Comments | katie_80: UCB or UCSD? Psych or Bio?

katie_80

UCB or UCSD? Psych or Bio?

Aug 24, 2007 02:21

Poll Psych or Bio?my podiatrist said that undergrads have a better chance of getting into med schools if they have non-bio majors because that makes their applications stand out against the rest. i would do pre-med either way, and pre-med is basically human bio major. as i bio major i planned to minor in psychology anyway. being a psych major with pre-med would ease ( Read more... )

Comments 9

like__a_song August 24 2007, 16:48:31 UTC

i definitely agree that you shouldn't make your choice based on your boyfriend.
that being said, heres my opinion. to me (and this is just for me, many people have the exact opposite opinion) berkely is an awesome place, not just the school but the town and its surrounding areas (sf anyone?). ive never been enamoured of san diego.
next, i understand that your podiatrist is a dr who's been through med school and college and all that, but how long ago? what if he's wrong about that? true, it might seem more well rounded to be a psych major whos also doing premed, especially if bio and premed are a similar curriculum.
although, an easier load usually equals a better gpa, which might help your chances of getting into ucsf in the long run. a better gpa plus a degree from a school like berkeley with a great psych program would show that you know your shit, and why shouldn't you get into ucsf then?
so i say berkeley with a psych major. besides, psychology is so much more interesting than bio.
and hey look! pauls at berkeley! how great!

katie_80 August 24 2007, 19:52:25 UTC

well... my podiatrist is pretty young. i'd say late 20s, early 30s. so he's pretty fresh outta there. and he has a private practice through cedars-sinai... which is what i want. haha, since you asked how long ago he went through med school. oh, he also started off at a community college.

thank you for you input! and yay for added paul bonus! haha.

_starofdawn August 24 2007, 19:05:18 UTC

First of all, you're in the right mindset to know that you shouldn't base your college decision off of boyfriend or friends. This is a very bad step to make; my mom decided to go to college near her boyfriend and he broke up with her within the first semester. She has regretted it ever since. Not to say HE'S GOING TO BREAK UP WITH YOU OMGZ but know that there are many horror stories that come from going to a college because of a person and not a department and this very well could happen to you ( ... )

katie_80 August 24 2007, 19:59:42 UTC

haha i know what you mean. sasha and i were right on the border of being one. i'd hate to wind up like that with paul.

hmm... i don't mind if it takes me five years total rather than four. well, i mind, but not too much. as for funding that... yeah, financial aid, grants, scholarships... that whole thing. i mean, if it boosts my chances for getting into a good med school, what choice do i have? besides, i was planning on five years anyway, only recently did my plan go back to four.

as for the log in... yeah that'd be great, thanks! and thank you for your whole response, too. i've always trusted your advice with this stuff. anywho, my IM: totheboobies. thanks again

_starofdawn August 24 2007, 19:10:00 UTC

Oh, I forgot to comment on UCSD vs. UCB. Both are great for education, and I really don't think you need to worry about it right now. Apply to both and when you see your results, then you can go back to the drawing board. I would recommend buying a "I'm applying to med school" book(if you haven't yet) so you have a better understanding of what med schools are looking for.

evesore August 25 2007, 03:01:47 UTC

I'm in medical school right now and one of my friends was on the admissions committee last year, so I hope this is useful to you. I think you should do whatever will keep you interested AND in which you can perform well. If you think you'll like psych more and you'll get better grades in psych, then you should do psych.

UCSF is the most competitive school in a state known for being incredibly competitive, so I'd recommend starting studying for the MCAT as soon as you decide on your major.

Please feel free to email me or IM me if you have any questions about medical school. I'd be happy to answer your questions.

katie_80 August 25 2007, 07:52:00 UTC

oh that'd be wonderful, really! what's your sn? i can keep the comment screened if you like, but that would be really really helpful. mine is TOTHEBOOBIES (long story). what field of medicine are you going to go into? and thank you so much!

fr0z0n_fire August 27 2007, 05:37:12 UTC

Berkeley! I'm doing a psych major/pre-med, so of course my answer is gonna be biased. Why not take some really awesome psych classes and then suffer the god awful pre-med classes instead of just taking god awful pre-med classes? That's my train of thought anyway. There are some fabulous classes here for psych, I'm so stoked for the semester to start so I can start learning already. Wow I sound like a nerd.

katie_80 August 27 2007, 06:36:13 UTC

haha my thoughts are along the same lines. and don't worry, i'm excited for my non-chem classes to start too. haha we'll both be nerds. i really do love the psych classes i've taken so far, and pre-med is what i'm interested in, not botany. anyway, i've already decided on psych/pre-med and to try for berkeley :) see you there haha. and thank you!