Biology Degree into business??
Came to wall street oasis to look for some advice on possibly entering the field of business from a biological sciences degree.
Currently a junior in college at a state school starting to have second thoughts on the biology - med school track and looking into business. I've been able to maintain a 3.7 gpa so far, although not at a top tier university. The reason I'm thinking about the switch is because a lot of the upper level science classes do not interest me AT ALL, just doing it do get buy at this point. Med school has always been my goal but i guess that was cause I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Now I'm having second thoughts because of my lack in interest and commitment in studying I suppose plus with the massive debt and intense studies in med school is it even worth it anymore? This sparked my debate on if med school is the way to go, problem is at a mid tier state school far into my biological studies degree, with no business experience, is there any way to break into the field? Is a biology degree pointless without a higher degree? I know a lot of top firms recruit at top schools and even then the competition is intense. So I'm wondering if there's any to break into the field, (I have no relevant business experience and am on course to get a biology degree). Would ditching the biology degree for an econ degree, or econ minor with the bio degree be necessary? I am almost in Desperate at this point for any advice and if you could help out that would be greatly appreciated!
You'll need to be more
You'll need to be more specific. What, in "business," do you want to break into? Marketing? Accounting? Finance? Business admin/management? MIS? Based on your interests, take a few classes to see if you'll like this new route. If you want to go into finance, you need to take a few finance related classes or try to secure an finance internship. That way, if you absolutely hate finance, you don't have to commit to it. If you like it and if it's possible for you, try to pick up a minor or a second major. Personally, I believe that biology is a useless major if you don't do something that's pre-health. Bio/business admin is a very popular double major at my school just because folks get a taste of the pre-med courses (ya know...the biochems, o-chems, etc) and don't want to go to med school. 65% stick with their pre-health route and the other 35% switch. And of course, with bio/business admin double major, you can always go the healthcare admin route (good $ here in Texas).
If you don't mind me asking, why the sudden change of heart? A competitive MCAT score with your GPA will get you into a great medical school. Medicine is a field where you have to have a strong passion and commitment to all things medicine. The folks I know that go the pre-med route strictly for money/prestige end up hating it and changing their major (not suggesting that you're one of those people, OP). They quickly realize there are easier ways to get six-figure salaries. My cousin's in his final year of a cardiology fellowship and though he accumulated a lot of debt, he'll be able to pay it off fairly easily once he starts working. He thought about going a different route during his undergrad, but realized his passions were centered around science and helping people. A good combo if you want to be a doctor.
My dad was a bio major, and
My dad was a bio major, and like you, was planning his whole life to do the doctor route. Decided his junior year that he didn't want to dedicate the time and money. Now specializes in commercial litigation and is partner at a major law firm. Times have certainly changed, but if you're smart and have genuine interest in a field you want to pursue, your undergrad major can be easily overcome in terms of getting interviews. Many ivies and top liberal arts schools don't even offer undergraduate business degrees, but still place kids on the street on the basis of merit and hard work.
What will hurt you, though, is if you don't have a specific field picked out. Banking, wealth management, trading, etc...just walking in and saying "I decided finance because I don't want to go to med school" won't get you very far. Pick up a book or two, read some threads on this site, and get internships. I would take a 3.7+ bio major over a 3.4 finance major any day of the week, but that's just me personally. In short, it can be done.
I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.
Kurt Vonnegut
I know someone who studied
I know someone who studied bio engineering at Cal and then worked at bio lab and then got into stanford for management science program. He got a offer from McKinsey.
G