Hi,
Anyone major in biology? I will be starting college this winter semester, and would appreciate hearing from others in the same/similar major. Why did you choose biology? Did anyone actually work as a biologist before apply to med school? Just a little chat about the major and med school. 
mtn top med
med school hopeful 
I’m about to graduate with a BS in Biology. Biology is a very common major for premed students. I chose it because I had already completed my AA degree in English, so it was quicker to just get a degree in Biology than to finish an English degree with all the med school prereqs. It’s definately up to you. If you have another interest that you like better, by all means, major in that. I enjoyed majoring in Biology. I felt like the upper division courses gave me a bit of practice with harder concepts so I won’t be completely freaked out when I start med school this fall. Hope this helps.
Oh yeah, and if you do major in Biology, plan your schedule out so you can take a mixture of science classes and general requirements. I took all my general classes in the first two years and have been taking all science classes for the last two years. There are days when I miss my creative writing classes. It’s all worth it. Good luck!
Gina
i’m a biology major too! This will be my first real quarter in college, i’ll be taking general biology, general chemistry, and precalculus. I chose to be a biology major because It would be easier to do my prereqs for med school. It was out of chemistry and biology majors so i chose biology because chemistry is a tough subject and I wouldn’t want to take any more chemistry classes that I have to complete my degree. I do have an interested in film/screenwriting, so later down the road, i may change my major to film and still complete my prereqs.
I also majored in biology because I like biology/sciences, and it includes most of the pre req classes for med school.
The negative thing about the degree is that it is almost completely useless unless you go to med school, or want a Phd. So naturally, I worry I’ll be stuck with the degree, and not get into med school, or blow the MCAT when the time comes.
I’ve been working on getting the classes in the order I want to take them. I’m starting with the basic Bio. 1, Chem. 1, College Algebra, and Eng. 102 (I’ve already had 101). I’ve tried to limit science classes to 2 per semester.
mtn top med
26 yr old med hopeful
I recently completed my degree in biology. I majored in it for the obvious reasons being premed, but in addition I like the subject. Medicine is a professional area within biology, so it just made sense to me. I am working on a master’s degree in biology as well, so I must really like it.
I’m actually thinking more along the lines of something to supplement my communications/journalism background. Technical writing or similar. I’d just be taking the pre-reqs as electives in that case.
I agree with the other posters that you should choose something that appeals to you; that which you enjoy. My undergrad degree was in Christian Leadership, (obviously not much science there!) so now I am "pre-req"ing it. My academic advisor has suggested that if I don’t make the med school cut the first go-round that I pick up a degree in biochemistry, rather than biology for the simple fact that should I not make it into med school for whatever reason, I can become a Lab Technician. Not sure about Calc III though!
I am a Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) major (emphasis neuro-biology/chemistry) and I am also pursuing a degree in Celtic Studies. Last year I took a course in neuro-chemistry and just fell in love with it. Everyone in MCB pursues a particulary emphasis beside the degree itself. So I chose neuro.
Yep I’m one of those biology majors you speak of. I was told by my stepdad who encouraged me to go pre-med in the first place that most pre-meds pick biology anyways because the pre-reqs for med school are part of the biology degree, so I didn’t really pick biology because I loved it. After taking a general biology class though I love the subject so I guess I just lucked out!
Sorta kinda. I already have an advanced degree, and have been advised that I really just need my pre-reqs and a good MCAT score.
However, to make myself more competitive, I will probably take higher-level bio classes to show my dedication and help prepare for the “what if you don’t get in” question. After my pre-reqs, I think I will need a whopping 15 hours more to get another B.S. degree (in Biology), so why not? But AFTER the MCAT is done and the application is complete!
Quote:
Hi,
Anyone major in biology? I will be starting college this winter semester, and would appreciate hearing from others in the same/similar major. Why did you choose biology? Did anyone actually work as a biologist before apply to med school? Just a little chat about the major and med school.
mtn top med
med school hopeful
Hi there,
Biology was one of my undergraduate majors before medical school. I had a minor in Physics so I was able to tailor my biology degree to specialize in Physiology. With that coursework, I was able to write environmental papers for a couple of state govenors. I left that job and headed for getting a graduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Along the way, I picked up a second bachelors in Analytical Chemistry with a Math minor. All in all, I totally enjoyed my science work and worked as a researcher and college professor before heading off to medical school. It was pretty neat stuff.
If I had it to do over again and I knew for sure that I would end up in medicine, I would have majored in American Studies, taken the pre-med sciences and minored in Spanish. It would more practical for my present career. Still one of my attendings asked me to give him an example of an echinoderm. I said starfish and got the question right. See, biology can come in handy when you are getting "pimped " by an attending…
Natalie