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What’s the best major to pursue in order to become a neurosurgeon

I have little guidance from family members due to their lack of knowledge about college, therefore I’d like to have a better idea of what I’m getting into. I’ve narrowed down the choices to cellular and molecular biology and biomedical sciences. Are either of these two good choices or no? If not please recommend something!
Thank you #majors #neurosurgeon #neuroscience #field #field #medicine #surgery #doctor

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Richard’s Answer

Pick a major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.
Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses. I chose to major in biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years. Another good option, Neuroscience, is offered at many institutions.
Typical medical school prerequisites include:
Biology: Lecture – 4 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
General Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Organic Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Biochemistry: Lecture – 1 semester
General Physics: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Math: Statistics – 1 semester
English: Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 2 semesters
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Kevin’s Answer

Hi Destiny!


I'm currently a software engineer, but I actually majored in Neuroscience in college. Depending on the college you end up going to, you might be able to major in Neuroscience as well! You can probably look up the available majors on the colleges' websites to see if they offer Neuroscience as a major.


If not, then both choices you suggested are good options. Generally, biomedical science majors will have certain anatomy/physiology courses that cover neuroscience and the brain. If they don't, it would be wise to take such courses as electives.


The truth of the matter is, there's no wrong answer when it comes to major. Medical schools don't require you to have a certain major to apply (I know some History majors are are in medical school now). If you decide to become a neurosurgeon later on, you'll definitely get a chance to learn neuroscience in medical school. However, before you enter medical school, you do need to take certain premedical course requirements. And since biological science majors offer these requirements as part of their own requirements, a lot of students seeking to enter medical school end up majoring in biological sciences out of convenience.

Kevin recommends the following next steps:

Take a major that includes courses that cover neuroscience/anatomy/physiology (look at the course catalog).
If that major does not include those courses, try to take these courses as electives.
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