Sean1218 said:
I really like physics, however I'm worried about not being able to get a 3.8+ gpa (looking to go to a top med school) if I major in it. I'm also going to be attending a really good undergrad school so there will be much more competition in my classes (having a near 4.0 gpa in high school is irrelevant considering everyone else attending the university has one too).
Any comments on the difficulty compared to engineering or a regular bio major perhaps?
Hi Sean. I'm familiar with the difficulty here, since back in undergrad I was doing premed for my first three years (decided at the end of junior year that I'd rather go to grad school in physics...not sure that was the best idea). Personally I think biology is easier than physics. I mean no offense to the biology folks here, but one of the fundamental differences is that biology requires memorization of facts, whereas physics requires understanding of fundamental principles. I'm not saying that one method of learning requires more intrinsic intelligence than the other, but I personally find it harder to learn physics than biology. One thing to consider is that to prepare for the MCAT, you'll need to be really good at memorization. So maybe a biology major would be a good way to prepare for that. I'm not saying this is necessarily the best way to go for you, but that's what I'd do if I had to do undergrad again.
Another thing you should keep in mind is that there are many more biology prerequisites for med school than physics prereqs. You need to take two semesters of biology, two of inorganic chem, and one of organic chem. Most med schools also require a second semester of ochem, the ochem lab, an advanced biology course such as biochemistry, and sometimes even anatomy and physiology. The only physics prereqs are two semesters of physics with lab. Clearly it's a lot easier to do these prereqs if you're a biology or chemistry major.
Obviously if you're some kind of physics genius, then physics is the way to go since it'll maximize your GPA. But if not, then I'd say that you should do biology. GPA is the most important thing in the med school game. If you graduate with a low MCAT score or insufficient volunteer experience, you can always take a year off to retake the MCAT or volunteer more. But taking more college classes is expensive and time consuming. I'm no professional advisor, and I don't know anything that the other posters on this forum don't know. But just from thinking about this logically, it makes sense to me that you should not go with the "do what you love" philosophy. If you want to be a doctor, then everything you do in undergrad should be directed towards this goal, and anything that gets in the way should be cut out. If physics will get you the high GPA that you need to get in, then do it. If it won't, then take the path of least resistance and do biology or chemistry. After all, since you want to be a doctor, I'm guessing you don't hate biology, and that being a biology major wouldn't make you wake up in the morning dreading another painful day of learning the Krebs cycle or doing a PCR. So it's not like you'd be miserable if you majored in biology. Majoring in physics may seem like a fun thing to do right now, but in ten years when you're enjoying life and working 80 hour weeks as a resident physician, I doubt you'll care what your bachelors degree was in. I'm of the opinion that all the cool stuff in physics can be learned in one's spare time through books intended for the general public (I've got three years of graduate education in physics, and I still read physics books off the Barnes and Noble bookshelf in my free time). If you think physics is cool, tune into the Discovery Channel once in awhile. But if you want to be a doctor rather than a physicist, and if you don't believe that physics can contribute to your goal of getting into med school, I personally don't see any reason to do a physics major.
Again, I'm no medical career expert. The above are just the thoughts of someone who's considered the same career path that you're thinking about.
