hello yall! i started undergrad as a bio major, but my gpa is suffering in mid 2 range... so i was thinking HEY!! i should change my major to health science or sumthin just to boost my gpa, since i finished all my prereqs already!! good idea? anyone?
alternative majors
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Personally, I would say stick with bio, work hard, and boost your gpa by performing well in challenging courses. If you are a C student, OD schools will be hesitant to admit you, even if you perform exceedingly well on your OAT. Your best bet would be to decide that this is what you want and go for the A's. That doesn't discount taking a few "fun" courses that will stack your gpa a little. Bottom line: professional school will require dedication and hard work so you might as well get used to it now. However, changing your major to something that might actually get you a job if you aren't admitted right out of undergrad would be a good idea. I found my biology major to be virtually worthless when looking for employment. Med Tech/Radiology/Nursing might be good options for a back-up plan.
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I wonder how the conversation would go...Would you have to explain something like this to an admissions panel in the future?
"Yes, I changed my major because I was really struggling and changed to an 'easier' major to boost my gpa. Accept me!"
How does that really look? Chances are it would never come up but in an area where you will eventually have to work your butt off to learn everything thrown at you does it really look that good? But then again you don't have to have a Bio degree to get into an OD or DO school, only have completed the prerequisites. Do what you think will best prepare you.
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I'm a health science major. I chose not to be a bio major because there were way too many courses that I would have had to take that I had absolutely no interest in. (comparative anatomy of vertebrates? no thank you) So I decided to minor in it instead - the prereqs for optometry school were enough credits for me to have the minor. And yeah, it is easier. Pick a major that you'll enjoy, because the more you enjoy it the better you'll probably do. Just don't forget about your prereqs, of course! 🙂
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Comparative vertebrate anatomy was a blast. We dissected dogsharks and I even used my dissection model to get an A in my speech final=) The classroom reeked of formalin afterward
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I just graduated as a communications major on a pre-optometry track. i would recommend not having a science major. My classes were extremely diverse (ie. on one day i went from interpersonal communications to biochem then to orgo lab). I think this helped me out alot in interviews because i stood out from the norm. But dont just change because it is easier, if you find a non science major you really love then do it!
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I disagree in the sense that in Optometry school, you are going to be exposed to science the entire duration of the program. It really does depend on your major chosen, but for an extreme example: Your arts degree is not going to help you out with microbiology exams in Optometry school. To each their own!
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Majors like these will not be looked down upon, but if a major in this department depends on these classes to bring his/her GPA into OD school contention, not the Pre-Optometry pre-req's, they may be in for a surprise come year 1.
If you have decided that Optometry is the career for you, I would pick a major/minor that would be beneficial to your success in this field. Business would be a great area to study, foreign language another, psychology/sociology probably (I avoided these classes like the plague, psych 100 was torture by boredom for me), but I don't think that majoring in science would equal "normalcy" either. Every applicant will need to distinguish themselves and this is not hard if you just start joining clubs and become passionate about something outside of biological sciences.
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Do you guys all do a bunch of stuff outside of biological sciences? I for one am involved with a lot of artistic endeavors, and am wondering how different schools would look at that. Do they just care mainly about your science/volunteer activities, or are other things (paid work, sports, artistic activities) taken into account as well?
