<p>If we went with a humanities major in undergrad, such as English, how tough would it be if we want to switch gears to a more technical field, like biostatistics? Don't laugh at me and call me crazy, lol. My interest in more scientific fields developed very late in my undergraduate experience. More generally, though, how would it be to switch from English to anything scientific/technical area? I have heard of instances in which history majors go to graduate school in geology, and many other stories like that, but I would like to know how graduate schools look on these types of applicants. I don't regret my major, but I don't want it to limit my career possibilities now that I have decided to change focus.</p>
<p>I'm sure it's not unheard of to do, but it will definitely be an uphill battle. You have to realize that you will be competing with other people who have focused 100% on science for these grad school spots.</p>
<p>Do you have any research experience or a technical internship that can show your ability to do technical work?</p>
<p>I think that if you want to do graduate school in a scientific field, you at very least NEED to have taken a significant number of undergraduate classes in that subject matter AND done well in the courses.
If you apply to grad school, you will be competing against other applicants who did major in the subject and I believe they would be more likely to accept students who have experience in the subject matter than those without it. Even if you are accepted, it will still be a lot of catching-up you will have to do.</p>
<p>I'm a grad student in chemistry now and I think it would be impossible for non-chem/chem engineer majors to survive because the courses are tought to the level where they assume you already know all the background from organic/inorganic/physical chem courses. Some students are finding it hard to catch up because thier university didn't cover certain topics (and we're only 2 weeks into the quarter).</p>
<p>I have a similar question. I'm majoring in math and applied math, but my research so far has been completely in applied math. If, by the end of my undergrad time, I only have a year or so of research in analysis, would it be possible to apply to pure math grad schools for analysis, instead of in applied math?</p>
<p>I am not actually looking to pursue science, I was just using it as a general example of switching to an altogether different field - my interest is in statistics, specifically biostatistics. No unfortunately I do not have any tech or research experience with stat analysis, etc. What can I do while I am still an undergraduate to strengthen my stat background? Thanks</p>
<p>Pinkearmufs:</p>
<p>Scour the webpages of the grad programs you are interested in. Most will give you at least some idea of the background they expect. Then work with your advisor to get that material worked into your undergrad program. </p>
<p>You'll need some level or preparation - here at Penn the requirements are:</p>
<p>"Entering students in both the MS and PhD programs must have completed at least one year of calculus (including multivariable methods), one semester of linear algebra, and have a working knowledge of a programming language. Previous experience with data analysis and statistical packages is desirable but not required. Advanced courses in mathematics are helpful, particularly for students in the PhD program."</p>
<p>That doesn't sound too bad. That's no more than the introductory sequence for most sciences.</p>