What can I get out of being a Biology Major?

A general biology degree is one of those degrees that it is what you make of it. Some colleges will offer degrees in some of the many sub-fields of biology (microbiology, zoology, wildlife biology, marine biology, etc). Some colleges only offer the general biology degree but allow you to take many electives to focus in on the subfields that you are interested.

Yes, many people who get a degree in biology go on to professional schools (med, vet, ect.) or graduate school, but there are still many jobs out there for someone with just a bachelors degree. Many people work as research techs in labs or field studies, either at the university, government (local, state, or federal), or industry level. One other career opportunity is to work as a sale rep for pharmaceutical or other biology-related companies. I know of other people who started their own biotech company right out of college with only a bachelors degree. There are many opportunities out there, if you look hard enough.

The most impressive thing to a med school is at an interview you sound interested and passionate about your major. Thus, you need to decide what you like best. I just got a general bio degree, but had the opportunity to take all of those classes (most of which at the grad/med school level). Personally, I’m happy with my choice instead of majoring in biochem or neuroscience (the only two other bio majors at my school) because I was able to take so many classes that will help me in med school and did help me on the MCAT. If I had specialized my degree, I would have known a lot about a specific part of human biology but when I got to med school I wouldn’t know much about any other part. This way, I’ve been exposed to the big picture-from how things work together as systems (physiology), to cells and proteins (cell bio), to the DNA that encodes the proteins (Molecular) to how everything is held together (biochem). Moral of the story-major in what you want. It’s a long road with a lot of bumps so you better make sure you enjoy the scenery!

There’s a lot going on in biology.

If you don’t want to go pre-med (and many people don’t), there’s research. You can make a LOT of money working for a biotech or pharmaceutical firm. You can expect anywhere from $35 to $60k starting out (depending on what you do). If you have a knack for computers, check out bioinformatics. The subject deals with information technology as it applies to biology (proteomics, genomics, or database management for medical information or clinical trials). If you happen to like business, you can get a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep. Or if you’re a bit more humanitarian, you can go into education (science and math teachers are in high demand!). If you like working in the lab, most cities need laboratory techs and supervisors — the local government needs lab folks (public health or environmental health lab) as do hospitals and the private labs are also hiring (Quest Diagnostics, et al). Then there’s always graduate school, too. I took my bio degree and moved into epidemiology. It’s a masters level job, though. I do a lot of statistics and study the spread of diseases in the community. Many of my public health colleagues have biology degrees.