, but if a minor in it doesn’t take too many classes, I might just do that with a major in something else! Your insight is great.
I know several Biochem/premed majors as well. There is a fair share of overlap between the two, so the major is very manageable even if you tack on a smaller major or a minor.
Pick something you like and are good at. Doing well is what seems to matter to med schools the most.