Majors that do not involve heavy doses of math?

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I know I already have a thread on Psych but I figured that I will start this one b/c it is a different subject now.
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I have been searching around SDN again and I think that a better idea would be to major in Bio or another science.

The reason being, I am interested in Biology as well. Chemistry I enjoy a bit more but it is annoying and to be honest, I'm kind of on the fence about majoring in it (which probably means I shouldn't)

However, A chem degree has marketability. You are able to get a job if MS doesn't work out first cycle (assuming you reapply and eventually get in).

That is what I am worried about.

I want to pick something with not a lot of mathematics.
I also want to pick something that includes MOST of the pre reqs (science majors)

But I also need a back up plan if things don't work out first cycle.
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The only degrees with marketability are the vo/tech: teaching, nursing, audio/speech, actuarial science, the engineering tracks.

Anything with a traditional department is not. What do you like to study? Go with that.
 
Math major! No math there are all :)

Seriously....how about business or something? It can come in handy in the future...
 
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Chemistry has a good amount of math in it too. Biology has a lot of the pre-reqs so go for it (b^_^)b
 
Does Bio involve any math?

To other poster, I like Psychology.

Psych=Interesting, something I can see myself getting a 3.8-3.9 (maybe even a 4.0) if I put in the effort.

Bio I have an interest in but Psych I have a MUCH stronger interest in.

But a psych degree is basically worthless.
 
Again, everything but vo/tech majors are "useless" by internet forum standards.

Biology does require the Chemistry sequence, which can get pretty math-heavy. Most schools only require Calc I for the degree as far as pure math classes, though.

EDIT: Stats works too, apparently.
 
Math is hard for me too. :(

Biology: Ahhhhhhh !

Social studies: Ahhhhhhhh !

English: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !

Chem: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !

Math: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !

Physics: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !

MCAT: AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !

Med school admission: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !
 
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Dont look into business, business, majority of the majors and paths require math, though there are some that dont.

Look into more of the liberal arts stuff. Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy (non logic) those are majors that probably do not deal with any math.

Bio....probably less math but at some point you will have to do some stuff that require it...(Gibbs Free energy from what i remember from AP Bio)...also higher level Bio courses might require you to take Biochem or Biophysics, which will require you to have knowledge of math....

anyways, why not get yourself comfortable with the essentials of math. Noone is going to tell you to go to higher level differential equations...but at least touch upon pre-calculus/ calculus 1. It can all be easily learned with right guidance and sample problems. Dont be afraid to go back to basics if thats what you need.
 
EyEnStein 07 said:
Dont look into business, business, majority of the majors and paths require math, though there are some that dont.

Look into more of the liberal arts stuff. Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy (non logic) those are majors that probably do not deal with any math.

Bio....probably less math but at some point you will have to do some stuff that require it...(Gibbs Free energy from what i remember from AP Bio)...also higher level Bio courses might require you to take Biochem or Biophysics, which will require you to have knowledge of math....

anyways, why not get yourself comfortable with the essentials of math. Noone is going to tell you to go to higher level differential equations...but at least touch upon pre-calculus/ calculus 1. It can all be easily learned with right guidance and sample problems. Dont be afraid to go back to basics if thats what you need.
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Goodbye Chem, Physics, and Bio as majors then.
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All I know is that all you need to know for MS is a semester of Calc I, and stats. That is easy enough but I do not want to take anything beyond that if I do not have to.


But, again, what if I do not get in?

Obviously I want to be a a doctor so I am going to get in eventually but instead of talking about how I'm going to do that (which is irrelevant and a negative thought, and the wrong atitude to have), how about focusing on how to get a job?

What if I do not get in? I now have a Bachelors degree in Psych.

Now what?

The same goes for Anthro and all of those.
 
i dunno about other schools....but kinesiology doesnt require much math at all and to graduate at my school you need to have completed ALL of the pre med pre reqs (thats just how they made it). Also, if you end up not wanting to go to med school kines is a good path to enter physical therapy or something like that. Check out kines at the school you will be attending, you may like it.
 
RySerr21 said:
i dunno about other schools....but kinesiology doesnt require much math at all and to graduate at my school you need to have completed ALL of the pre med pre reqs (thats just how they made it). Also, if you end up not wanting to go to med school kines is a good path to enter physical therapy or something like that. Check out kines at the school you will be attending, you may like it.
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Will do. :thumbup:

I am pretty sure that I want to try to get into medical school, I just don't want to pick a career in business or study anything beyond Calc II once I graduate HS, to be honest.

My concern isn't that I may not want to go to MS, my concern is that, what if I do not get in? What the hell am I going to do with a degree in Kines? What if I don't want to go the PT route?

That is my only concern.
 
You do a post-bacc to beef up your GPA and try again the next year, jeez. It's not the end of the world if you don't get in the first time around.
 
I know it isn't the end of the world, I'm just saying.

I'm still leaning towards psych. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

I think I should major in what I actually like and is easy for me to obtaina high GPA in and THEN reeeeallly focus on getting A's in my medical school requisite classes.

Along with the research, volunteering and stuff.
 
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Also, wouldn't med schools favor an applicant with a more difficult major than me if we both had the same grades?

A 3.8 in Mech Engineering vs.a 3.8 in Psych? For example.

Just curious.

And if so, couldn't I just take SOME upper level courses to prove I can handle it?
 
They're called electives, and pretty much everyone but the engineers get them. There's no reason you can't do your major classes and your prereqs at generally the same time if you're a Psychology major.

They wouldn't care about the majors although the MechE guy probably has some cool project he could talk about. Just a thought. Keep in mind they look at your prereq GPA separately too.
 
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jefgreen said:
Will do. :thumbup:

I am pretty sure that I want to try to get into medical school, I just don't want to pick a career in business or study anything beyond Calc II once I graduate HS, to be honest.

My concern isn't that I may not want to go to MS, my concern is that, what if I do not get in? What the hell am I going to do with a degree in Kines? What if I don't want to go the PT route?

That is my only concern.
Click to expand...

Physician assistant can also be another path to consider.
 
jefgreen said:
Will do. :thumbup:

I am pretty sure that I want to try to get into medical school, I just don't want to pick a career in business or study anything beyond Calc II once I graduate HS, to be honest.

My concern isn't that I may not want to go to MS, my concern is that, what if I do not get in? What the hell am I going to do with a degree in Kines? What if I don't want to go the PT route?

That is my only concern.
Click to expand...

Honestly its not going to matter what you major in b/c if your goal is to go to med school then you will keep trying until you get in. You arent just goign to give up after one try. You will fix your weaknesses and try again.
 
Chemistry, at my school at least, requires calcs 1-3. Diff eq would also be very useful as a chem major, but it isn't required. So if you don't want to have to take math, chem may not work out for you. Biology on the other hand, I don't think requires anything beyond calc 1 (maybe not even this). Sure, you see some equations and stats in biology, but it isn't anything beyond simple algebra. There are plenty of people who hate math and major in biology, and many of them do it precisely because bio is the only science major that doesn't require loads of math. I said this before in your other thread, but the only majors (at my school) that absolutely require math beyond calc 2 are physics, engineering, and chemistry. Nothing else that I can think of requires you to take upper-level math, although of course, math can be very useful for almost every major.
 
jefgreen said:
Goodbye Chem, Physics, and Bio as majors then.
---
All I know is that all you need to know for MS is a semester of Calc I, and stats. That is easy enough but I do not want to take anything beyond that if I do not have to.


But, again, what if I do not get in?

Obviously I want to be a a doctor so I am going to get in eventually but instead of talking about how I'm going to do that (which is irrelevant and a negative thought, and the wrong atitude to have), how about focusing on how to get a job?

What if I do not get in? I now have a Bachelors degree in Psych.

Now what?

The same goes for Anthro and all of those.
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Good your planning ahead, but this is when it comes down to backups. Take a trip to those departments and see what other options there are. The one thing that can be guarnateed in all those subjects, are if you go ahead to get your PhD or masters in those areas, you can teach at university level.

If you very much dislike math right now, calc 1 is not going to be easy enough. Calc 1, atleast when taught properly, requires that you understand the fundamentals of pre-calc and everything before. You will have to use old skills and techniques to solve problems. I think for now, its most beneficial you work toward fixing it. Remmber, MCAT you will need to know how to do simple math, i think atleast advanced algebra / trig knowledge is advantageous. Think about the stuff you will have to do in chem and physics portions.

Psych is not a bad idea though. You can go into rehabilitation and stuff just with a bachelors or masters, working in a hospital setting. this is type of research you will have to do on your own. Also as RySerr21 mentioned, Kinesthesiology is not a bad idea either, ofcourse if your school offers it.

If you like Bio, then go for it, the math is very minimal, the Bio chem and Bio physics courses are just electives you need toward the major, you dont necessarily have to take them, and you can replace them with equivalent level courses.
 
jefgreen said:
I know it isn't the end of the world, I'm just saying.

I'm still leaning towards psych. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

I think I should major in what I actually like and is easy for me to obtaina high GPA in and THEN reeeeallly focus on getting A's in my medical school requisite classes.

Along with the research, volunteering and stuff.
Click to expand...


You just answered your own question there Jeff :D:cool::)!!!

At this point don't worry about how marketable your major will be if you don't get in. Think about how much higher your GPA will be as a Psych major which has "little" marketability than as some other major ex. engineering that has "high" marketability. As a Psych major there's more of a chance that you'll have a high GPA, and thus the probability of you not getting into med school will be lower.

Besides, if you don't get in the first round you can still do plenty of stuff with a B.A./B.S. in Psych...for example my cousin is graduating with a Psych degree from UPenn this year (no interest in medicine) and just got a prestigious 2 year paid research internship that will either help her find a great job or help her get into a great grad school :thumbup:
 
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To get most BS's you need to do calc. Stop worrying about it and just do it. It isn't that tough.
 
batteries said:
Also remember that getting a job is often more dependent on who know than what you know. Making connections in college is probably the only thing guaranteed to net your a job during your gap year.
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:thumbup:
 
I found that I only had to take two math classes to get my Biology degree, and then other than Physics, the math you use in your science classes is like basic algebra. Those two classes were Calc I and Stats, so I guess if you need to take pre-reqs for calc, you might need to take more, but I was under the assumption that med schools (like dental) required Calc anyways.
 
You're going to need Calculus I at least and probably Calculus II. And by then, you're probably going to find that Calculus III is easier than Calculus II, just a bit more tedious.
 
You're going to have to take math cores no matter what your major. If you do a math related major (accounting, business, ect.) you'll have a lot more than if you took a science related major, such as biology. You won't have to go much further than Calculus with anything besides a math-related major. Physic majors are also going to require more math...

You'll hash that out with your freshman counselor, just make sure you have all the med school pre-reqs.

EDIT: I've also heard it's good to take at least one accounting class, though. Life skills and all that jazz...
 
I know that this post is from months ago, but just an FYI: you have to take statistics courses to get a degree in psychology. However the majority of that class is psychological research oriented. Additionally, a psychology major is as difficult as you make it. Anyone can do OK but you have to work pretty hard to get the "3.8" you're talking about. In other news, I saw in another thread (that was closed hence why I am posting here) that you thought since you couldn't get into a MD program you'd just "go for clinical psychology" degree. Just as a case study, Boston University's MD program has a higher acceptance rate than their clinical psychology program. A typical clinical psychology program will get hundreds of applications for about 4 spots. To be a competitive applicant you must score well on your GREs (yes, it's the the SATs), have a competitive GPA, have a lot of research experience, among other things. Most people do not get in straight from undergrad, and many take time off after college, like whosever cousin is from UPenn, to get research experience. If you are serious about a psych degree, try to get research experience as early as you can. But in reality, you're in high school. You DO NOT need to know what you want to major in. The typical college student changes their mind several times before deciding on a major. However since I have seen that you are so money-focused,the thing about clinical psychology programs that you will like is that they typically pay you to go. For example my clinical psychology program offers a tuition remission (they do not make you pay to go) and a stipend (they give you money for working as a TA or an RA) of about $13k (mine is just in a rural area, many other programs offer a higher stipend). Also, a major in psychology is not really WORTHLESS per se, but the majority of time people with this major do end up going to graduate school for a PhD ,JD, MA, Counseling MA, or MSW.
 
AryaStark said:
I know that this post is from months ago, but just an FYI: you have to take statistics courses to get a degree in psychology. However the majority of that class is psychological research oriented. Additionally, a psychology major is as difficult as you make it. Anyone can do OK but you have to work pretty hard to get the "3.8" you're talking about. In other news, I saw in another thread (that was closed hence why I am posting here) that you thought since you couldn't get into a MD program you'd just "go for clinical psychology" degree. Just as a case study, Boston University's MD program has a higher acceptance rate than their clinical psychology program. A typical clinical psychology program will get hundreds of applications for about 4 spots. To be a competitive applicant you must score well on your GREs (yes, it's the the SATs), have a competitive GPA, have a lot of research experience, among other things. Most people do not get in straight from undergrad, and many take time off after college, like whosever cousin is from UPenn, to get research experience. If you are serious about a psych degree, try to get research experience as early as you can. But in reality, you're in high school. You DO NOT need to know what you want to major in. The typical college student changes their mind several times before deciding on a major. However since I have seen that you are so money-focused,the thing about clinical psychology programs that you will like is that they typically pay you to go. For example my clinical psychology program offers a tuition remission (they do not make you pay to go) and a stipend (they give you money for working as a TA or an RA) of about $13k (mine is just in a rural area, many other programs offer a higher stipend). Also, a major in psychology is not really WORTHLESS per se, but the majority of time people with this major do end up going to graduate school for a PhD ,JD, MA, Counseling MA, or MSW.
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That all is very true :thumbup: . I must take statistics and probability myself , you're pretty hard pressed to go into any major without taking at least college algebra . Just the way it is . Some majors are worse than others , but don't choose a major based on math load alone , make sure it's something you actually want to do , even if you find you fall inlove with something else later .
 
Bio doesn't have a ton of math....depending on what type of bio it is. Genetics & population biology tend to have a decent amount of math. Any of the field sciences that are beyond conceptual (ie hands on) tend to have a lot of statistics. I can't address micro and molecular, since my focuse was ethology.
 
Honestly guys, stats doesn't bother me. It's really just Calculus and stuff.
 
do what you like, simple as that. the other stuff (pre-reqs) will sort itself out later. Don't let math scare you off, if anything it's one of the easier subjects once you get your head around it.
 
You wanted to do engineering, like last week? I guess you bailed on that. There is a good amount of math in business but not as hard as engineering math. Probably basic calculus and higher level economics, which are rather calculus based. Physics is math (no ****). From what I have head, chemistry becomes somewhat math-heavy as years progress. Even if there is any math in biology, it should be pretty easy (Gibbs free energy is a joke. I did it in gr 12 chemistry. But probably easier then higher level Gibbs free energy (?!!). Biology would not be math heavy at all if you ask me. There is definitely some statistics and data management within psychology. But I usually find it to be fun rather than a drag (depends what you like).

I am considering medicine but I still plan to take economics. A person from the same university that I am going to, told me that it teaches you about your finances, how to spend money, etc ,etc. Might as well learn something while I am at university =P.

Jeff. You are getting ahead of yourself.
1. It's good that you are thinking about alternatives to medicine in the case that you don't get in. But it seems like a marketable degree is what you base your selection for undergrad on. We will definitely need psychologists, philosophers, classicists, anthropologists. If you are good at English, why don't you try liberal arts? It is marketable if you know people as well as if you are the best at your selection. Plus, you can do postgrad and get MSc and PhD. Liberal arts, like philosophy and classics, help build character and principles. If you can show at the medical school interview that you have character, then you will shine. So consider liberal arts.
2. Don't be discouraged. Don't think "What if I don't make it?" If you have done well in undergrad, you will find a way to get into MS, whether it may be MD, DO, caribbean, Canada, Israel, Europe or Asia.

I don't want to remind you again man. But you must spend your time somewhere else other than SDN. Live life buddy. Hit the gym or something. Do anything to GTFO SDN.

Ez.
 
jefgreen said:
Honestly guys, stats doesn't bother me. It's really just Calculus and stuff.
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In many cases, calculus is usually a pre-req for most statistics courses. In fact, 1 year of calculus will be required for most technical majors (sciences/engineering).

If you hate calculus that much, I'd buckle down and try to get it over with BEFORE college. Consider taking calculus at your local community college the summer before your university work and/or take the Calculus AP exam (after clearing with your university that all of this will count for credit, of course).
 
I didn't know that you needed calc I to take stats in college.

That's interesting.
 
At my school you only need to take calc for upper level statistics, not the intro course. Prerequs are different everywhere.

jefgreen said:
I didn't know that you needed calc I to take stats in college.

That's interesting.
Click to expand...
 
General sci? no marketability, but an easy track.

Geology?

I'm not sure to recommend because I don't know what your having difficulty with, concepts? application?

Business is so boring, after one world economy class I was ready to put a gun to my head.

Psych, I believe the only math required is statistics, which is the easiest math class of all time.:D
A math-a-phobe that I know thought she was horrible at math, got like a 250 on the math SAT section and she is now graduating with a BA in Psych from UO.

Edit:
AT my college math 112 (trig) is the pre-res for Stats
 
That's because stats for psychology is a lot different than just regular courses like calc etc. It actually makes sense because you say things like "oh so THIS is how you find things out the significance." It's not just a breeze, you actually have to work at it.
Silverman780 said:
General sci? no marketability, but an easy track.

Geology?

I'm not sure to recommend because I don't know what your having difficulty with, concepts? application?

Business is so boring, after one world economy class I was ready to put a gun to my head.

Psych, I believe the only math required is statistics, which is the easiest math class of all time.:D
A math-a-phobe that I know thought she was horrible at math, got like a 250 on the math SAT section and she is now graduating with a BA in Psych from UO.

Edit:
AT my college math 112 (trig) is the pre-res for Stats
Click to expand...
 
jefgreen said:
I didn't know that you needed calc I to take stats in college.

That's interesting.
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jef, every major is going to have that weed-out class designed to drive you crazy. Doing everything you can to dodge it isn't going to help your cause. In the end, you're going to have to man-up and take it on.

So again... choose a major based upon what you like.
 
even culinary arts has some math in it fractions and conversions etc.

Could be a journalist or...
I have decided. Why don't you do philosophy or history and just become a damn lawyer.


huskerdye said:
Culinary Arts? Can ya handle that?
Click to expand...
 
Lawyers have to know math. I mean, if they didn't, how ever would they screw their customers out of so much money?

(Ohhhh burn. Apologies to any lawyers here, couldn't resist...)
 
There's a law student sitting right next to me. He was not impressed haha.
broken tibula said:
Lawyers have to know math. I mean, if they didn't, how ever would they screw their customers out of so much money?

(Ohhhh burn. Apologies to any lawyers here, couldn't resist...)
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Always happy to spread the love. :D

(I have some more great lawyer jokes, but I'll just keep them to myself, okay?)
 
broken tibula said:
Lawyers have to know math. I mean, if they didn't, how ever would they screw their customers out of so much money?

(Ohhhh burn. Apologies to any lawyers here, couldn't resist...)
Click to expand...


Hey I wanted to be a lawyer once , a prosecuting one at that . ;)
 
Silverman780 said:
Psych, I believe the only math required is statistics, which is the easiest math class of all time.:D
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My stats class for my psych major was one of the hardest classes I took in college. The average score on our exams consistently hovered in the 65-70 range (part of that was due to the fact that our prof was a statistician and hates seeing all the grades clustered at the top end of the scale; he gave us a rant about how most professors don't know how to design a test and/or grade appropriately).

We had to learn how to write SAS code, and there was a "practical" portion on our tests that basically involved us writing giant codes to analyze a data set while on a timer, and our prof would copy-paste to see if they worked. If there was any error in the code...zero credit.
 
southernIM said:
My stats class for my psych major was one of the hardest classes I took in college. The average score on our exams consistently hovered in the 65-70 range (part of that was due to the fact that our prof was a statistician and hates seeing all the grades clustered at the top end of the scale; he gave us a rant about how most professors don't know how to design a test and/or grade appropriately).

We had to learn how to write SAS code, and there was a "practical" portion on our tests that basically involved us writing giant codes to analyze a data set while on a timer, and our prof would copy-paste to see if they worked. If there was any error in the code...zero credit.
Click to expand...

Idk what to say but that sucks.
 
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