FAQs About Common Majors at Boston University
This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Yesh Datar in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.
What’s Covered:
- What Medical Programs Are Available at Boston University?
- What Are Popular Majors?
- What Math Classes Do STEM Majors Take?
- Why Do Students Attend Boston University?
Many students have specific questions about the majors at Boston University. In this article, we cover frequently asked questions about the areas of study at BU.
What Medical Programs Are Available at Boston University?
The general medical program at Boston University is called the BS/MD program. It’s a combination of a bachelor of science and a doctor of medicine degree. The program lasts anywhere from six to eight years.
It acts as an accelerated path to get into medicine. To be considered for this program, you must apply during your senior year of high school. You will then major in medical science and depending on your specific path, spend three years completing your undergraduate program. Medical science majors take many science courses, like biology, chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and genetics.
All these courses overlap with medicine in some way. From undergrad, you will move on to spend four years in medical school. This is nice because it is a direct path from undergrad to medical school, and you won’t have to take any standardized tests or submit applications. Throughout your undergrad, you will need to maintain a certain GPA to remain in the program, but it is ultimately an easier path into medical school.
What Are Popular Majors?
Boston University is made up of multiple smaller colleges, including the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Communications, School of Business, and Honors College. The popular STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors at Boston University are premed, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. There are also strong majors in the business school where many students study finance. These common majors tend to have large class sizes, especially in entry-level classes. But while the class sizes tend to be larger, popular majors have a greater variety of classes with more unique topics.
What Math Classes Do STEM Majors Take?
Most STEM majors have to take some sort of statistics class. This helps all students interested in research because statistics is frequently used in laboratories and while writing research papers. Besides statistics, the various math classes that you will need to take largely depend on your major. For example, students majoring in engineering must take higher-level calculus courses and linear algebra. These are tricky classes, but the professors at Boston University will help you succeed.
Why Do Students Attend Boston University?
Many students interested in going to medical school attend Boston University because of its accelerated BS/MD program. It takes less time than the typical path, which usually lasts about eight years.
The city is another reason that students are drawn to the university. Being in the heart of the city enables students to walk around to explore nearby restaurants, coffee shops, and many other activities. Boston has a huge theater and arts community, so students enjoy going to plays or art shows. Students can also get jobs or internships in the city. There are endless opportunities to take advantage of.
