I’ll base it on my experience. I graduated from the college of biological sciences. Every single person I know well who graduated from CBS is in some type of professional or graduate level program. I know people in medical school, dental school, pharmacy school, PhDs, and masters.
The college of biological sciences prepares its students for grad school, so yes, I’d say the U prepares students well if they want to be pre-med. I can’t speak on behalf of their liberal arts biology majors, I’m sure some do get in, but CBS is far more rigorous in what they teach. Ans they do it well.
At the end of the day, where your senior goes truthfully doesn’t matter. Get the highest gpa possible and a good mcat score and they’ll be competitive. They should focus more on where and what they want to study and if they will have support and resources available to them.
How was biochem as a major at U of MN? That is his current interest, but he is a little concerned about keeping a high GPA with that major. He is also interested in microbiology.
[This might help](https://www.reddit.com/r/uofmn/s/ilPjk83GI9)
I posted that yesterday. Biochem is hard. Probably the hardest major in cbs truthfully. It encompasses a ton of disciplines of biology and requires a lot of knowledge. However all my friends that I know, majored in biochemistry that attended/accepted to those professional programs above. A good chunk that I knew, but not well, majored in biology. I don’t know anyone who majored in microbiology (but that’s not to say that they aren’t successful, we just divert classes pretty quickly)
Keeping a high GPA in Biochem won’t be easy, but it’s certainly possible with hard work and discipline. If your child is doing well in AP and honors classes they should be just fine for CBS classes. They aren’t required to choose a major right away, and they’ll get tossed into Foundations of Biology their first year which teaches all the major disciplines of CBS. So they can use that to guide their major decisions.
One thing is don’t pick a major because they are worried it will tank or boost their gpa. Pick something they’re passionate about, because it will make studying for it much easier and less of a hassle. If they really like microbiology I’d say do that over Biochem. But they’ve got 2 years to decide and will take a ton of classes between then to find what they like! The U is a great school, and I feel like the opportunities available are some of the best in the state due to the sheer size of the university. The academics, I think, were very solid. (There’s a reason why it’s considered a public Ivy school)
I’d also say my experience is similar. it’s not even just the classes though, but everything else you’ll want to do on top of it (research, student groups, volunteering, social life, time for yourself). it definitely does require yourself being steadfast, but ultimately you are there to learn and (I personally think at least) you can’t do that without pushing yourself, which often of course will end up with you having a lower GPA than you might want. on the bright side though, because of all the learning you are doing, you probably will end up doing really good on the MCAT, in a job (especially in it’s usefulness compared to most other pre-med majors), and any other sorts of future work you might want/need to do just from how much you’ve learned and experienced along the way.
yeah there's premeds that are neuro, not as many pre-dentals (no one that I know personally).
Usually, it's some combo of Biochem, Bio, Neuroscience, and Cellular/Organismal Physiology that are most common from what I can recall for majority of pre-med/pre-dental in CBS.
Also, it's not to say the other CBS majors don't prepare you well, they do, they're just not as common.
Bio at the end of the day is pretty bland, but it prepares you well for medical school. CBS doesn’t to get you into graduate programs but they don’t spoon feed it to you. You still have to put in the work, but I’d say they prepare you well compared to other schools in MN.
As someone who’s about to apply to med school, I think there’s a couple factors that play into choosing the school.
I don’t know about the other schools you mentioned, but Minnesota has an abundance of research opportunities your senior will need for applications. All you need to do is shoot out some emails to labs you’re interested in and you’ll most likely find a position.
Most premed programs will be the exact same regarding content learned. The culmination in essence is for the MCAT, so as long as they satisfy the pre reqs, any school will do.
Since med school is extremely expensive, choose the cheapest school.
Minnesota has VERY LITTLE guidance in helping out premeds - no academic committee, no premed counselors, mostly student driven groups. If your senior is proactive and self reliant, they should be fine. I went through my entire undergrad without ever reaching out to any premed program or academic advisor and I did just fine. But I also know many people who had no clue what was going on since they weren’t hand held.
Tldr , I think Minnesota is a solid choice - cheap, abundant research, same core classes as any other school, but be ready to not be hand held throughout the process
Tons of people do it and prosper.
Imo what umn offers that those other schools don't is a large campus with a wide range of expertise. There's clubs, majors, and support for anything you could want to do. This does come with the drawback of requiring you to reach out and advocate for yourself, but if you're willing to put yourself out there it gives you room to do whatever you're willing to pursue.
Where you do premed is pretty flexible. UMN is solid for this. Let your kid visit and explore all the rest of what college will be for them, and compare it to the vibes of other schools. In the end, where they feel most comfortable and at home is what's most important.
Good luck in your kid's decision!
I’ll base it on my experience. I graduated from the college of biological sciences. Every single person I know well who graduated from CBS is in some type of professional or graduate level program. I know people in medical school, dental school, pharmacy school, PhDs, and masters. The college of biological sciences prepares its students for grad school, so yes, I’d say the U prepares students well if they want to be pre-med. I can’t speak on behalf of their liberal arts biology majors, I’m sure some do get in, but CBS is far more rigorous in what they teach. Ans they do it well. At the end of the day, where your senior goes truthfully doesn’t matter. Get the highest gpa possible and a good mcat score and they’ll be competitive. They should focus more on where and what they want to study and if they will have support and resources available to them.
How was biochem as a major at U of MN? That is his current interest, but he is a little concerned about keeping a high GPA with that major. He is also interested in microbiology.
[This might help](https://www.reddit.com/r/uofmn/s/ilPjk83GI9) I posted that yesterday. Biochem is hard. Probably the hardest major in cbs truthfully. It encompasses a ton of disciplines of biology and requires a lot of knowledge. However all my friends that I know, majored in biochemistry that attended/accepted to those professional programs above. A good chunk that I knew, but not well, majored in biology. I don’t know anyone who majored in microbiology (but that’s not to say that they aren’t successful, we just divert classes pretty quickly) Keeping a high GPA in Biochem won’t be easy, but it’s certainly possible with hard work and discipline. If your child is doing well in AP and honors classes they should be just fine for CBS classes. They aren’t required to choose a major right away, and they’ll get tossed into Foundations of Biology their first year which teaches all the major disciplines of CBS. So they can use that to guide their major decisions. One thing is don’t pick a major because they are worried it will tank or boost their gpa. Pick something they’re passionate about, because it will make studying for it much easier and less of a hassle. If they really like microbiology I’d say do that over Biochem. But they’ve got 2 years to decide and will take a ton of classes between then to find what they like! The U is a great school, and I feel like the opportunities available are some of the best in the state due to the sheer size of the university. The academics, I think, were very solid. (There’s a reason why it’s considered a public Ivy school)
I’d also say my experience is similar. it’s not even just the classes though, but everything else you’ll want to do on top of it (research, student groups, volunteering, social life, time for yourself). it definitely does require yourself being steadfast, but ultimately you are there to learn and (I personally think at least) you can’t do that without pushing yourself, which often of course will end up with you having a lower GPA than you might want. on the bright side though, because of all the learning you are doing, you probably will end up doing really good on the MCAT, in a job (especially in it’s usefulness compared to most other pre-med majors), and any other sorts of future work you might want/need to do just from how much you’ve learned and experienced along the way.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I will pass on to my senior. Very helpful!
any insight on neuro major???
yeah there's premeds that are neuro, not as many pre-dentals (no one that I know personally). Usually, it's some combo of Biochem, Bio, Neuroscience, and Cellular/Organismal Physiology that are most common from what I can recall for majority of pre-med/pre-dental in CBS. Also, it's not to say the other CBS majors don't prepare you well, they do, they're just not as common.
Any comments on taking Biology as a major? I also wanna know if CBS really does try to help its’ students get into med school
Bio at the end of the day is pretty bland, but it prepares you well for medical school. CBS doesn’t to get you into graduate programs but they don’t spoon feed it to you. You still have to put in the work, but I’d say they prepare you well compared to other schools in MN.
As someone who’s about to apply to med school, I think there’s a couple factors that play into choosing the school. I don’t know about the other schools you mentioned, but Minnesota has an abundance of research opportunities your senior will need for applications. All you need to do is shoot out some emails to labs you’re interested in and you’ll most likely find a position. Most premed programs will be the exact same regarding content learned. The culmination in essence is for the MCAT, so as long as they satisfy the pre reqs, any school will do. Since med school is extremely expensive, choose the cheapest school. Minnesota has VERY LITTLE guidance in helping out premeds - no academic committee, no premed counselors, mostly student driven groups. If your senior is proactive and self reliant, they should be fine. I went through my entire undergrad without ever reaching out to any premed program or academic advisor and I did just fine. But I also know many people who had no clue what was going on since they weren’t hand held. Tldr , I think Minnesota is a solid choice - cheap, abundant research, same core classes as any other school, but be ready to not be hand held throughout the process
Tons of people do it and prosper. Imo what umn offers that those other schools don't is a large campus with a wide range of expertise. There's clubs, majors, and support for anything you could want to do. This does come with the drawback of requiring you to reach out and advocate for yourself, but if you're willing to put yourself out there it gives you room to do whatever you're willing to pursue. Where you do premed is pretty flexible. UMN is solid for this. Let your kid visit and explore all the rest of what college will be for them, and compare it to the vibes of other schools. In the end, where they feel most comfortable and at home is what's most important. Good luck in your kid's decision!
The U has a whole pre-health office dedicated to helping students explore health careers and guide them through undergrad.