I’m currently a bio major wanting to be neurosurgeon. I recently got interested into quantum physics and understanding the dynamics of the universe. I don’t know what I would go into with that since I don’t have a feasible amount of knowledge on the topic but kind of am being pulled towards that area. However, I still have a stronger desire to be a neurosurgeon.
I just feel like if you change your mind in college, it just holds you back since you have to tweek your class pathway. For instance, bio major’s pathway at my school is very rigid and strict when it comes to credit hours.
For this and other reasons it’s called a discipline. The major states to all that the student has applied themselves to master a subject at more than a hobbyist level.
I’m sympathetic, but college is still a scarce commodity, one that remains out of reach for maybe 90% of all humans. It turns out we have to make momentous choices when we’re in our teens and twenties.
There are a lot of colleges that allow for both majors and minors. Sometimes you do need to stay in school an extra semester and it may or may not be worth it to you. Students can satisfy their interests by taking a few physics classes without declaring physics a major or minor. If your college’s bio major is that rigid that it doesn’t allow for minors or even a few electives than you might consider transferring at some point.
You can always pursue a master’s in physics without an undergraduate degree in it, although you may need to take undergraduate physics courses at the start of the program to fulfill prerequisites. Why don’t you research these topics, where biology and physics overlap: biophysics, astrobiology and space biology – NASA is heavily involved in research on the latter two subjects. You might have an easier time getting into a graduate program related to one of these overlap areas. Physics involves a lot of math. Take extra math or physics courses if you can fit any in your schedule, or take some free online courses to increase your knowledge in these areas and test out your interest level.
There is nothing wrong with contemplating other possibilities aside from being a neurosurgeon. You might even try to get a summer research internship that involves both physics and biology, to see how you like it, or see if you can help out a professor during the academic year. A lot of research nowadays is interdisciplinary, so your background in biology would not be wasted if you started veering in a direction involving more physics. You likely don’t need to change your major to achieve your goals though, since you can shift focus at the master’s and then PhD level, should you choose that route over med school.