Should I go Pre Med?

[RYost234]

Hello,
I am a Senior in High School and I am interested in being a Physician or Veterinarian (lucky for me, they have almost the exact same pre reqs). I am going to play baseball in College (D2), and some of the recruiting schools only offer Pre med, Bio, or Chem as science majors. I am wondering if I should go into Bio and take the missing pre reqs along with it, because I fear that going Pre Med will cover more than I'm interested in and my GPA will suffer. Does it make more sense to go Pre Med to be a PA/Vet or should I study in Bio?
Thanks,
Rob

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[BuckyBadger!]

Hi Rob. You can't major in "Pre-med." Being "pre-med" is more of a career intention than a program. Many major in biosciences and, like you said, complete the general prereqs for medical school. If you choose Bio or Chem, many classes will be required for your major as well as prereqs. Also, I would be nervous to attend any school that only has two options for science majors. Doesn't sound like a strong school.

 

[RYost234]

Hi Rob. You can't major in "Pre-med." Being "pre-med" is more of a career intention than a program. Many major in biosciences and, like you said, complete the general prereqs for medical school. If you choose Bio or Chem, many classes will be required for your major as well as prereqs. Also, I would be nervous to attend any school that only has two options for science majors. Doesn't sound like a strong school.

Thanks for replying! So I think I may be confused on the Pre Med topic. Do you choose a science major and ask to be Pre Med along with it?

 

[NotMichael]

Thanks for replying! So I think I may be confused on the Pre Med topic. Do you choose a science major and ask to be Pre Med along with it?

Yes, basically. There are Pre-Med programs at colleges/universities that are not majors, but a list of pre-reqs that most med schools require. So you major in you want, but the pre-med program fills most of the "holes" that your major does not cover. If you do a science major, though, most of the classes in the pre-med program will cancel out.

Does that make sense?
Good luck!

 

[styphon]

Premed is most often a label that has no real-world implications. You can do any major you want - I have heard some schools have a specific "premed" major - but this is very rare. In my medical school class we had people who majored in physics, engineering, and social sciences. We even had a theatre major.

 

[DesertPT]

Some schools do have a bachelor of pre-med program (ASU calls it "Medical Studies" for example). Most don't though. Many have a major called Health Sciences too, which is essentially pre-med/pre-PA/pre-PT/pre-everything else all rolled together.

Honestly I think doing a biology degree gives you a better education. But doing any other degree is just fine too if you are serious about medical school. If you're not 100% sure, choosing a more practical degree that may be easier to fall back on could be wise.

 

[NervousWreck6]

I agree with everyone's input above. Pre-med is not a major, it is a career pathway that students in chemistry, biochem, biology, english, philosophy (and every other major you can think of) can take.

Think about this, if you don't get into medical school, what are you going to do with a premed major?

 

[Crookster]

Yeah chose whatever major you want...I am a business entrepreneurship major for example and along with my major I took all the science pre-reqs for med school. Just email the science or pre health department asking for the pre-requisites for medical school and they will send you a list of about 12 classes you will need to take in addition to whatever major you decide to pick. Chose a major that will offer you a future if you decide not to pursue a career in medicine. A lot can change in the 4 years of college.