<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>I'm currently in the process of finishing up my UC transfer application, however, I am starting to panic and have second thoughts on a good major for myself. My main goal is to transfer to UCLA and pursue a career in either the medical, dental, or pharmaceutical field. I also applied to UCSD, UCI, UCD, and UCR as backup schools. I originally intended on majoring in Sociology, particularly the Sociology of Science & Medicine for UCSD due to the fact that the subject is of interest to me and I feel confident that I will be able to apply some of the fundamental lessons learned into my future career in medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy. I discussed it with my parents and they advised me to select a B.S. major over a B.A. major, stating that it would be more beneficial for me in the long-run. I had a look at the profile for the 2010 transfer applicants for UCLA and was shocked at some of the admittance rates for the majors that interested me. I currently have a 3.19 GPA & will have a 3.41 GPA by the conclusion of the Spring Semester if I earn straight A's till then. I made a plethora of mistakes during one of my semesters, causing me to not pass my Chemistry & Biology courses and having me retake them again. I really hope and pray that I have a good chance of earning admittance at a school like UCLA. It is my dream afterall. I put my heart & soul into my main application personal statement, detailing on why I want to pursue a career in medicine and how much I want to positively impact the lives of others. I'm totally panicking right now on deciding what major would be best for me in terms of interest and in terms of facilitating me in gaining admittance to a medical, dental, or pharmacy school.</p>
<p>I would appreciate it immensely if you could answer any of these questions for me:</p>
<p>A.) For any sociology majors out there (particularly the ones who are pursuing a career in medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy), what are your reasons for choosing sociology over any other major? How will a major like sociology be beneficial for a student considering a career in any of the above? Will I have a good chance of gaining admittance to a m/d/p school as long as I complete my pre-reqs in the mix?</p>
<p>B.) I am frightened that I will not gain admittance to a UC college with my current GPA. I accept that I made many mistakes and it devastatingly set me back a year. I do not want to be held back any longer. Do I have a better chance of earning admittance by having a non-science major or does it not really matter? If I were to choose Anthropology BS (another major that interests me), do you know if I would have a good chance of earning admittance based on my GPA?</p>
<p>C.) For those of you who are aiming at entering m/d/p school, what non-science majors did you take & why?</p>
<p>D.) Will the personal statement make a big difference for me in regards to earning admission to a UC school, particularly UCLA? Even with my 3.19 GPA, will the personal statement really help and makeup for the GPA?</p>
<p>As highlighted above, I dedicated myself to having a powerful and effective personal statement, with the hope that it would possibly makeup for my GPA. Regarding settling on a good major, I am still panicking and stressing out on what is best for me now and in the long-run. </p>
<p>For now, these are the majors I decided on based on overall interest, statistics from transfer profiles (UCLA's 2010 transfer profile), & career path impact:</p>
<p>UCD- Psychology (aiming for BS) & Alt. Major: Sociology
UCI- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Alt. Major: Sociology
UCLA- Anthropology BS & Alt. Major: Marine Biology
UCR-Biology & Alt. Major: Biological Sciences
UCSD- Sociology: Science and Medicine & Alt. Major: Psychology (aiming for BS)
UCSB- Biological Sciences & Sociology</p>
<p>I would greatly appreciate any feedback & advice. I would really mean a lot to me for any help I could acquire. Thank you very much in advance!</p>