Premeds don't need to take a foreign language course, right?

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My degree (I think most degrees) requires 1 year of foreign language, but being a premed major, should i not care about this?

Originally Posted by AestheticGod

My degree (I think most degrees) requires 1 year of foreign language, but being a premed major, should i not care about this?

I think as a human being, you *should* care about this...

Originally Posted by TheLesPaul

I think as a human being, you *should* care about this...

English-Fluent (almost? lol)
Bengali-Fluent(speaking+ writing)
Arabic-Fluent(Speaking+semi-writing)
Gujarati-Fluent (Speaking+writing)
Hindi-Semi-fluent(Speaking+writing)


Isn't 5 enough for me? I understand spanish is highly popular in America..but for gods sakes, i don't think my brain can hold anymore without exploding or mixing them together to create my own language I just feel that if possible, i would rather concentrate on getting A+ on my sciences, then have another language course to worry about on the side.

Originally Posted by AestheticGod

Gujrati-Fluent (Speaking+writing)

It adds credibility to your argument if you can spell the language correctly, doesn't it?

Does your school not offer any of the languages you are already fluent in? Free A if nothing else.

No but if you're thinking about working lets say in the city when you graduate guess what would help your job prospects?

Originally Posted by investing101

No but if you're thinking about working lets say in the city when you graduate guess what would help your job prospects?

Spanish is dime a dozen.. The languages the OP already knows will be much more appealing to employers.

Originally Posted by AestheticGod

English-Fluent (almost? lol)
Bengali-Fluent(speaking+ writing)
Arabic-Fluent(Speaking+semi-writing)
Gujarati-Fluent (Speaking+writing)
Hindi-Semi-fluent(Speaking+writing)


Isn't 5 enough for me? I understand spanish is highly popular in America..but for gods sakes, i don't think my brain can hold anymore without exploding or mixing them together to create my own language I just feel that if possible, i would rather concentrate on getting A+ on my sciences, then have another language course to worry about on the side.

impressive and point taken, it seemed like you were just trying to get out of taking a class. with that said, if it's a degree req, then how can you *not* care about it? i sort of run into that problem with whatever latest language i happen to be working on (hindi at the moment) taking on all the spots in my brain and ousting the french or spanish or what-have-you. however, languages you're truly fluent are in a separate compartment.

also to the the guy above me ... not true. spanish is way more useful in america than any mix of indian languages.

Usually a degree requirement, not for med schools though. I also didn't want to take spanish, and took Russian instead. Lots of fun.

Originally Posted by AestheticGod

My degree (I think most degrees) requires 1 year of foreign language, but being a premed major, should i not care about this?

Uhh if it's a degree requirement you have to care. If you don't fulfill your degree requirements, you won't get your bachelor's degree, and you need your bachelor's degree to get into med school. Based on your fluency, you may be able to test out of a language (I know a lot of colleges offer at least Hindi, and you're probably fluent enough to test out of at least part of the requirement)

No OP you do not NEED to take a foreign language to get into med school. But knowing a second language will no doubt improve your application.

Originally Posted by TheLesPaul

impressive and point taken, it seemed like you were just trying to get out of taking a class. with that said, if it's a degree req, then how can you *not* care about it? i sort of run into that problem with whatever latest language i happen to be working on (hindi at the moment) taking on all the spots in my brain and ousting the french or spanish or what-have-you. however, languages you're truly fluent are in a separate compartment.

also to the the guy above me ... not true. spanish is way more useful in america than any mix of indian languages.

Where did I say that Spanish was not useful? Tons of doctors will speak Spanish, very few will speak the languages the OP speaks. If you were a hospital administrator looking to hire a new doctor, would you prefer to add one to your existing stack of Spanish speakers or add one with a unique set of languages? I'd pick the latter.

Originally Posted by MedPR

Where did I say that Spanish was not useful? Tons of doctors will speak Spanish, very few will speak the languages the OP speaks. If you were a hospital administrator looking to hire a new doctor, would you prefer to add one to your existing stack of Spanish speakers or add one with a unique set of languages? I'd pick the latter.

You said "dime a dozen" implying relative lack of worth. In the US, you're 99.99999% much more likely to run into a Spanish-only patient than a Hindi-only patient. You're hiring doctors, not interpreters -- Spanish is a much more valuable skill, and I would add one to my stack of Spanish speakers.

Think about it this way -- every time a physician uses an interpreter phone, it costs the hospital X amount of money. Would you rather hire someone who uses the phone once every 6 months for the random languages, or someone who uses the phone 5x daily for Spanish?

Originally Posted by AestheticGod

English-Fluent (almost? lol)
Bengali-Fluent(speaking+ writing)
Arabic-Fluent(Speaking+semi-writing)
Gujarati-Fluent (Speaking+writing)
Hindi-Semi-fluent(Speaking+writing)


Isn't 5 enough for me? I understand spanish is highly popular in America..but for gods sakes, i don't think my brain can hold anymore without exploding or mixing them together to create my own language I just feel that if possible, i would rather concentrate on getting A+ on my sciences, then have another language course to worry about on the side.

I think Spanish really is important. If you don't want to add it to your regular course work then learn it over a summer through an immersion program.

Originally Posted by AestheticGod

English-Fluent (almost? lol)
Bengali-Fluent(speaking+ writing)
Arabic-Fluent(Speaking+semi-writing)
Gujarati-Fluent (Speaking+writing)
Hindi-Semi-fluent(Speaking+writing)


Isn't 5 enough for me? I understand spanish is highly popular in America..but for gods sakes, i don't think my brain can hold anymore without exploding or mixing them together to create my own language I just feel that if possible, i would rather concentrate on getting A+ on my sciences, then have another language course to worry about on the side.

If you don't want to do it, don't. Spanish will definitely help you in your clinical years.

Different institutions have different requirements.At my school you have to take 1 foreign language class if you are doing a pre-med concentration. Luckily for me my high school credits transferred, because I think it would have been a waste of time in college since I am already fluent in two other languages. Again it can be an easy A thus being a GPA booster. It might also look good in your application (Just guessing...lol)

Originally Posted by plumhill

Uhh if it's a degree requirement you have to care. If you don't fulfill your degree requirements, you won't get your bachelor's degree, and you need your bachelor's degree to get into med school. Based on your fluency, you may be able to test out of a language (I know a lot of colleges offer at least Hindi, and you're probably fluent enough to test out of at least part of the requirement)

This. If your university wants it for your degree, it doesn't matter what med schools want. All med schools will want you to get your degree, so do what you need to get that degree even if the requirement is not something that the med schools require of you.

Op should go work for CIA, with those languages!

not required for most schools. some want you to have spanish. if its required for your degree, take it and do well. it doesn't look good if you tank other classes just to focus on science classes. hurts your cGPA and med schools like to see you do well in other non-science classes

You just said it's your degree requirement. Who cares if you need it for medical school. You need it to graduate.

Originally Posted by plumhill

Uhh if it's a degree requirement you have to care. If you don't fulfill your degree requirements, you won't get your bachelor's degree, and you need your bachelor's degree to get into med school. Based on your fluency, you may be able to test out of a language (I know a lot of colleges offer at least Hindi, and you're probably fluent enough to test out of at least part of the requirement)

not necessarily. some caribbean schools do not require a degree at all!!

You most likely don't need to take a Foreign Language course to get into med school, but most schools require these classes to graduate. Don't miss out on your chance to graduate!

To be honest, I dunno how meaningful 1 year of a language can help be marketable, unless you study abroad or follow up intensely, or live abroad.