URGENT! Life Science Major Question!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Los Angeles
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<p>Hello so I am a pre-pharmacy student who is currently in physiological science major. I decided to pick this major becuase in high school I really enjoyed learning about physiology. But after I took L.S 2 this quarter, which is supposed to be similar to physiological science, I was really "surprised" by the competitive pre-med students and also I really really enjoyed the material but because of the curves and how I couldn't really keep up with them I didn't do as well as I thought I could have. </p>

<p>Also, my friends were telling me that if I'm not even going to apply for med school, why put myself into a pre-med environment..? (I thought they had some few good points there)</p>

<p>I understand that you choose your major based on what you like. I really enjoyed the Ls2 but my grades just were not reflecting it. I thought I was the only one who had this type of problem but many people also told me that they like what they study but because of the pressure and just the environment in general your grades/gpa doesn't reflect that sometimes...</p>

<p>So I guess now my goal is to explore each life science as much as possible before making my final decision. </p>

<p>For current UCLA students or those who graduated with any life science majors... can you guys tell me about (how the classes were, your interest, what you learn (based on pure memorizing or concept), the level of pre-med environment and also how hard is it to maintain a pretty good gpa) </p>

<p>Some of the majors I was looking into was MIMG, Neuro science, Physiological Science (one that I'm in), EEBio, psychbio and I think that's most of the life science majors...</p>

<p>I'm really just confused what I should do/study right now. One of my friend who is in her third year was in physiological science and she is also pre pharmacy. But she later dropped the major because she told me that "even though i really loved the materials, the class itself was literally too much to handle and everyone is different so everyone has their limits even though how long or how hard you study"</p>

<p>And I got scared after she told me that because I just experienced that in my LS2 class. I loved the class but I didn't do so well...</p>

<p>Can you guys tell me about different life science majors?
(how the classes were, your interest, what you learn (based on pure memorizing or concept), the level of pre-med environment and also how hard is it to maintain a pretty good gpa)</p>

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<p>I think the real question you need to ask yourself is: Why do I want to be a pharmacist? And after that question you should ask yourself: Why do I want restrict myself to only life sciences? Upon entering college, I also was pretty dead set on becoming a pharmacist. I didn’t really consider any other professions or other fields of science such as physics, math, or chemistry. I, like you, chose a major (biochemistry) that pertained to or seemingly pertained to health professional schools. Because of my tunnel vision, it took me three years into my college years to realize that biochemistry or even anything pertaining to life sciences was not for me. I “thought” I enjoyed biochemistry and life sciences, but in reality I only appreciated it. I disliked the memorization aspect of the life sciences, and I was deficient in the inductive reasoning skills that is crucial to being successful as a life science major. It wasn’t until I took physics 1b, where I found myself literally addicted to and amazed by mathematical description of electrodynamics and magnetism, so the following quarter after deep soul-searching I switched out of biochemistry. The point being is that from my experience, make sure you’ve seen everything there is to see. Don’t discard other fields such as physics, math, chemistry, and liberal arts so lightly. Make sure you actually let it grow on you before you decide that the major isn’t for you. Make sure that you explore far enough into each field (by this, I mean studying and understanding each subject to the best of your ability) before you consider going all the way with one major. We’re all youngsters, so what’s the rush? Take your time and consider all options. College is a major fork in the road of life, imo that is.</p>

<p>With all that said, I don’t think you have to major in life sciences in order to apply to pharmacy school. I heard as long as you got all the prereq’s done you can still apply. Also, all the life sciences are pretty tough, given the notorious amount of memorization, competition, and difficulty of the midterms in which at times blind memorization of the material isn’t enough (I hear psychobiology is relatively easier than the rest). I took an MIMG course as an elective and it was tough. Most of the exams are free response so you have to be able to adequately describe or else you get points docked off for the most random things. I can’t say much about succeeding in these type of classes because I never did (usually ranked slightly below or above average). The people who actually do well in these classes study up to, and sometimes more than 50 hrs/week. It’s not the fact that these people have “no life” that allows them study at such capacity, but a big reason is because they ABSOLUTELY enjoy the material among other qualities and ambitions. Based on your post, I think you worry too much. But being confident is key. Good luck.</p>

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<p>So many words…</p>

<p>Just do whatever you think is best for you. </p>

<p>You are at UCLA and you are trying to go into one of the most sought after professional occupations. Things are going to be hard. </p>

<p>I’m in the camp of just doing what you like. You might think its easier to just look for an easy major, but how tragic would it be for you to change to major you hate and still do poorly?</p>

<p>A lot of UCLA (especially pre-health) students feel similar to you. If you consider that 90%+ of these students were getting mostly As in high school and now they are taking LS core classes that only give out around ~10% A’s, that leaves a lot of people feeling frustrated, annoyed, etc. People say the LS classes are the “weeder” courses for a reason ya know. </p>

<p>People like to say “x” major is the hardest or easiest, but in my opinion they are all relatively similar. Its probably a lot more important which teachers you get and how hard you try. I’ve gotten A’s in upper div biochem, physci, and neuroscience classes (traditionally viewed as the harder majors) and I’ve gotten “not A’s” in upper div psychobio and eeb classes. </p>

<p>If you have any specific questions you can pm me</p>