Major Decisions | Human Biology and Society at UCLA
By Bianca Nguyen, Brittney Le, Caitlin Chen, Pearl Omo-sowho, Vardaan Bal, and Manuel Venegas
Featured Fellows
Bianca Nguyen: Fourth-year HBS major
Brittney Le: Fourth-year HBS major
Caitlin Chen: Second-year pre-HBS major
Pearl Omo-sowho: Fourth-year HBS major
Vardaan Bal: Fourth-year HBS major
Manuel Venegas: Fourth-year Physiological Science major, was declared HBS at the end of sophomore year
Why did you choose this major over the other majors? Were there any important factors that stood out to you?
Brittney: I had about a week left until the application was due and I basically just described in my application how even though I didn’t come in as a pre-HBS major, the classes I took and the experiences I had really led me to pursue this major. I came in as a math major; I thought I was going to do investment banking. And then I had a crisis my freshman year and decided banking wasn’t for me. I didn’t want that 70-hour work week. So I did a lot of exploring and took a lot of GE’s. I took English, I took history, and I took poli sci because I really wanted to find my path. In all honesty, at the time, I was also taking a biotech cluster which I really enjoyed. I also really loved Chem 14 a lot. It was one of my favorite lower division classes, and I decided maybe I should just finish out the Chemistry series. And because I liked a lot of the lower division classes that I was taking, I declared as an HBS major.
Pearl: I think for me, it’s quite different because I came in as a transfer student. When I was deciding what majors I wanted, I wanted something different. At first, I was thinking solely about being a Biology major, but I thought I wanted something different as a pre-med student. I personally like the sciences, but I also wanted something that would incorporate the social aspect of things. And that’s what HBS does for you. I did my own research and found that it’s an interdisciplinary major. So I just thought, “Okay, let me just apply to that.”
I didn’t even know how competitive it was to get into until I actually started UCLA. There are lots of people trying to get into the major, and I think their acceptance rate is 5% for transfers. So I don’t know how it is for people who start as traditional freshman students, but for transfers, it’s 5%. It’s really competitive because it’s a very unique major you don’t find at other UC’s, and it provides a mix of science, the social sciences, and everything. This particular major was also found only at UCLA, which I found pretty interesting. So I think for me, that was the decisive factor for me.
Bianca: I think, at least as the years have gone by, it has expanded from being a very niche major to a major that a lot of people are interested in as incoming freshmen, which makes me very happy, because I think it lowers the fear of wanting to apply, and a lot of people are talking about it. I’m really looking forward to it expanding as a major because I think a lot more people know about it now. I definitely think it’s less competitive than it has been a couple years ago.
Caitlin: I was also in contact with Maverick, who’s the undergraduate advisor. If anyone is interested in HBS, talk to him. It’s a great way of getting to know more about the major. I talked to him recently, and he said as the years progress, they’re accepting more and more people who are at least declared pre-HBS. They’re hoping to increase that number because they finally have more capacity and resources to support students who are interested in HBS. For me, I’m a sophomore, so I haven’t applied yet, but I’ll be applying during spring quarter. I came in as pre-HBS and I was really interested in this major because I wanted to be pre-med but I didn’t want the traditional pre-med route. I was actually going to do an English major and then just tag on pre-med classes. That, in hindsight, sounds a little disastrous, but I found this major and it had a good balance of both humanities and science. And like Pearl said, it’s a really unique major. I don’t think any of the other UC’s have it. I guess the closest one I’ve seen is maybe Yale and Cornell have like a “health in society,” but I haven’t seen one that’s identical to the curriculum we have, so that’s really cool.
Manuel: I was never pre-HBS, but had heard about it through a friend. I ended up applying and getting in. I agree a lot with what Pearl and Caitlin were saying; I think that over the years it has become a little less competitive because of the increased capacity. I know an issue was the faculty size was very small, and the department itself couldn’t afford such a large incoming cohort of students. I actually came in as a biochem major. There was a lot of exploration at the start, so I was first a biochem major, then I switched at New Student Orientation to Biology. And then I applied to HBS and was accepted. I then took a cadaver lab that was part of the five-part core series and I instantly fell in love with the Physiological Science major.
Is there anything you dislike or hate about the major?
Pearl: I prefer studying and taking an exam over writing essays. And because HBS is interdisciplinary, expect essays. It’s not the worst thing; I think the professors are actually very understanding. As much as I do not like writing essays, I would say it has helped improve my writing skills, but when I started the major, they just always threw me off. Over time, it’s gotten better. I’m in a comfortable position now, and it definitely has helped with my writing skills.
Brittany: For me, something I don’t like is, because we have a very small capacity for the major, some classes fill up so quickly and you won’t have a chance to fulfill your elective requirements. You’ll end up having to improvise on the fly. It’s gotten a little better as we’ve expanded, but sometimes, it just doesn’t work with your schedule, and it is a little frustrating.
Bianca: Just to add on to that, there are classes that fill up very fast. And if you don’t get it, then it’s very hard and it’s very competitive. I think a good thing that offsets that, though, is the variety of classes you are able to take with the major. If you’re not able to get a class that you really wanted, there’s so many different areas you can choose from. But it does suck when you can’t get that specific class that you really, really were looking forward to and it’s usually also a class that’s very pertinent to this specific time that we’re in. There were a bunch of COVID-related classes in our major that were being offered last spring, over the summer, and then this fall, and I know a lot of friends of mine weren’t able to get in because it was just so competitive.
Manuel: I think an important aspect that’s not really discussed is with classes, you have to be very strategic because some courses are going to be offered only in specific quarters. If you’re pre-HBS or are not familiar with how enrollment works in a very small niche major like we’re discussing, you have to be careful and you need to be close to your counselor to make sure that you’re on track to fulfill those requirements because those majors are very hard on the requirements that you have to fulfill.
Caitlin: On that note, it’s a relatively new major. So there’s not an exact blueprint that you might see with like a Biochemistry or Biology major where they take certain classes in specific quarters and it’s a guaranteed offer. Our major is only offered once a year by the two professors and summer classes can be iffy. I would know because I took them. There’s definitely not a blueprint like other majors, so sometimes you feel alone, but you can always find upperclassmen to help you out.
Are there any perks about the major or any classes you like?
Vardaan: What’s really cool about this major in particular is that you get to take classes that are humanities and STEM, combined. So you get to see the interdisciplinary side of things, which I think a lot of STEM majors don’t get exposure to. For them, it’s just straight research papers and grinding and that sort of stuff. It’s good to have a mental break from the more hardcore STEM stuff.
Bianca: For me, one of the biggest perks along the lines of what Vardaan said, is that if you don’t know exactly what you want to go into, it’s such a great major. If you have an inkling for the sciences and the public health field, but you’re not sure where to go, I think it’s a great major. Personally, I learned a lot about the interdisciplinary and intersectionality aspects that are so important for public health. I got to learn so much about things like social influences on populations and population health, and I took a disability studies course, which is a very popular class at UCLA. It was so great. I think the biggest thing about this major is you gain so many different perspectives from the diverse curriculum. So if you graduate and decide you want to go into policy, you can do that; if you want to get your medical degree you can do that; but also, if you want to get your Master’s in Public Health, I think HBS is a great major for that. I think that was really helpful for me because being a pre-med is really hard. In any school, there can be a very toxic environment, and I think at least within the HBS community, everyone is so loving and accepting. Not everyone’s going down the pre-med route, so you don’t have huge pressure on you. It’s a great major to figure out where you fit best, if that makes sense.
Caitlin: Yeah, I definitely second that. And it’s cool because we do have a lot of pre-med people and diversity in medical education has been super lacking. A lot of times, a health care experience may not be ideal for someone who identifies with certain minority groups, just because their doctor’s medical education did not cover a lot of the topics we do. It’s really cool that we get a much more well-rounded aspect of what medicine is and what healthcare is. On that note, you don’t even have to go down the medical path. You can, like Bianca said, go into policy-making, or you can go into social services! There’s so much you can do with this major that makes it really unique. I just love the interdisciplinary aspect of it.
Brittney: Because of the interdisciplinary aspect, you can tailor your classes to your strengths. So if you are really great at science and you really like rote memorization, you can take science courses. Or if you’re really good at essay writing and you like explaining or debating, you can take classes that are better suited for writing. For me, I actually like writing a lot more. It makes me really happy. I love writing essays more than I do studying and cramming for an exam. It’s just who I am; I’m sorry, Pearl. Those are the classes that I’d actually rather choose, and I’m really grateful that I have that option. Not everyone studies the same and not everyone has the same techniques. I like that you can literally choose the type of class that you are going to get the best grade in.
Pearl: I totally agree with what everyone has said. Especially what Britney says, because it gives you this diversity, which you won’t be able to experience in other majors. It gives you the chance to learn about more things like, especially elective-wise. I took an intro to LGBTQ class, and that class was the best, hands down; there was so much I learned where I was just like, “Thank God I chose this particular class.” I think that’s one really important thing for this major: you get to learn so many things, so many different aspects. I may not like writing, but I feel like my writing skills have improved. I took an intro to Bioethics classes — best thing ever. I think the elective collection is so beautiful. There are just so many good classes!
Do you have any tips for people coming into the major or going through weeder classes?
Bianca: After I declared the major and I started taking my first few HBS classes, I was very intimidated. In HBS, you do a lot of writing. It’s kind of a shock at first, because you’re not used to having to know scientific terms, as well as getting tested on writing essays about it and how that affects population health and all stuff like that. I was really scared because I had not taken a writing class in a year and a half. I definitely felt a little discouraged because my first few essays weren’t amazing. But as I kept going in the major, my essays got better. I honestly think that it encourages you to be a better writer. It also teaches you to be a better writer in a research sense by having essays that are a little bit more sophisticated and implement a lot of scientific evidence. And talking to your teachers is so helpful. My professors were so helpful with tweaking my approach to HBS classes and reminding me that it’s okay! Everyone struggles if you’re moving from a very science-heavy major to HBS. So my advice for people coming into the major is to not be intimidated by the writing. It’ll get easier as you keep going.
Vardaan: To add to that, I will agree and also say that the easiest way to get good, beyond just HBS, is if you find a way to make what you’re doing fun, then everything becomes easy. So with HBS, I think I was in the same boat as others who didn’t like writing. I was just like, “Okay, I might not be good at this, but I can just try to learn and find new ways to make things interesting.” Now, I actually love writing. I’ve taken four writing classes throughout college now. It was a complete flip. Just keep an open mindset and be receptive to things to understand them. You’re not just here for a grade; you’re here to learn and have fun! Try to take it easy while you’re doing it.
Brittney: My advice for anyone considering HBS is to just apply. A lot of people feel like they need to know if they’re HBS because you have to go through an application, and in all honesty, I don’t really feel you need to have the answers just yet. If you’re considering it, definitely apply. Because in all honesty, if you don’t want to be HBS anymore, you can always switch out, you know? You can always change your mind and that’s completely fine! But if you change your mind later that you want to be HBS, you can’t apply anymore, because the deadline is in spring quarter of your second year. So you can always switch out, but you can’t come back in later.
Caitlin: I think when you decide to submit an application for HBS, you have this image that everyone who’s applying is already so knowledgeable about what they’re applying into. So you’re like, “Oh my gosh, everyone’s so intelligent and knows about human biology and how that impacts society or impacts populations, and they’re going to write about that on the application and mine’s going to suck because I have no idea!” But that’s really not the case. From all of my HBS classes, I’ve had conversations with people who said, “Oh, I didn’t know that at all. I’m so happy we learned about what we read in that article.” I think a misconception people have is that if you apply, you have to know everything about the major, but you really don’t. Also, the harder classes actually teach you so much that you end up really missing taking them and wishing you could take more because there’s just so much to learn within the major and the different subfocuses!
Pearl: I think everyone has said something really important. And I would just add: before applying, even if you’re not sure, just apply. In your process of applying, it would be helpful to also talk to upperclassmen. They’re always so willing to read applications and see if you’re hitting the right points in your essays, so definitely reach out to them. And in general, attend office hours, because you may need letters of recommendation later on. Just be very open-minded about the major. Do your research, especially for elective classes. Don’t just pick a class. See what it’s about. It’s not only about the grade.
Manuel: I was going to bounce off Bianca’s comment that I think the number one thing, again, is trying to imagine myself as a sophomore, applying into the major. The most important thing is remembering to be just your authentic self. Don’t go in researching populations, genetics, environmental health, or how everything connects because people are going to be reading your application and they’re going to read right through that. I’m a firm believer that if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I think by just putting your best foot forward and being you, your application is already 50% better.
Do you have any regrets?
Vardaan: No!
Bianca: Honestly, my only regret is that I didn’t declare pre-HBS and start taking those classes earlier. Being in my last year now and only having two quarters left, there’s so many different electives and classes that I could have taken if I knew about them earlier. Although I don’t regret my organizational experience leading me into the major, I do wish I could stay another quarter or two just to take more classes.
The videos and articles in the Major Decisions series are produced by Therese Arevalo, Kevin Chen, and Callista Wu.
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