Best major for med school?

[mynameisamyw]

I am trying to decide what to major in in college. I want to go to med school, but want to major in something that will pretty much guarantee me a (medical) job if I can't get in. What would be the best major to consider?

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[URHere]

In general, your undergraduate major is never going to be enough to guarantee you a job, especially in the medical field. As far as I know, the only undergraduate majors with a solid record of earning graduates solid jobs right off the bat are engineering and in some cases, computer science. If you want a medical job, there is no such guarantee - you need a solid GPA, a few core science courses, high standardized test scores, clinical experience, and solid writing/interviewing skills. Needless to say, you can obtain these things no matter what major you choose.

My advice to you would be to pick something that you have a strong interest in. If you have some interest that you would like to pursue before possibly entering the medical field (e.g. finance, theatre, russian, etc.), you could major in that. If you would rather spend your time studying science, take some basic courses and then see which branch you like best. Either way, you will probably change your mind at least a few times before settling on a major, so don't worry yourself about choosing one too much for the time being.

 

[135892]

Med schools don't care at all what your undergrad major is. So if you know that med school is for you, major in whatever interests you, and allows to keep a solid GPA. Now, as for getting a medical job straight out of undergrad, I really can't think of anything besides nursing. However, I would strongly suggest against going towards nursing if you'll be gunning for med school. You could always get a patient care assisstant or tech sort of job in the medical field, but you can do this with pretty much any degree. If you want a job straight out of undergrad, I would suggest you consider fields such as engineering, computer science, and maybe some sort of business degree. But even in these fields, if you really want to make a decent living at them, you have to get some sort of higher degree. Best of luck.

 

[w0344990]

I am trying to decide what to major in in college. I want to go to med school, but want to major in something that will pretty much guarantee me a (medical) job if I can't get in. What would be the best major to consider?

These majors off the top of my head have at least a little medical or health care emphasis:
--Biology
--Chemistry
--Health Studies
--Nursing
--Kinesiology

However, you'll do the best with a major you enjoy. Your first semester or two will largely involve core requirements for most degrees: basic maths, english, and science courses, for example. You don't have to declare a major immediately entering school. You can also look into getting a degree in general studies. Whatever you do, make sure you get the required courses for medical school.

 

[michaelrack]

These majors off the top of my head have at least a little medical or health care emphasis:
--Biology
--Chemistry
--Health Studies
--Nursing
--Kinesiology

.

It's best to avoid nursing- med school admissions committees look down on this. Would also avoid health studies and kinesiology. Most majors are ok, but your undergrad degree should not be in nursing or one of the allied health fields.

 

[RxWildcat]

A lot of people do Bio, I'd recommend that.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I am trying to decide what to major in in college. I want to go to med school, but want to major in something that will pretty much guarantee me a (medical) job if I can't get in. What would be the best major to consider?

Chemistry

 

[RySerr21]

A lot of people do Bio, I'd recommend that.

Only do Bio if that is what you are passionate about. Its not going to give you any advantage in the medical school process and you will be miserable if you are in a major that you dont really care about. You can take the necessary bio pre med courses and if there is another bio class that intersts you (but you dont necessarily want to be a major) you can always take it as an elective.

Chemistry

Hopefully you are joking. If you arent, the same thing I said above applies here.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a degree that'd combine marketability and usefulness in med school better than biochemistry.

 

[w0344990]

It's best to avoid nursing- med school admissions committees look down on this. Would also avoid health studies and kinesiology. Most majors are ok, but your undergrad degree should not be in nursing or one of the allied health fields.

Why is that? Because of redundancy?

 

[michaelrack]

Why is that? Because of redundancy?

I think it's because the powers that be don't want to encourage pre-meds to go into nursing school and take the nursing school spot of someone who will practice as a nurse. There is currently a nursing shortage. sorry, can't really explain it that well.

 

[mynameisamyw]

How about something like nutrition sciences?

 

[Caesar]

OP, There isn't a best major really. Each one offers something different. Do something you like. Stay away from Nursing or other peripheral fields. Those spots are needed for people who plan to practice in those areas. Biochemistry is probably the most useful in terms of the science content, but it really honestly does not matter what it is, you just need to do well in whatever you choose.

 

[ToldYouSo]

Major in something your good at, spending 4 years and thousands of dollars on tuition/room and board for something you don't like will be hell. You'll have plenty of time to be depressed during residency.






J/k!

 

[Tiger26]

Major in something your good at, spending 4 years and thousands of dollars on tuition/room and board for something you don't like will be hell. You'll have plenty of time to be depressed during residency.






J/k!

I majored in government, and others in my class majored in history, english, accounting, dance, music, etc, in addition to the usual science majors

Do what you enjoy and are good at

 

[Docere]

Honestly, you don't have to major in something that is extremely involved in healthcare. A friend of mine majored in Mediterranean Archaeology is now at BCM. In fact, it's actually suggested that you DON'T major in Biology because that's what a lot of premed students think you have to do. It's more competitive, in some schools, to major in Biology, and harder for a Biology major to get one of those precious spots on the medical school rosters.

Physics is usually recommended because Physics requires a lot of problem-solving skills, which are translated into the healthcare environment. There aren't very many physics majors applying to medical school, and I'm sure a physics major will help you LOADS on the physics portion of the MCAT (which is arguably the hardest section).

Medical schools love well-rounded individuals who show an interest in things outside of medicine. For example, I know some people who are double-majoring or minoring in Religion, Social Sciences, Accounting, History, and Art. I would recommend that you major in something YOU'RE interested in learning about.

Of course, regardless of your major, you should do a lot of work in the healthcare environment. For example, volunteer at the hospital. Do research over the summer or over the academic school year. You have to express an interest in working in healthcare and show that you're not applying to medical school just because your mom and dad say you should.

 

[MilkmanAl]

There aren't very many physics majors applying to medical school

True. I believe I'm the only one in my class. There are a couple engineers, though.

I'm sure a physics major will help you LOADS on the physics portion of the MCAT

I did little more than review formulae, and I got a 12 on the PS section, so yeah, it helps a lot.

Majoring in bio isn't a bad idea, but you might want to pick up a humanities minor or something to keep from burning out on science. The courses you'll have access to in a bio major will be very useful in med school.

 

[starl3tte]

What about when residency arrives? If you are interested in a competitive specialty, would your choice of undergrad major come back and haunt you? Or at that point, are you only judged by your Step 1 scores and research/grades/LORs from med school?

 

[Ella Shepherd]

I am trying to decide what to major in in college. I want to go to med school, but want to major in something that will pretty much guarantee me a (medical) job if I can't get in. What would be the best major to consider?

Before I say anything else, I'd just like to point out that you can major in anything in college as long as you take the required premed course work before medical school.

Some majors that lead to a medical job are:

Biology
Biomedical Sciences
Biochemistry
Clinical Laboratory Science
Medical Technology
Public Health (This is my major by the way and I'm loving it!)
Nursing
Medical Dietetics
Health/Physical Fitness
Physical Therapy
Speech-Language Pathology (a.k.a. Communication Disorders)
Radiologic Science
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology
Neuroscience
Pharmacy
Health Sciences
Alternative Medicine
Counseling
Dental Hygiene
Forensic Medicine
Gerontology
Health Information Technology
Nutrition and Food Science
Medical Informatics
Respiratory Therapy
Sports Science
...and many more!...

Here's a site that may help: Majors in Medical and Health Sciences Scroll down that page.

Also use the CollegeBoard website to help you.

Good luck!

Edit: By the way, we can't tell you what the best major is. You've got to decide that for yourself. It's different for everybody.

 

[Docere]

What about when residency arrives? If you are interested in a competitive specialty, would your choice of undergrad major come back and haunt you? Or at that point, are you only judged by your Step 1 scores and research/grades/LORs from med school?

From everything I've read about the match program is that what you did in medical school counts the most. And I've actually heard that Step 2s are more important. Sidetracking:

USMLE scores: This is the single most important factor for an FMH at least. The higher the scores the better are the chances. Now there is a confusion over step 1 or 2 scores which are better. General perception is that Step 1 scores are more important. But I'd like to tell you about a study on this factor.

This study concluded that Step 2 scores had higher predictive value for getting good slots than step 1. The predictive value was not affected when step 1 and 2 combined scores were taken into account. This implies Step 2 scores have the maximum predictive value for getting residency, irrespective of step 1 scores. Few people might contradict this but this is what the study says. Here is an extract from that study…

About a month after the completion of the 2004 Residency Match, Kaplan surveyed a set of students who had taken USMLE preparation courses with us over the past year. Students were asked whether or not they had secured a residency position, and for some information about themselves, such as USMLE scores, USMLE failures, the date on which each USMLE Step was passed, the number of programs to which they had applied, their year of graduation from medical school, and whether they were permanent residents of the U.S. or not.

By far, the best predictor of getting a residency position was the USMLE Step 2 score! Good Step 1 scores were also positively related to getting a residency, but STEP 2 scores mattered MORE!

When both Step 1 and Step 2 scores are placed in a stepwise regression analysis to predict the chance of getting into a residency, once Step 2 is entered into the model, there is no predictive capacity left for Step 1. This means that adding a Step 1 score to the model does not give a better prediction. A Step 2 score, by itself, gives the best prediction. Using just Step 2 scores as a predictor, we are able to derive a model that correctly classified 75% of those who did and did not get a residency position.

Personally, I don't think it matters which Step is more important. If you study well for both, you should be set xD

I think maybe the only time when your undergraduate major might hurt or help you is what you can get out of your major. This probably won't affect if you get matched, but it'll affect what you can use when you're actually out in the field. If you take something like Archaeology like my friend did, it might be a little harder for you to use something associated to that major and put it to use in residency. If you take something like a History major, you might be surprised by how important History of Medicine is when you're face-to-face with a weird disease.

But I don't think the major you choose will affect your residency match so much.

 

[MilkmanAl]

From everything I've read about the match program is that what you did in medical school counts the most. And I've actually heard that Step 2s are more important.

College major is completely irrelevant. Even performance in your first 2 years of med school isn't all that big of a deal. Your Step 1 scores and performance during the clinical years are what matter. Step 2 can help make up for a poor Step 1 score, but Step 1's where the action is.

 

[lise22]

Columbia has a degree in general studies that has the oldest and largest Postbaccalaureate Premedical Pre-health program in the United States.

 

[Law2Doc]

College major is completely irrelevant. Even performance in your first 2 years of med school isn't all that big of a deal. Your Step 1 scores and performance during the clinical years are what matter. Step 2 can help make up for a poor Step 1 score, but Step 1's where the action is.

Agreed. Your college major is irrelevant to residencies. There is no preferred major for these. Nor is there a preferred major for med school. To some extent, a non-sci major might make you more interesting to an interviewer or two, but by and large you should major in what you enjoy and can do well in, because graduating with a high GPA and having taken the prereqs is really all the med schools are going to care about. As Milkman correctly stated, Step 1 is the end-all be-all. Many many people won't have even submitted a Step 2 score for consideration of residency programs so obviously that is not "more important".

 

[T12]

I'll echo what others have said and tell you that what you'll enjoy is the best major because your grades will often be dependent on how much time you are willing to spend with the material.

I will add though that you should never hesitate to change majors if you feel you would enjoy something else more. I did this my sophomore year and I feel my grades have reflected my interest in the new major. If I had stuck with Biology, I think my GPA would be significantly lower. Even though Bio is perceived as (and probably is) easier than my current major, I wouldn't have done as well because it bored me.