Major Decisions | Biology & Computational Systems and Biology at UCLA
By Monica Gonzalez, Vivien Mortiz, Theresa Nguyen, and Sidhant Umbrajkar
Featured Fellows
Monica Gonzales: Third-year Biology major
Vivien Moritz: Second-year Biology major
Sidhant Umbrajkar: Third-year Biology major
Theresa Nguyen: Third-year Computational and Systems Biology major
Why did you choose this major over the other majors? Are there any important factors that stood out to you?
Sid: When I was applying to universities, I didn’t know too much about all the life science majors that existed at each school. So I decided that for every university I applied to, I would just apply as a Biology major because it was the most basic one. After I chose which university I wanted to attend, I was open to switching my major if I felt like there were other majors that I was more interested in. But after I looked at the Biology major for UCLA, I found that there was a lot of overlap between the classes that I wanted to do and all the prerequisite classes that I would need for graduate school, so I ended up choosing that major. I also like the fact that there’s a huge variety of Biology electives you can choose from, so I felt like it wasn’t really limited there.
Monica: I think my experience was also kind of similar. I wanted to pursue medical school, and I’m still on track to do that. In high school, I wasn’t really a fan of writing essays, so I didn’t want to do choose a major within the social sciences. And I wasn’t really a fan of math, either — although science does incorporate math, but not as much. I thought Biology was more broad and not so specific. Similar to what Sid mentioned, there is more freedom to change your major if you don’t end up liking it.
Vivian: I think I also had a pretty similar experience to Monica in that I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. I felt like Biology offered the most opportunity in ability to change majors because it wasn’t as specialized as some of the other majors, so that helped me in choosing this major.
Theresa: For me, in high school, I was really interested in technology, and I knew going into college, I wanted to carry that with me. At the same time, I also knew my career path lied in medicine. I wanted to major in the life sciences, but I didn’t completely want to drop my passion in tech, so I found Computational and Systems Biology, which is an intersection between those two fields. One huge benefit was that if at any point I wasn’t confident about going into medicine, my major would still teach me the skills required to go into the industry of biotechnology.
Are there any perks about the major or any classes that you particularly enjoyed?
Sid: I think I alluded to this a bit earlier, but in terms of the perks of being a Biology major, there’s a huge variety of classes that you could be taking. If you take a look at the electives list, you can take Physics classes, Anthro classes, Phy-Sci classes, or more. You can pretty much draw different classes from any subject that you might be interested in and combine them into one to create the Biology major.
The core EEB (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) classes are also very interesting. I’m taking EEB 109, Intro to Marine Science, which is a common class for people to take. We’re learning about marine environments and how ecological food chains work, which I think is pretty interesting. If I weren’t in this major, I don’t think I’d be exposed to learning about different concepts like these. I’ve only taken two core classes so far, but both of those classes incorporated a lot of reading research papers in discussion. I think that’s super helpful for people that want to get into research or continue doing research throughout their time in undergrad or graduate school.
Vivian: I haven’t really taken as many of the core classes because I’m in my second year, but I’ve taken the lower division courses. I enjoyed the LS 7C class, which is the physiology and human anatomy course that all general life science majors have to take. This upcoming quarter, I’m taking EEB 100, which is about ecology and animal behavior. I think what I really like about it is that I also have an interest in ecology and animal behavior, and that side of biology, not just the human side of biology. It’s cool how I can still use my degree to help me hopefully go to medical school, but I can still entertain some of my other interests.
Theresa: For my major, one of the first upper division courses you take is a short seminar called Computational Systems Bio M184. The class is held once a week, and each session features a different speaker who is a professor or researcher at UCLA. Each week is something different. I found that class really interesting because it really exposed me to how vast this field can be. Often, people think that intersectionality is really limited to hospital equipment, but so much more of medical advancements are reliant on technology. Learning about their research has really broadened my view of what my major can accomplish. And besides that, I think one of the benefits of the Computational and Systems Biology major is that there are five specializations you can go into. So beyond already putting yourself in between those two fields, you can further choose to go into, for example, systems biology, human genomes and biology, neurosystems, or something more along the lines of programming.
Monica: That’s really cool by the way, Theresa! I didn’t really know what specifics your major entailed but it sounds very interesting! As far as a perk for my major, I can just restate what my peers have said about the diversity in coursework. I had five friends that all started off as Biology majors, and after we took all our pre reqs and it was time to decide if we wanted to switch to another major or not, three out of my five friends switched over to majors like HBS (Human Biology and Society) and Physiological Sciences because they were more interested in those aspects of biology. I stuck with Biology after I made a pros and cons list, and I realized I love having the freedom to choose what classes I can take.
I learned about primates in one of my classes, for example, and it was so interesting to learn from Professor Perry, who literally dedicated her whole life to learning about primates. She did her research in Costa Rica, and her whole family lived with her. Her team spent years and years in a little campsite. She got to name little groups of primates and every primate that was born. It is so interesting how she studied all of their behavior and everything. Her whole textbook is her telling the story of her research, and it’s pretty interesting. So that’s why I don’t regret choosing my major.
Is there anything you dislike or hate about the major?
Sid: I don’t think this is necessarily specific to the Biology major, and is common for majors that are generally pretty popular, but it’s kind of difficult to get the classes you need. Biology is a very general major, so the whole idea of a wide variety of classes is kind of a double-edged sword, because oftentimes, during your first pass, which is basically your first shot at enrolling in classes, is limited to the more specific majors like MIMG or MCDB, so those majors might have a better opportunity than you would at grabbing a certain class that you want. I think you can get around that by planning things out a little bit better, and having a list of classes that you want to take, so if you don’t get the classes that you want, you can always just take an alternative class.
Vivian: Same, it’s so hard to get into the weeder classes in the beginning because other life science majors also need to take them. And another thing is, there are so many people in the Biology major that sometimes I feel like you can’t get the personalized attention some smaller majors get. My other friends who are Bioengineering majors, for example, have very specific mentors and they’re more in contact with faculty. So you kind of have to create that for yourself in the Biology major, instead of trying to depend on others or trying to depend on the actual major. You don’t use the counseling unit to really support you as much, as it’s a much more individual experience.
In terms of tips for interacting with professors, you should obviously go to office hours and do all that stuff. If you want to get in contact with your counseling unit or departmental counselor, go to their office hours and meet with them directly, because they can help you and they will. It’s just a matter of reaching out. You have to be very proactive in contacting people.
Monica: I can add on to that. I actually put down that I didn’t have any cons to my major, just because I felt like I lucked out. I came in with a lot of college credit, so I got priority enrollment and I didn’t really have to struggle with having Plan B classes. But now that you mentioned that the classes are so much bigger, it’s so true just because everyone’s in that major, or trying to take those same classes, so you don’t get much individual attention.
Theresa: I think for my major, as with all the life science majors, it is really hard to get your classes, especially the lower div’s, because we kind of share all of the same lower div’s. Because of that, there’s also less of an idea of what to expect when you get into your major. For Computational and Systems Biology, going from lower div’s upwards is such a huge jump. There are research capstones where you’re expected to do research with faculty as part of the major. There’s also a senior thesis and everything may seem thrown at you all at once there, which can be overwhelming. It would be nice if there was more of a buildup in the lower div’s to help you prepare for all that’s required.
Do you have any tips for people entering the major or going through weeder classes?
Sid: If we’re talking specifically about the weeder classes, I think one thing that helped me a little bit was knowing what kind of student I am, which sounds really vague. But if we think about it a little bit deeply, when you’re in high school, you have an idea of what subjects you’re naturally more inclined to enjoy, and what subjects you’re like, “I don’t really know if I like the subject,” or “I don’t really know if I’m naturally good at this subject,” right? So in that respect, knowing what subjects you feel more comfortable with and trying to balance those with others that you’re not necessarily well-acquainted with is really helpful. Time management and planning are key here. But also, with the subjects that you don’t feel very comfortable with, it’s perfectly fine to attend professor office hours and get more perspective that way. On top of that, you can also form study groups. Since there are so many Bio majors, there are also many opportunities to network and make friends that way. That would be my tip — don’t be afraid to reach out!
Vivian: People are always looking to form study groups, for sure. And even if you think they don’t want to, they probably aren’t looking to reach out because they also don’t want to reach out. So just go for it. And definitely attend office hours if you don’t know what’s going on. Your TA’s are “free” tutors, and they’re essentially there just to help you get as much information as you can about the subject. So take advantage of those resources.
Monica: I’ll re-emphasize reaching out to other students: you’re not the only one struggling through the class, and I think just knowing that another person is struggling with you is nice in a way. Also, you can better help each other out and divide and conquer, which is what I do that with my friends. For example, we would sometimes meet up in one of the common rooms and study for an hour or so. And then the next day or that same night, if we had questions, we’d write them out. If anyone had the opportunity to ask one of those questions, they would write the answer down and then bring it back to the study group. And then we would talk about the answer they got, just so it would go by quicker. It definitely makes a difference when you study together or just have someone to reach out to when you have a question.
Theresa: For me, it can be very intimidating. Big classes, a lot of things going on, professors, and office hours? What are those? Just take it one step at a time and understand that it’s probably intimidating for everyone. And take advantage of your resources beyond just going to lectures. Outside of that, I found GroupMe to be a really great resource, especially in math and coding classes, because it’s really hard for me to meet students within lecture. And don’t be so scared to make a mistake and feel that you need to be changing your major. I know everything about my major sounds impressive, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t struggle because I do a lot. So it’s okay to be bad at it! Just keep going and keep trying as long as you have that will and passion. Keep changing your study habits and making small changes until you get there.
Do you have any regrets?
Sid: One thing I regret is going out of my way to do everything I could to not be wrong about something; when you’re a first year, you kind of want to put up that face and be like, “Oh, I can do anything and everything; I’m good,” right? But odds are that you’re gonna make it through UCLA and at least fail at one thing. I know I have. Plenty of times. Don’t be afraid to be wrong, but at the same time, definitely try to learn from it. I think that’s the point of going to school — learning from your mistakes and being a better person.
One thing I also regret is not trying to enjoy the classes that I’m in. I feel like for most of us that are trying to do well in school, it’s a great motivation, but at the same time, it limits you from actually enjoying the material that’s in front of you. For example, the LS 7 series and CS courses are classes that gives you so much material. If you really pay attention to it and enjoy it, you’ll find that you can apply a good amount of that material towards your own life. I’m working at a hospital right now and one of the things that came up yesterday was troponin, which is an indicator of heart disease or cardiac injury and something we learned about in LS 7C. Knowing stuff like that can actually help you connect with your patients. So one thing I definitely regret is not going out of my way to enjoy my classes.
Vivian: Similarly, when I made mistakes, I would think it’s the end of the world even though looking back at it now, it doesn’t matter. It really didn’t matter that much. I would just recommend not to worry as much, because then it really takes away from all your other experiences that you’re having; school isn’t just about class. I think at first I definitely was so focused on getting perfect grades. But in reality, it’s not going to matter. I think it’s more important to take the time to actually try and enjoy what you’re learning, enjoy the classroom setting, and feel like you’re learning rather than just worrying too much. You’re not going to get it if you’re freaking out about it.
Monica: Yeah, I can agree with my peers as well. I think it also helps to just remind myself that if one door closes, another one will open. I think that’s something that took me a while to get into my head. Know that there will be another “yes” somewhere down the line in the future as long as you still have that drive. I also think I am still very hard on myself. I think that you can only try to remind yourself to calm down and that it’s not the end of the world. But still, I think I was a lot harder on myself before entering as a freshman and not knowing what really I was getting myself into. I definitely felt like I failed. But I just needed to remind myself that this is totally new ground for me. And I need to figure myself out first and just take it one step at a time.
Theresa: I really agree with everything that’s been said; it’s been really well said! For me, I do really regret I did struggle. I wasn’t transparent with my professors or my peers. But most importantly, I wasn’t transparent with myself. I told myself it was a one time thing and we’re going to keep going. But I just kept pushing myself to keep going even though there were things I wouldn’t go back and just re-analyze. My advice would be take the time to stop, go back, and see what went wrong before you keep moving on. If you keep going, you’ll just keep making the same mistakes. Be transparent not only with others, but also with yourself. That’s very important.
The videos and articles in the Major Decisions series are produced by Therese Arevalo, Kevin Chen, and Callista Wu.
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