Should I change my major?

Parents Forum
1

Hello,

I go to Texas A&M University and am at a current debate with myself whether or not I should still continue pursuing my Biochemistry degree, or if I should change into something “easier” for me. I am at my third year and and inevitably going to graduate a year late. My degree requires engineering calculus III, engineering physics 1 and 2, and Physical chemistry 1 and 2. All of this is EXTREMELY math intensive, and math is by far my weakest link. I want to say lack of skills in math and lack of maturity caused me to make my first C’s in both general chemistry 1 and 2. I have held back on all of my math classes as long as I could but now is the time I need to take it.

The biochemistry degree at Texas A&M is apparently ranked highly and is very well respected, but I do not know if I should put my GPA at risk considering I would like to have med school as an option (although I heard they care tons more about your MCAT scores than your GPA). If I were to change majors, it would be either to public health or genetics which require much of the same coursework and are able to be carried from one to the other easily, meaning I will not lose credits or have to take any extra and still graduate in the same amount of time. I like all three of these degrees, so it would not be like I would just be choosing one on the whim just so I can get out of biochemistry if need be.

I have consulted my parents and siblings and they all say that I should make the decision that I won’t regret and that they will be happy with whatever I choose to do. It’s a very open-ended answer but I do not know what I should do and I cannot really access the pros and cons of either.

I truly think the rigor of the course load will make me a better person. I also think that it will help sharpen my focus. I also think it is important to be challenged, as I do not think I have been challenged mentally like this before. If I am able to sit down and really understand calculus and physics, I think that will be one of the most rewarding feelings I will have in a very long time. People say that the genetics degree at Texas A&M is “basically a Biochemistry degree without physical chemistry”, which is true, and that job prospects are pretty much the same. I find it truly sad sometimes when some people come to college aspiring to be, say an engineer, but they fail their first calculus class and change their entire career and life goals because of it. I don’t think it should be that way. I think in order to succeed, one must experience failure. (Sometimes not like that).

-A friend of mine is a computer science major and has a ~2.6 overall GPA. He managed to pick up a full time job a semester before graduation which pays rather decent for being right out of college. I know the two degrees and job prospects are probably not comparable, but I am a firm believer in that nothing is guaranteed no matter how “qualified” you are.

I do not know if I am being too idealistic or I just need to be realistic with myself and accept that I have limits when it comes to math or if I can truly put hardcore determination to it and learn it in and out.

Please let me know your thoughts and experiences.

Thank you.

2

I read your first paragraph and thought that you answered your own question. Read it again. Your answer is there.

3

If you don’t have the math chops you shouldn’t be in that major. And saving all those courses until the end when you would need to put extra time into each one… Recipe for disaster.

4

Can you say more about how math held you back in general chemistry? I didn’t go to Texas A&M so it might be different there, but in my experience the math used in introductory physics is very different from the math used in introductory chemistry classes. How were you able to do in calculus 1 and 2?

5

You find it sad that someone gets to college and realizes that there are others who have more talent and aptitude in a certain area than they do… so they go and find something else that they can enjoy and do well in?

I switched majors in college when I flunked a class in my major. I went to see the professor who told me that everyone in the class had gotten an A or a B except for me. There were no C’s given- because nobody clocked in C-level work (i.e. not graded on a curve). I told the professor-- very honestly- that I had worked my tail off in the class. He asked a couple of questions to probe on that-- and then said “You can take the class again-- I will retroactively mark you as “withdrawn” from this semester. Or you can take the next class in the sequence, work your tail off again and will give you an incomplete for this past semester, so if you pass the next class I can mark you as having fulfilled the requirements of this class and turn your incomplete into a C.”

I said, “Great- let me sleep on it, they both sound like valid options and I appreciate you working with me here”. And then he said very gently, “Or you can see this as a sign- don’t love anything that doesn’t love you back”.

OP- I don’t know you so I have no clue as to whether you can double and triple up on all these math intensive courses and do well in them. I hope you can.

Or maybe it’s a sign- don’t love anything that doesn’t love you back. I switched majors the afternoon of that meeting- graduated magna cum laude despite the F, wrote an honors thesis which was truly a labor of love in every way, had an exceptional academic experience with professors who challenged me. I have never regretted dropping that major and have never regretted having flunked that class. I am good at a lot of things, and over time, have gotten better at some of them. I am not good at everything. I accept that.

why are you graduating a year late btw? Can you afford the extra year- or if you switch majors, can you graduate on time???

6

Great quote. I might need it in a couple of years (when D18 is a freshman in college).

7

I never regretted changing majors because, like blossom, I found what I really loved. And it was the right match for me, how I thought and produced.

My D2 was in a tough major, struggling, and I nagged her many times to try something easier, more in line with how I knew she thought and analyzed. When she did (just to fill her schedule,) lo and behold, she found her calling. You never know.

Your decision shouldn’t be based on some idea the challenge will make you a better person. Yes, failure teaches us, adds to our perspectives. But are you batting your head against a wall in a major that requires superhuman strength to get past your “weakest links?” Or do you enjoy the subject and the various courses enough to continue, even with lower grades? And, if you continue with a lesser gpa, will you truly have the skills and knowledge to work in that field?

Sometimes, it’s ok to let go. That’s not a failure, it’s a choice.

8

^I think what lookingforward said is the key. There’s a difference between persisting with something that you love and are just average at and persisting at something that you’re not very good at. Do you love biochemistry enough to deal with the math required? Do you understand the math when you study it, or is it all gibberish to you? How long are you struggling through your classes?

Some students are just adequate in math, or above-average but not math geniuses, and they succeed in quantitative fields through dint of effort. I don’t think you need to have some innate/natural talent to pursue a quant field, although it certainly helps. But there is a base level of aptitude you need to have…if you are struggling far longer than your peers to grasp the same foundational concepts, you will be behind them in the workplace as well.

I took a quick look at the genetics major at TAMU. It seems like the required quantitative classes are less mathematically intense than the ones for biochemistry - you take a different physics sequence and can opt to take engineering mathematics 1 and 2 instead of calculus (and you don’t have to take the third semester).

It seems like there are more differences in the genetics major than just physical chemistry: it’s less mathematically intensive. Biochem majors have to take calculus III or engineering mathematics III, whereas genetics majors don’t. The physics classes you are required to take in biochem are more advanced than the ones genetics majors have to take.

Public health is even less mathematically intensive, if you want it to be. You have to take an epidemiology course, but that’s essentially basic algebra applied to health problems. The public health data management & assessment two-semester sequence is some mix of quant epidemiology and biostatistics, but it looks far lighter than a traditional statistics course. (In fact, I am surprised the public health major does not require a course in statistical methods; if you major in public health, I would strongly recommend taking one as an elective.)

So really, it depends on what you want. If you love the biochemistry major but want something less mathematically intensive, the genetics major seems like a good alternative - you will still take some math/physics, but there’s less of it. (mind you the upper level classes still probably rely on some math/physics knowledge.) If you want something completely different and with virtually no math at all, public health is that alternative.

There are also other in-between options. The nutrition major (on the molecular and experimental track) has a lot of the same chemistry and biology coursework, but fewer math courses than the genetics major. The forensic and investigative sciences major, science track, will take most of your current biology and chemistry credits and requires some math.

9

Think of it. GPA is only a number. What matters is that you love what you’re doing. It may take longer than your friends but as long you keep studying don’t give up your dream. This semester I got a 1.67 GPA! Think of it. My overall GPA is 2.60. My major is chemistry, and I failed organic. Do you think I’m giving up?

10

^ Excellent support from Juillet. Now, OP, process that and speak with an advisor, for his/her thoughts at your school. You have options.

11

Rigor will not make you a better person. You have already attempted the type of course material that is very rigorous for you and not been very successful. Delaying those courses is in retrospect a good idea because you shouldn’t stick with a major that causes you so much tension. Follow the advice of posters who suggest different majors.

Chemistry major- what do you plan to do with the major? Having a mediocre gpa , especially in one’s major, will not get you into any grad programs. It also looks like you are not succeeding in the basic chemistry courses and would not be a well qualified person for a job utilizing this major. Loving something is not enough. There is a huge difference in getting some B’s in chemistry courses (or even a C- like I did in an advanced course that seemed to be pure math, I did my senior honors thesis work for my chemistry major in a pharmacology lab). Spending extra semesters to get through classes, studying a lot et al does not make you at all better, or equivalent to, the person who needs to spend far less time and effort. Never equate studying hard/long with learning the material.

It is not “giving up” to change majors to something you are better at. It is being mature enough to know your strengths and weaknesses. There are reasons college degrees include grade point average minimums in the major. Getting a degree means having some expertise in the major. You try out different versions of yourself along the way and discover what works and does not- whether it is because of ability or interest. Failing classes sends a message. Avoiding classes sends a message. Pay attention. Dreams undergo constant revision.

12

GPA matters a lot for med school. I think that ship has already sailed, and I’m only pointing that out so you can start looking in a more realistic direction. There are plenty of other things you can try…I’m glad you’re taking the time now to figure things out and start on a new path. Good luck!