I am a high school senior and have been accepted into my top choices with a major in biology. Although this was the plan, I am a bit concered considering so many people have complained about jobs in this particular major. I was planning to go to medical school, however I am afraid I don’t have a chance because I am not a genius like everyone is saying you have to be. I am without a doubt going to some type of graduate program, my only problem is what? I would appreciate some advice from people who have been in this position. I would just like to know what my next steps could/would be if I had a degree in biology, and if it’s worth it? I am very concered about my future so thank you for the help!
I’m trying to help you when I say that you ought to spend some time looking into the following
- The practice of Medicine
- Medical School admissions/requirements
- An exit strategy, should Med school applications not go so well.
Jobs for straight biologists are a bit tight, but some schools have Biology degrees with emphasis in Molecular, or Biological Chemistry and that’s where you will find better job pickin’s.
You do not have to be a genius to go to medical school. I don’t know why everyone says this. I tutored a lot of pre-med students who are now in medical school, and trust me, they were not geniuses. I still help one of my friends who is in medical school with random little things that she’s too lazy to look up and learn on her own (or never understood in the first place). You have to work hard and be willing to put a lot of time, effort, and money into your education. Having a good memory and liking biology (or at least being good at learning biology) certainly helps. But you do not, by any means, need to be a genius.
One thing about basic science degrees though is that you often need to get a higher degree (or at the very least, additional training) to advance in the field. You can certainly get a job with a bachelor’s in biology (I know many who are working with straight biology degrees), but in many jobs, you need a higher degree to get to higher and higher positions (and better pay). For example, you can work in a lab with a biology degree, but in order to lead the lab or a research team, you often need a higher degree. You could look at other allied healthcare professions, if you decide not to go to medical school, but you will likely need additional training or a higher degree or a certificate of some kind.
@JustOneDad : I keep hearing about a bio major being useless- is this true for a biochem major as well?
Biology (including biochemistry) graduates who do not get into medical or other professional school will have to compete for biology-specific jobs with large numbers of other biology graduates who do not get into medical or other professional school. They may have to expand their search to jobs that are not major-specific, though then there is still plenty of competition from graduates in other majors who do not have a lot of major-specific jobs to seek.
DD is graduating this coming June, with 1000 bio classmates at her UC. I assume that many of them will be applying to grad schools, much like her.
What was your reason for choosing biology as your major?