I know that sounds like a really dumb question, but it’s definitely something that confuses me. Does “biology major” mean a Gen Bio major or any biological-science major, like genetics or zoology? I’m searching for a pre-med major and everyone I’ve spoken to has told me not to major in biology–but does that mean general biology or anything under biological sciences?
Let me add that I’m not looking to major in zoology as a pre-med. I just put it there because it’s considered a biological science.
Usually, when people talk about a “biology major” (including in this context), it refers to any biological science major.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with majoring in biology/a biological science as a pre-med, but if you end up not going to medical school, then a degree in biology offers pretty poor job prospects.
Yeah, that’s why people tell me not to major in biology. It’s more the possibility that I won’t get in med school because biology majors are too common. I’ve heard scary anecdotes of people with perfect GPAs, high MCAT scores, and excellent extracurriculars who didn’t get into med school because they majored in biology.
I’m not sure how much stock I would place in those anecdotes. While an unusual major might help someone stand out, I doubt that someone with an otherwise excellent record would be rejected from all schools on account of majoring in biology.
@Malina_Misa: @AuraObscura is correct. I’m a bio major (specifically, bio with a concentration in neurobio), and I’m lucky enough sitting at one of the top US MD-granting institutions, so nobody held it against me. Adcoms do not sit around the table saying, “I really like this one, she’s a 4.0, 43 MCAT (or I guess it would be 525 MCAT now), 500+ hours volunteering, wide range of specialties and primary care shadowing, 3000+ hours of research, 3 first author pubs in Nature, graduated magna cum laude…but oh darn, she’s a bio major, so I’m not sure that we should accept her.”
Major in what you love. See my post here for why: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/science-majors/1812121-specialized-biology-majors-are-for-the-birds-p2.html
And recognize that many people who think they want to be physicians will end up never completing the pre-med track. At Stanford, there was a 50% attrition rate; I hear from my med school friends that it was even worse at some other institutions. See my other post here for why: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-majors/1907118-computer-science-really-in-demand.html#latest