hockey833 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I searched and found a poll in which a good amount of PA's majored in biology. My question is why? Did you do it because it because it makes you a more prospective applicant because its a "hard science" or because you knew you wanted to be a PA/MD from the very start and that's the route to go? I have been thinking of getting a degree in something separate as a fallback and just taking PA pre-req classes on the side. This way I can have a fallback if being a PA doesnt workout or you cant get into med school. I mean, why major in biology because I feel like there are no jobs for that degree. Am I wrong? I'm starting college next week and I was planning on doing nursing but I want to go above that level. Either NP, PA, or MD but I'm not sure yet. A thing that worries me is how hard MD classes are and not being able to get into med school or make it. I have 2 class spots available to fill and I need to pick a major so I can get started. But I'm not sure which route I want to take yet and I don't want to waste money/time in a 100 level "exploration" class. I'm having such a hard time finding a major to choose. Right now one of those class spots is human development because I was doing nursing. Should I keep it because it may help in PA/med school or applying to one? ------------ EDIT: Just looked at jobs for biology majors and saw most of them were research jobs that pay 50k-65k, which isn't what I want to be making halfway through my career. I don't know if those jobs require masters or PHD's on top of the bachelor either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I searched and found a poll in which a good amount of PA's majored in biology. My question is why? Did you do it because it because it makes you a more prospective applicant because its a "hard science" or because you knew you wanted to be a PA/MD from the very start and that's the route to go? I have been thinking of getting a degree in something separate as a fallback and just taking PA pre-req classes on the side. This way I can have a fallback if being a PA doesnt workout or you cant get into med school. I mean, why major in biology because I feel like there are no jobs for that degree. Am I wrong? I'm starting college next week and I was planning on doing nursing but I want to go above that level. Either NP, PA, or MD but I'm not sure yet. A thing that worries me is how hard MD classes are and not being able to get into med school or make it. I have 2 class spots available to fill and I need to pick a major so I can get started. But I'm not sure which route I want to take yet and I don't want to waste money/time in a 100 level "exploration" class. I'm having such a hard time finding a major to choose. Right now one of those class spots is human development because I was doing nursing. Should I keep it because it may help in PA/med school or applying to one? ------------ EDIT: Just looked at jobs for biology majors and saw most of them were research jobs that pay 50k-65k, which isn't what I want to be making halfway through my career. I don't know if those jobs require masters or PHD's on top of the bachelor either. BA in economics. Never even thought of PA until I was in my mid 20's. Never been scared of hard. I've always tended to want the hardest classes. Makes you feel like you're on your game when you get an A. I remember taking a theoretical math course in undergrad that was a killer. The prof started the first day with this statement: "I don't care if you learn, I don't care if you don't, welcome to the real world, you are all paying tuition to be here. If you want to skip classes or don't care to do the reading, I will not lose any sleep. Which brings us to the expectations of this class. Results matter, work does not. Therefore, there will not be any assignments, there will be no papers, and there will be no quizzes. Your grade will be based on one exam at the final, which will consist of one question, and ONE question only. If you get the answer right to 6 decimal places, you will pass with an A, if you do not, you will fail. AGAIN (people grumbling at this point)...WELCOME to the real world. Do you think anyone cares if an engineer knows how to set up the math if the bridge he builds collapses? Do you think that anyone cares if their lawyer knows how to do the pre-trial interviews if they lose the trial? This is the real world, and this is where results count, and ONLY results count."...... I almost withdrew....it was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken, but the feeling I had when I finished it and passed was worth every moment of terror during that semester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAstudentCanada Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I gotta know; what was the exam question? BA in economics. Never even thought of PA until I was in my mid 20's. Never been scared of hard. I've always tended to want the hardest classes. Makes you feel like you're on your game when you get an A. I remember taking a theoretical math course in undergrad that was a killer. The prof started the first day with this statement: "I don't care if you learn, I don't care if you don't, welcome to the real world, you are all paying tuition to be here. If you want to skip classes or don't care to do the reading, I will not lose any sleep. Which brings us to the expectations of this class. Results matter, work does not. Therefore, there will not be any assignments, there will be no papers, and there will be no quizzes. Your grade will be based on one exam at the final, which will consist of one question, and ONE question only. If you get the answer right to 6 decimal places, you will pass with an A, if you do not, you will fail. AGAIN (people grumbling at this point)...WELCOME to the real world. Do you think anyone cares if an engineer knows how to set up the math if the bridge he builds collapses? Do you think that anyone cares if their lawyer knows how to do the pre-trial interviews if they lose the trial? This is the real world, and this is where results count, and ONLY results count."...... I almost withdrew....it was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken, but the feeling I had when I finished it and passed was worth every moment of terror during that semester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I gotta know; what was the exam question? It was long, and was a multi-fractal analysis using fractal dimension theory of a finance problem. Essentially, you had to set up the model, and then retrieve the data from the question. Two datapoints required additional modeling to get their answers, and then you had to run the data through the model. Then pray you were right. This was in 1989. I think, from talking to some of the systems engineers that I interact with daily, that fractal theory has come a LONG way since then..(I have no earthly idea)...but at that time, it was fairly new, and the models were complicated. It sucked......but I survived. It was an elective course for finance/econ majors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAstudentCanada Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Cool :-) QUOTE=physasst;352028]It was long, and was a multi-fractal analysis using fractal dimension theory of a finance problem. Essentially, you had to set up the model, and then retrieve the data from the question. Two datapoints required additional modeling to get their answers, and then you had to run the data through the model. Then pray you were right. This was in 1989. I think, from talking to some of the systems engineers that I interact with daily, that fractal theory has come a LONG way since then..(I have no earthly idea)...but at that time, it was fairly new, and the models were complicated. It sucked......but I survived. It was an elective course for finance/econ majors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted August 19, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 19, 2012 medical anthropology. it interested me and left me with lots of room for electives which I filled with pa school prereqs. I ended up with more bio courses than my wife, the bio major, as she needed calc, biochem, ochem, etc which wasn't needed for pa school. she had 11 bio courses, I had 13. medical anthro required 3 lower division courses, 8 upper division courses, and a thesis out of 36 courses for a 4 yr degree. I took lots of fun stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdavis Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 BS Physics. Navy paid and I wanted to be nuclear engineer. Pa school got in the way. My co told me he wanted me to be an officer and that he thought I'd be a great pa. I KNEW I'd never be selected? 15 places, 2000 applications.. So didn't sweat it. Got selected and I never finished the physics sequence (ms) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted August 19, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 19, 2012 BS in computer information systems. I'd been working in the field for 4 years, 18 months of that full-time, when I got my bachelor's, so it was very much a "make more money/increase mobility doing the same thing" move for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingsquirrel Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 BA Philosophy of Science. I worked full time as an EMT through undergrad and after I graduated. I was thinking about applying to PhD philosophy programs, but decided to go to paramedic school instead. Best decision of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellahead Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 BA in English and philosophy. MFA in creative writing. Worked as a reporter and technical writer for 10 years. Went to technical college for pre-reqs. Happy to say I'm holding my own in PA school with the biology majors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adeomoruyi Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 This is really interesting guys. I got my BS in political science, and honestly I thought I would have not chance in getting accepted into PA school, but you guys are giving me so much hope. I submitted my CASPA application earlier this month and I already got an invitation for an interview, I am very excited, but I am curious, does anyone know what kind of style Towson-CCBC in Maryland use for their interviews? Group or individual......... thanks, ade omo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tompkbr Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I got my B.S. in accounting, primarily on the advice that it could "pay the bills." while I work on other ventures. Accounting does pay very well, and the job market, even today, is quite good. Originally I wanted to fly commercially, but by the time I got to my multi-engine, I realized just how poor of a job market aviation can be (though, I'd still like to get back into flying privately one day), and decided to stick with a corp. job for a while. I don't know if it made any difference in me getting accepted or not, but my background was unique compared to the other applicants at my interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackjacks Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I started out college taking science/pre-med classes because I'd always planned on med or PA school. Pre-med classes fit great with cellular, molecular, developmental biology which was the first BS I considered. I took intro to evolutionary/biological anthropology because I thought it sounded interesting and would benefit me in my future career to learn about how humans evolved to our current state. Absolutely loved the anthro classes, plus I found them to be fairly easy. (Exam questions asked to explain pretty simple concepts like "Explain why a dark-skinned person of African descent who has moved to cloudy Seattle be at risk of vitamin D deficiency?" or "Explain the connections between bipedalism, increased intelligence, eating meat, and difficult birth?" Around this time I decided on PA school, and it turns out classes like anat/phys/micro bio/developmental psych/other prereqs all count for an evolutionary anthropology BS. Already had all the bio/chem done so I graduated a semester early and used the free time to get more HCE, volunteer, and take a few more classes that would benefit my PA school app for cheap at a community college. Anyway that's what I did, about you...if you want a fallback degree that you can pretty much guaranteed make good money on (>50-65K at mid-career that you mentioned) that cuts out most bachelor's degrees. All types of engineering, biomedical engineering would be especially good if you end up in med/PA school. Accounting, I believe you can do a 1 year MS also to help get a good job. Econ. Physics. Applied Math. Think about the places you'd want to live, too. Petroleum engineering probably isn't a good idea if you want to live in NYC but is probably great if you want to live in rural TX. Econ degree probably the opposite. Pick a degree you like. If you like nursing I would stick with that, it sounds like a good plan and gives you options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIW03 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 For me, I was a History major and that got boring, fast. So I looked into some careers and decided on medical school (now trying to choose between MD or PA). I thought that to get accepted to med school, someone would need to be a hard science major. Boy was I wrong, should've done some research. I just picked the typical Bio major and ran with it. Now, I'm kind of stuck with it. Not to say I don't enjoy the major, but if I could go back, I'd major in Physics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey833 Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 I got my B.S. in accounting, primarily on the advice that it could "pay the bills." while I work on other ventures. Accounting does pay very well, and the job market, even today, is quite good. Originally I wanted to fly commercially, but by the time I got to my multi-engine, I realized just how poor of a job market aviation can be (though, I'd still like to get back into flying privately one day), and decided to stick with a corp. job for a while. I don't know if it made any difference in me getting accepted or not, but my background was unique compared to the other applicants at my interview. Glad to meet an aviation enthusiast. I'm 18 and took 10 hours of lessons at 16 but stopped because of the cost. My passion is flying. If I could wake up and fly everyday my life would be made, but like you said, the job market is horrible and I don't want to be out of a job at 40 with no back up routes. I looked up being an air traffic controller but there arent very many jobs either. Is accounting a hard major? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 B.S. in Home Economics! That particular BS dates me and my major focus was on human nutrition and dietetics, not sewing and cooking. I still keep my Registered Dietitian license active and worked for 20 years in the field before going to PA school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tompkbr Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Glad to meet an aviation enthusiast. I'm 18 and took 10 hours of lessons at 16 but stopped because of the cost. My passion is flying. If I could wake up and fly everyday my life would be made, but like you said, the job market is horrible and I don't want to be out of a job at 40 with no back up routes. I looked up being an air traffic controller but there arent very many jobs either. Is accounting a hard major? I didn't think accounting was too bad when I took it. It wasn't easy, but I wouldn't say it was super difficult. Unlike what many think, there isn't much mathematics involved (you do take statistics and usually calc I, but you won't use them in your upper level courses). I always felt that accounting was really more like law, only using numbers. I believe most accounting programs have now gone to a 5 yr BS/MS program due to changes to the requirements to sit for the CPA. Again, it's a very versatile degree that is still in high demand, and can open many doors in the business world, as well as serve as a great backup. However, it will not help you meet any of your PA pre-reqs (though I suppose you could double major/minor is something like biology). I had to go back as an undergrad to take the required coursework. Yes, aviation (especially for pilots) is not a good if one likes career stability. It has become commonplace to expect to be furloughed several times in your career, and then you're stuck with the age 65 rule, regardless how healthy you are. That said, if it's something you really want to do, you should go for it. Best of luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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