Business Undergrad? Would it work?

Jarvis21

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Hello, I am curious as to what would happen if you persued a non-science undergraduate direction and if it would directly corrolate to my chances of getting into medical school? Would getting my undergraduate degree in a business related field be harmful towards my med school chances? As long as I took the pre-requisites I should be fine, right? I love all things business/marketing, but I also am deeply interested in the medical field. All answers help. Thanks!!

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Hello, I am curious as to what would happen if you persued a non-science undergraduate direction and if it would directly corrolate to my chances of getting into medical school? Would getting my undergraduate degree in a business related field be harmful towards my med school chances? As long as I took the pre-requisites I should be fine, right? I love all things business/marketing, but I also am deeply interested in the medical field. All answers help. Thanks!!

I majored in a non-science field, but if I could do anything over, it would be to major in either business or public health. Probably business. It will definitely not hurt your chances and will probably even help your chances at some schools.
 
Nah... All you really have to focus on is keeping up a good GPA and doing well in all your pre-reqs.
 
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You should absolutely go with what you like in undergrad... no question about it.

Here are the reasons:

Medical school admission - You stand out from the sea of science majors. And, for sure, you will be asked about your major on your interviews (for me it was the main topic of every interview)... and what better subject to talk about than one you are passionate about.

Med School & Residency - Your training will be largely (maybe completely) devoid of business and marketing training that will prove vital once you are out in the real world. You will learn the medicine in medical school. You will learn to apply the medicine in medical school and internship/residency.

Work After Your Training - Whether you go into practice, join a group, or are hired into a large institution or organization, business & marketing trained physicians are seen as huge assets. If you have business & marketing skills, you'll be the one that moves up the administrative tree if that's something you want to pursue.

You will have more options before, during, and after your training. (You'll also have more options if you don't get in... What would you do with a biology degree if you didn't go to med school? Go back to school for business?)

The Key - In any interview, personal statement, application, etc it will be important to be able to make the connection with your path up to that point and your career in medicine.

For example, marketing (more so the persuasion and social psychology aspects) is something everyone does... they just don't call it "marketing"... politicians market themselves & their ideas to the voters... a priest/pastor/rabbi/imam/guru markets their spiritual message to their followers... a parent markets values, manners, socialization etc to their kids. Well guess what? A doctor performs a very similar process at the bedside, or discussing with families, or recruiting referrals from other docs.

Go with what you like.
 
Most schools say they have no preference for science or non-science GPAs. In fact, majoring in something non-science will show that you are a well-rounded person with many interests outside of medicine, which is always a good thing. Just make sure you back it up with a good BCSM GPA and lots of clinicals, shadowing, and research experience.
 
I viewed my non-science background as a pro on the road for interviews. It is a little bit of a con now that I'm in school, simply because I never honed my memorization skills. I was in a PBL and team based major that really forced me to work in groups. I learned better communication skills and defined leadership (and following) abilities. I know several people that were Finance, Accounting, or whatever else that got into multiple schools. One of them applied to 6 and got into 6.
 
You should absolutely go with what you like in undergrad... no question about it.

Here are the reasons:

Medical school admission - You stand out from the sea of science majors. And, for sure, you will be asked about your major on your interviews (for me it was the main topic of every interview)... and what better subject to talk about than one you are passionate about.

Med School & Residency - Your training will be largely (maybe completely) devoid of business and marketing training that will prove vital once you are out in the real world. You will learn the medicine in medical school. You will learn to apply the medicine in medical school and internship/residency.

Work After Your Training - Whether you go into practice, join a group, or are hired into a large institution or organization, business & marketing trained physicians are seen as huge assets. If you have business & marketing skills, you'll be the one that moves up the administrative tree if that's something you want to pursue.

You will have more options before, during, and after your training. (You'll also have more options if you don't get in... What would you do with a biology degree if you didn't go to med school? Go back to school for business?)

The Key - In any interview, personal statement, application, etc it will be important to be able to make the connection with your path up to that point and your career in medicine.

For example, marketing (more so the persuasion and social psychology aspects) is something everyone does... they just don't call it "marketing"... politicians market themselves & their ideas to the voters... a priest/pastor/rabbi/imam/guru markets their spiritual message to their followers... a parent markets values, manners, socialization etc to their kids. Well guess what? A doctor performs a very similar process at the bedside, or discussing with families, or recruiting referrals from other docs.

Go with what you like.

Very well put. :thumbup:
 
Thank you all very much. That makes me feel a whole lot better, because I wasn't sure whether or not to pursue business. In science related undergrads, do you get more subject matter that would help you on your MCAT? Or do only the pre-reqs cover what is on them? One of my goals is to become Chief of Medicine somewhere so a business undergrad would definitely help me. I memorize very easily (memorized the DOI in less than 10 minutes), so I dont think that should be a problem. Thanks again and good luck to all!!
 
Declaration of Independence. Not all of it, but like the first 5 parts or so.
 
Thank you all very much. That makes me feel a whole lot better, because I wasn't sure whether or not to pursue business. In science related undergrads, do you get more subject matter that would help you on your MCAT? Or do only the pre-reqs cover what is on them? One of my goals is to become Chief of Medicine somewhere so a business undergrad would definitely help me. I memorize very easily (memorized the DOI in less than 10 minutes), so I dont think that should be a problem. Thanks again and good luck to all!!


pre-reqs will cover most of the stuff....

major in what you want - you'll do better and if you change your mind you're not stuck with a "somewhat" generic biology degree.
 
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