Biopsychology Major

[Teneo]

The school I have my eye on, GVSU, has a Biopsychology major. Would it be a good choice for a Premed?

I have numerous interests, including philosophy, history, psychology, etc. I've always been passionately interested in human behaviour, probably more so than any other intellectual field, so a biopsych major would probably be enjoyable. Mostly it just involves a few select courses drawn from both the biology and psychology departments; there aren't actually any courses specifically in biopsychology. The website information on the degree requirements are a tad bit vague, but that could be ironed out later.

I think it would look good on an application because it's very unique--only a modest handful of universities offer it. Should I definitely keep this on the radar, or is it not any more impressive than a degree in its two respective fields?

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[Gallix23]

The school I have my eye on, GVSU, has a Biopsychology major. Would it be a good choice for a Premed?

I have numerous interests, including philosophy, history, psychology, etc. I've always been passionately interested in human behaviour, probably more so than any other intellectual field, so a biopsych major would probably be enjoyable. Mostly it just involves a few select courses drawn from both the biology and psychology departments; there aren't actually any courses specifically in biopsychology. The website information on the degree requirements are a tad bit vague, but that could be ironed out later.

I think it would look good on an application because it's very unique--only a modest handful of universities offer it. Should I definitely keep this on the radar, or is it not any more impressive than a degree in its two respective fields?

At my school, they call the bio/psy double major "behavioral neuroscience." One of my premed friends majors in it, and he says it's really cool. However, only major in it if you are truly interested in it, that way you can enjoy your college experience and what you are learning, rather than suffer through something you aren't interested in.

 

[ShaneK]

Another option would be just to major in psychology if that's what you desire. Of course you'd still have to take your pre-reqs in biology etc. But you are not limited to majoring in something medicine related. I have a friend who is currently majoring in psych and planning to go to med school. He talked to his advisers and they helped him set it up to where he should have no problems. Good Luck with whatever you choose to do

 

[JJMrK]

Do whatever will allow you to get a high GPA.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

It's basically a neuroscience degree, and yes it's a good major for pre-meds. It's also a lot of fun, if you're interested in it. Do whatever interests you, then complete the pre reqs.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I think it would look good on an application because it's very unique--only a modest handful of universities offer it. Should I definitely keep this on the radar, or is it not any more impressive than a degree in its two respective fields?

It's really not that unique/uncommon for a university to offer some variation of this degree. However, they don't all call it "biopsychology," thus making it appear less prevalent.

Don't worry about how it's perceived by adcoms. Worry about your own interests and how well you'll perform, as well as if it'll help you find a job/grad program if you take a year between undergrad and med school or if you change your mind about medicine, completely.

 

[Teneo]

Do whatever will allow you to get a high GPA.

Well, that certainly would be the pragmatic choice. Psychology would probably be easy for such a thing.

 

[Dciple]

The school I have my eye on, GVSU, has a Biopsychology major. Would it be a good choice for a Premed?

I have numerous interests, including philosophy, history, psychology, etc. I've always been passionately interested in human behaviour, probably more so than any other intellectual field, so a biopsych major would probably be enjoyable. Mostly it just involves a few select courses drawn from both the biology and psychology departments; there aren't actually any courses specifically in biopsychology. The website information on the degree requirements are a tad bit vague, but that could be ironed out later.

I think it would look good on an application because it's very unique--only a modest handful of universities offer it. Should I definitely keep this on the radar, or is it not any more impressive than a degree in its two respective fields?

I majored in Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science (aka Biopsych) and i will be attending medical school in the fall after only 1 application cycle. I really liked it because I enjoyed psych classes and it allowed me to overlap a few prereqs. Like other people said, concentrate in something that you will enjoy, but if you can also overlap the premed reqs then that would really help you out .

Hope this helps.

 

[mkhuc]

Do whatever will allow you to get a high GPA.

Something MANY people wished they knew as a high school student. Do what you love, and take your prereqs for pre-whatever.

Random Fact (from TPR): Humanities majors historically have a higher MCAT than science majors...

 

[Maygyver]

A good degree for premed is one you enjoy. You are paying 10s of thousands of dollars for it, and you might end up changing your mind and not doing medicine. Do something you will enjoy and are proud of.

 

[jason3278]

The school I have my eye on, GVSU, has a Biopsychology major. Would it be a good choice for a Premed?

I have numerous interests, including philosophy, history, psychology, etc. I've always been passionately interested in human behaviour, probably more so than any other intellectual field, so a biopsych major would probably be enjoyable. Mostly it just involves a few select courses drawn from both the biology and psychology departments; there aren't actually any courses specifically in biopsychology. The website information on the degree requirements are a tad bit vague, but that could be ironed out later.

I think it would look good on an application because it's very unique--only a modest handful of universities offer it. Should I definitely keep this on the radar, or is it not any more impressive than a degree in its two respective fields?

I went to GVSU for my undergrad and I almost picked Biopsych for my major. (I had a lot of psych classes that transferred from CC). I ended up doing Biomedical Science instead though.