Triple Major vs Double Major

[EHCpremed]

Hello everyone,

I am aware that there have been similar questions asked, but like all good pre-med students, I believe that I am special. Sorry for any redundancy.

I am a college sophomore triple majoring in Physics, Mathematics, and Philosophy. I plan to study abroad with NOLS in the spring of my junior year and because of this will need an extra semester as an undergrad to finish out my premed requirements. To be clear, I AM NOT asking whether I can triple major. I can and still make the appropriate grades to get into med school. I have a couple of questions.
1) Post-bacc or extra semester? Ignoring financial factors, what do medical schools prefer?

2) Is it better to graduate in four years with a double major or to take an extra semester for the triple?

Thank ya'll for the advice!

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[gyngyn]

Nobody cares but you.

 

[Willy38]

I would say try to complete all pre-reqs as an undergrad if possible. Financial factors aside, go with whatever floats your boat. Perform well academically, complete your science pre-reqs, and study what your interested in.

 

[LoveIR]

You're better off sticking around for 1 more semester than doing a post-bacc. It would be even better to just do a double major and graduate on time. Even better would be just doing one major and great ECs.

Double major if you want, but no one on the adcom really cares if someone did a double major (as gyngyn says above). It's much more important that you have solid grades, MCAT, and meaningful extracurriculars than 2 majors. You'll have an MD, and then your BA or BS means nothing.

 

[MrLogan13]

Just do an extra semester. It really doesn't matter.

 

[Lucca]

Extra semester > post bacc. It's far cheaper and more convenient. Plenty of people take 5 years to finish undergrad.

 

[claduva94]

May I ask your reasoning for triple majoring?

 

[NYCdude]

Try to tack on another year and go for the quadruple, IMO.

 

[The Buff OP]

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Hello everyone,

I am aware that there have been similar questions asked, but like all good pre-med students, I believe that I am special. Sorry for any redundancy.

I am a college sophomore triple majoring in Physics, Mathematics, and Philosophy. I plan to study abroad with NOLS in the spring of my junior year and because of this will need an extra semester as an undergrad to finish out my premed requirements. To be clear, I AM NOT asking whether I can triple major. I can and still make the appropriate grades to get into med school. I have a couple of questions.
1) Post-bacc or extra semester? Ignoring financial factors, what do medical schools prefer?

2) Is it better to graduate in four years with a double major or to take an extra semester for the triple?

Thank ya'll for the advice!

\
NOLS is awesome (I assume you are talking about National Outdoor Leadership), if not expensive. Do it because you love it, and will have something unique and different to talk about. This will make you stand out. My brother did some of their summer programs, and thought it was outstanding. Best wishes to you.

 

[mimelim]

\
NOLS is awesome (I assume you are talking about National Outdoor Leadership), if not expensive. Do it because you love it, and will have something unique and different to talk about. This will make you stand out. My brother did some of their summer programs, and thought it was outstanding. Best wishes to you.

Both my brothers and myself did multiple NOLS trips growing up. Now I'm pushing my 15 year old brother-in-law to do the same. Fantastic experience.

 

[deleted407021]

May I ask your reasoning for triple majoring?

Because he's a tryhard?



NOLS sounds really neat. And graduating in 5 years is fine; just keep your grades and ECs up, OP.

 

[tea guzzling traveler]

Yeah, especially if you are pursuing med school, the triple major is almost meaningless. But if you want to, go for it, but mostly out of personal satisfaction. NOLS sounds awesome, so also go for it. And stay in your university, 5 years is certainly not unheard of. 4 would probably be better unless you need grade remediation, but it sounds like you don't.

 

[Mad Jack]

No one cares about double or triple majors. Do whatever will both make you happy and allow you to attain a decent GPA.

 

[ConsultantMD]

I triple majored in college. It was never my goal, but rather through a combination of a lot of AP credits, extra classes, and choosing a well-rounded (very well-rounded) course mix throughout the year. Eventually, when it came down to declaring a major at the end of my second year, I realized I was working towards 3 majors without too much additional coursework.

It does stand out, at least on the interview trail. Almost every interviewer has commented on it, and we've talked briefly about how I decided to pick 3 very different majors. So I do think that people care, and I do think it's an important part of my application.

Now in terms of what I would do in your situation OP, I would really think about what is important in this process. MCAT and GPA dominate a big part of what gets you the opportunity to interview. Other important aspects of course are your story and experiences, but at least what I imagine in the minds of AdComs, which get flooded with applicants, they do not have time to pour through everyone's life histories and these two numbers do a pretty good job of finding who they need to find. I didn't know what I really wanted to do back in college, which is why I entertained these 3 different majors, but had I known I wanted to go to med school right after college, I probably would've just done what I needed to do to have the best, numerically-competitive application.

 

[tmn]

Is it better to graduate in four years with a double major or to take an extra semester for the triple?