recommended premed major ADVICE WANTED

[jgbenjamin]

Hi,
For an undergraduate college student hoping to enter med school which major would you recommend and why??
Also, do you see a dual major as being practical for premed students at all?
Specifically. what is your opinion of the chemistry major for a premed student and why is it better than the popular biology major?
Thank you for contributing!!!!
Also, the dual major that is in consideration would include sociology along with some other (undecided) science such as chemistry.

[davewill]

People pick Bio looking for overlap with the required premed coursework. If you choose the right electives you can get most of that overlap with lots of degree programs. My son is going the med school route and has waffled between Cog Sci, Bio, and Psych. He really wants to be a physiatrist. He finally decided that Cog Sci was too computer heavy, and he didn't enjoy his computer classes that much. Psych was attractive if he decided to ditch med school and do a PsyD instead. Looks like he's going Bio, mainly because he's good at it, likes it, and really wants to be a doc.

So you can pick Chem, and should get some decent overlap. I would only double major if it fits real close with you'd have to do to get rest of those premed courses in.

[cookderosa]

Hi,
For an undergraduate college student hoping to enter med school which major would you recommend and why??
Also, do you see a dual major as being practical for premed students at all?
Specifically. what is your opinion of the chemistry major for a premed student and why is it better than the popular biology major?
Thank you for contributing!!!!
Also, the dual major that is in consideration would include sociology along with some other (undecided) science such as chemistry.

Choose the major you can be successful in. "Premed" isn't a major, it's a set of 8 courses- so as long as you get those 8 in your degree, you've met the requirement.
One thing you should know, you'll get a science GPA standing separate from your cumulative GPA- so if you pick a science major, it will be exceptionally important that the non-premed science class grades are excellent (chem, bio, or anything).
I think biology gives you a wider range of subjects to explore in your major while chemistry will be more linear. For instance, a non-premed course sequence that you might enjoy is called Anatomy and Physiology (or Anatomy, and then Physiology) especially if your college has a cadaver lab- most don't, so if yours does, you'd want to jump on this. Also, other relevant bio courses would be things like Nutrition, Genetics, and even Microbiology. These are subjects you'll take again in med school, whereas your chemistry electives will probably be one and done.

EDIT: I wanted to add a third option you didn't mention - business. More and more MD/DO programs are blending with MBA options. If running a practice appeals to you, business classes (if not a major or double major) will probably serve you very well.

[dmjacobsen]

I would add that you should select a major that will get you a decent job should you fail to get into med school. Not trying to be negative here, just realistic. Every now and then I'll run across an aspiring MD/DO-to-be and their major is biomechanical engineering. I think that's a pretty brilliant plan.

[jgbenjamin]

Hi,OK. So how is it to get a job with a Chemistry major??
And thanks for the feedback soooo much!!

[bluebooger]

What Major Is Best For Pre-Med?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW2oTxGIZL4

she has tons of videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/adoctorinthehouse/videos
they are pretty informative

[cookderosa]

Chemistry majors/ chemistry careers:


Chemists and Materials Scientists : Occupational Outlook Handbook ...
Chemists and materials scientists study substances at the atomic and molecular levels and the ways in which the substances interact with one another. They use ...
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life...and.../che...s.htm]Home : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


Chemical Engineers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. ...
Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and math to solve problems involving the production of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food, and ...
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and....s.htm]Home : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


Chemical Technicians : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. ...
Chemical technicians use special instruments and techniques to help chemists and chemical engineers research, develop, produce, and test chemical products ...
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and...s.htm]Home : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


Biochemists and Biophysicists : Occupational Outlook Handbook ...
Biochemists and biophysicists study the chemical and physical principles of living things and of biological processes, such as cell development, growth, heredity, ...
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical.../...s.htm]Home : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


Forensic Science Technicians : Occupational Outlook Handbook ...
Forensic science technicians typically need at least a bachelor's degree in a natural science, such as chemistry or biology, or in forensic science. On-the-job ...
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical.../...s.htm]Home : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


Environmental Scientists and Specialists : Occupational Outlook ...
Environmental scientists and specialists use their knowledge of the natural sciences to protect the environment and human health. They may clean up polluted ...
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life.../environme...s.htm]Home : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians ...
Medical laboratory technologists (commonly known as medical laboratory scientists) and medical laboratory technicians collect samples and perform tests to ...
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/.../medical-and-c...-and-]Home : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics technicians.htm

EDIT: These links are not working the way I want them too- they keep taking me to the homepage. To get to them as a collection, type in "Chemistry" in the search box when you land, and all of these careers will pop for you.

[sanantone]

I think you should choose the major that will lead to a job you will enjoy just in case you don't go to med school. While biology makes up the largest group of applicants, they have about the same admissions rates as or slightly lower than other majors. Med schools like to have diversity in educational backgrounds. I once heard that 90% of FBI applicants have criminal justice degrees. CJ majors aren't seen as any more desirable by the FBI than English majors. However, the English major will have a better chance of getting hired. To simplify it, let's say that the FBI wants to hire 10 English majors and 10 CJ majors. 20 English majors apply, and 100 CJ majors apply. An English major has a 50% chance of being selected while a CJ major only has a 10% chance of being selected.

My sister majored in psychology and did the premed sequence. She ended up with a minor in biology. Her goal was to be a psychiatrist. When she graduated, she was burned out on school and neither wanted to go to med school nor complete a doctorate in psychology. She also had no desire to do social service jobs with her bachelor's in psychology. She eventually found a job in an insurance after a year, but she probably would have been better off if she had chosen a major based on an interest other than psychiatry.

Here's admissions data from 2005. As you can see, biological science, "other," and specialized health science majors had the lowest acceptance rates. Math/statistics and humanities majors had the highest acceptance rates.

http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges..._data.html

[jgbenjamin]

Does anyone have any experience or know about a premed student who majored in nuclear chemistry??
What is the job outlook for such?

[cookderosa]

Does anyone have any experience or know about a premed student who majored in nuclear chemistry??
What is the job outlook for such?

There are 3 results for nuclear chem majors if you use the above link and type in "nuclear chemistry" into the handbook - the DOL Occupational Outlook Handbook is a fantastic resource, and isn't propaganda for marketing a college- it's census data. It's the only site I use for job data. The field looks like it is significantly declining based on past numbers, the projection looks slower than average.

Summary: nuclear technicians
Nuclear technicians working for nuclear power plants use computers and other equipment to monitor and help operate nuclear reactors.
Quick Facts: Nuclear Technicians
2014 Median Pay $74,690 per year
$35.91 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Associate's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2014 6,800
Job Outlook, 2014-24 -5% (Decline)
Employment Change, 2014-24 -300


Summary: nuclear medicine technologists
Nuclear medicine technologists operate equipment that creates images of areas of a patient’s body.
Quick Facts: Nuclear Medicine Technologists
2014 Median Pay $72,100 per year
$34.66 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Associate's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training None
Number of Jobs, 2014 20,700
Job Outlook, 2014-24 2% (Slower than average)
Employment Change, 2014-24 -300

Summary: nuclear engineers
Nuclear engineers direct operating or maintenance activities of operational nuclear power plants to ensure that they meet safety standards.
Quick Facts: Nuclear Engineers
2014 Median Pay $100,470 per year
$48.30 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Bachelor's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training None
Number of Jobs, 2014 16,800
Job Outlook, 2014-24 -4% (Decline)
Employment Change, 2014-24 -700