Best majors for pre-med?

[wpierce118]

Are most of you guys bio or other science majors? For those that aren't, how difficult has it been to fit the prerequisites for medical school into your schedules?

I'm starting college and my pre-med track in January, and am leaning towards a bio major because it seems to be the most common. But is it really that beneficial?

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[coyotelime]

Yes it's beneficial, but don't do it because you think it'll look good for medical school.

Pick a major you're genuinely passionate about. If that's biology great, if not, explore a bit. Hell, who knows? You may find something even more exciting than medicine.

As a freshman, you want to keep an open mind. Good luck!

Edit: PS Ignore all the meaniebutts that post condescending comments below me they tend to be few and far in between

 

[487806]

Are most of you guys bio or other science majors? For those that aren't, how difficult has it been to fit the prerequisites for medical school into your schedules?

I'm starting college and my pre-med track in January, and am leaning towards a bio major because it seems to be the most common. But is it really that beneficial?

Have you used the search function? There are so many threads about the same topic.

No. It doesn't matter what major you're doing. Get the premed reqs done, and you're good.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

When you created this thread, what enticed you to continue past seeing that your title brought up fifteen thousand threads with the same points/concept. Did you expect a different answer?

Your major doesn't matter, do something you enjoy. Just get the prereqs in, get a good GPA, stay involved, and kill your MCAT.

 

[bigdogrob4284]

Many people, including myself, end up as biology or chemistry majors simply because upon completion of the prereqs for med school, you are almost half way to one of those degrees anyway. Also, it often makes sense that someone interested in becoming a physician also tends to like biology oriented topics.

However, you can major in whatever you want and it won't make any difference. There isn't really an advantage to any major really; just go with what interests you. Just be smart and plan wisely in order to make sure your prereqs are done in the right order/timeframe along with the classes for your major.

 

[wpierce118]

Many people, including myself, end up as biology or chemistry majors simply because upon completion of the prereqs for med school, you are almost half way to one of those degrees anyway. Also, it often makes sense that someone interested in becoming a physician also tends to like biology oriented topics.

However, you can major in whatever you want and it won't make any difference. There isn't really an advantage to any major really; just go with what interests you. Just be smart and plan wisely in order to make sure your prereqs are done in the right order/timeframe along with the classes for your major.

That is mostly what I assumed. I guess I'd be in a good position to do a double major as well; since I'm starting in January I'll likely spend at least 4 and a half years in undergrad so picking up 2 degrees doesn't seem out of the question.

As for those posting about how often this thread comes up, I apologize if the topic has already been exhausted. I have no power or internet so am posting from my phone and it isn't the easiest to find if or when this has been posted before.

If you don't think it is worth asking again, let this thread die. Else, I think new posts demonstrate a continued interest. But please correct me if this is against forum rules/policies.

 

[Only Zool]

I'm a general studies major with an emphasis in natural sciences. I find the degree requirements to be very much in line with med school prereqs. But, instead of just studying science, I get to study music and literature, as well. I find it to be representative of my personality, and I get to learn a little about all the things I love instead of focusing on just one thing. On the non-trad board, someone questioned the practicality of my degree plan (basically, what would I do if med school didn't pan out). One benefit of the degree plan, at least at my university, is that it comes with a teaching certification in whatever you choose to concentrate on or emphasize.

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[Moosepig]

Major is irrelevant. You can do anything you like. Music majors have the highest medical school acceptance rate. Bio majors are below a ton of the majors. It is based solely on how well you perform in your class and your science classes.

Oh and to answer your question about how difficult it is to fit the prereqs in, the answer is not at all. I am a history major and part of that requires 20 hours of non-history liberal arts classes. My advisor waived those hours because of the ~20 non-core sciences I have to take for premed so I lose no time whatsoever. Even if those weren't waived it would be no problem.

 

[wpierce118]

Major is irrelevant. You can do anything you like. Music majors have the highest medical school acceptance rate. Bio majors are below a ton of the majors. It is based solely on how well you perform in your class and your science classes.

That's an interesting statistic on music majors and bio majors, do you have a link? Was there some theory as to why, or just that (as you say) major was irrelevant?

Edit: Side note, would you recommend taking the prerequisites closer to when you take your MCAT/apply to medical schools if in a non science major? Are there classes that will be good to have fresh in your mind for the MCAT? Or is all that covered in average MCAT prep?

 

[occams_razor]

major in whatever you are most interested in and can get strong grades in.
if you major in bio and take upper division classes such as genetics, biochem, physiology, cell bio,etc it could help you with the mcat (just speaking from personal experience, I think having taken these courses benefited me)

 

[Funke]

Only do bio if you're the most passionate about those upper level bio courses. Bio might help on the MCAT, but it is the major ADCOMs see on application after application after application. If you don't just love the basic sciences, I'd recommend majoring in something else that will allow you to take all of your science pre-reqs and lots of humanities courses. From what I gather, MCAT, GPA, and everything else being equal, a med school would accept a non-science major over a science major. Like they mentioned above, med schools love diversity, especially humanities!

 

[wpierce118]

. From what I gather, MCAT, GPA, and everything else being equal, a med school would accept a non-science major over a science major. Like they mentioned above, med schools love diversity, especially humanities!

Reeaally, that's interesting to know. I hadn't thought of it that way before. On top of that, do you have any feel for how adcoms feel about people who went to undergrad specifically to apply to medical school versus those that didn't?

 

[Moosepig]

That's an interesting statistic on music majors and bio majors, do you have a link? Was there some theory as to why, or just that (as you say) major was irrelevant?

Edit: Side note, would you recommend taking the prerequisites closer to when you take your MCAT/apply to medical schools if in a non science major? Are there classes that will be good to have fresh in your mind for the MCAT? Or is all that covered in average MCAT prep?

I do not have the link. You can find it though or someone else might supply it.
The reason why is debated a decent bit on here. My belief is that people who major in something like music and are pursuing medicine 1) understand the system well and 2) are passionate people. By 1) I mean that if you go into music and are pursuing medicine you are privy to the fact that you can get in with any major. If you are knowledgeable about that information you are probably also informed on applying early, PS format, EC tips and strategies, MCAT study plans, etc. A lot of people majoring in bio know all this too, but you also have a large group of uninformed premeds who think biology is the only way to go to medical school. These people are probably also ignorant of all of those important application factors and will not fare as well.
2) Someone who majored in music most likely really has a passion for it, and could thus often have a deep passion for their ECs as well. This builds a strong applicant.

But for you, personally, major in whatever you desire.

As for "Should you take the MCAT right after your prereqs if you don't go bio/chem" the answer is it depends. One should take the MCAT when they have had all the prereqs and have had ample time to study intensively. If your schedule/life plans/summer engagements allow that to happen so that you take the MCAT right after your prereqs then that is great. If however you finish your prereqs spring sophomore year and take the MCAT May junior year, you won't really be at a loss. The info will come back quickly in the first couple weeks of studying and you will have lost very little in that year.

For me personally, I am crunching my prereqs together and taking the MCAT right after. Gen chem freshman year, bio 1 last summer, ochem 1 phys 1 this semester, ochem 2 phys 2 bio 2 next semester, genetics and/or biochem next summer, MCAT in August. I just want to do it that way so I can be generally done with science for the last two years of my schooling and not have to worry about sGPA or MCAT. You don't have to do it that way though.

Spend some time on these boards. All this info will osmose (that can't be a real word) into your system.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

They see that it has been a dream longer for those who went to undergrad for medical school compared to those who don't, but I doubt it makes that much of a difference in applying. Longer dedication does not always mean more dedication. Again, they like diversity, and you get that by taking people who went to undergrad for other things too and eventually found themselves enjoying medicine.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

As for "Should you take the MCAT right after your prereqs if you don't go bio/chem" the answer is it depends. One should take the MCAT when they have had all the prereqs and have had ample time to study intensively. If your schedule/life plans/summer engagements allow that to happen so that you take the MCAT right after your prereqs then that is great. If however you finish your prereqs spring sophomore year and take the MCAT May junior year, you won't really be at a loss. The info will come back quickly in the first couple weeks of studying and you will have lost very little in that year.

For me personally, I am crunching my prereqs together and taking the MCAT right after. Gen chem freshman year, bio 1 last summer, ochem 1 phys 1 this semester, ochem 2 phys 2 bio 2 next semester, genetics and/or biochem next summer, MCAT in August. I just want to do it that way so I can be generally done with science for the last two years of my schooling and not have to worry about sGPA or MCAT. You don't have to do it that way though.

I took mine right after I had physics and biochem (I know it is not required but it is a great review) as well as evolutionary biology and a few other classes that expand on MCAT relevant topics and I feel this definitely helped with my MCAT. If you put in more than a month of studying (most recommend 3), you will do fine and it won't really matter when you took your pre-reqs. Taking the MCAT sooner to finishing your prereqs as opposed to later really only helps to lessen the burden of studying because the information will be fresher in your mind.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

That's an interesting statistic on music majors and bio majors, do you have a link? Was there some theory as to why, or just that (as you say) major was irrelevant?

Edit: Side note, would you recommend taking the prerequisites closer to when you take your MCAT/apply to medical schools if in a non science major? Are there classes that will be good to have fresh in your mind for the MCAT? Or is all that covered in average MCAT prep?

https://www.aamc.org/download/161692/data/table18.pdf

Here's a table I just made for the data:

Notice anything?

Those that tend to major outside of the Biological Sciences often are better students on average because you have to be quite the exceptional student to want to go such a route and you likely have more knowledge of the system and better advising (via the internet, family, your school, or general know-how) regarding the medical route. Physical Sciences and Math & Statistics tend to attract the most competitive applicants, but the averages all seem to even out come matriculation selection. Basically, it means that AdComs don't care, as long as you stay a wholesome applicant.

 

[wpierce118]

https://www.aamc.org/download/161692/data/table18.pdf

Here's a table I just made for the data:

Notice anything?

Those that tend to major outside of the Biological Sciences often are better students on average because you have to be quite the exceptional student to want to go such a route and you likely have more knowledge of the system and better advising (via the internet, family, your school, or general know-how) regarding the medical route. Physical Sciences and Math & Statistics tend to attract the most competitive applicants, but the averages all seem to even out come matriculation selection. Basically, it means that AdComs don't care, as long as you stay a wholesome applicant.

That all makes sense. It seems like it would be correct to say that the differences are mostly just correlation rather than causation. Thanks for the link (and the table).

And thanks to those posting about taking the MCAT relative to when you take your prerequisites, it does seem like planning that could help. What I'll probably do is to give myself an easier, non science heavy course-load my first semester or first year to ease myself into college, then at some point during the next few years of undergrad plan out a block of time to do those prerequisites then study for and take the MCAT.

 

[Gauss44]

how difficult has it been to fit the prerequisites for medical school into your schedules?

This mainly depends on scheduling. If your required classes are only offered at the same time and same day that a pre-med class is, you will have trouble - so that's worth looking into. The other, more obvious factor, is not to overcommit.

Almost forgot, if your class schedule changes for final exam week (like it does in some colleges), then check on the policy of what happens if you have 2 finals at the same time.

 

[487806]

https://www.aamc.org/download/161692/data/table18.pdf

Here's a table I just made for the data:

Notice anything?

Those that tend to major outside of the Biological Sciences often are better students on average because you have to be quite the exceptional student to want to go such a route and you likely have more knowledge of the system and better advising (via the internet, family, your school, or general know-how) regarding the medical route. Physical Sciences and Math & Statistics tend to attract the most competitive applicants, but the averages all seem to even out come matriculation selection. Basically, it means that AdComs don't care, as long as you stay a wholesome applicant.

Ah, the Biology Paradox (or Pre-Med's Dilemma). Those who major in Biology (including Health Sciences) have a lower chance of matriculating to med school than those who are non-Biology majors. Biology majors also have a lower MCAT score than non-Biology majors.

 

[wpierce118]

Ah, the Biology Paradox (or Pre-Med's Dilemma). Those who major in Biology (including Health Sciences) have a lower chance of matriculating to med school than those who are non-Biology majors. Biology majors also have a lower MCAT score than non-Biology majors.

I wonder what the matriculation rate for each major is when adjusted for MCAT scores?

 

[487806]

I wonder what the matriculation rate for each major is when adjusted for MCAT scores?

Wasn't that in the chart?

 

[wpierce118]

Wasn't that in the chart?

Was it? Maybe posting from bed as I'm falling asleep isn't the best idea. But it looked to me like it had MCAT and matriculation rate by major, but didn't have an MCAT adjusted matriculation rate.

 

[487806]

Was it? Maybe posting from bed as I'm falling asleep isn't the best idea. But it looked to me like it had MCAT and matriculation rate by major, but didn't have an MCAT adjusted matriculation rate.

Now I sound like a total noob. Why would the MCAT-adjusted rate matter?

 

[wpierce118]

Now I sound like a total noob. Why would the MCAT-adjusted rate matter?

An example that illustrates this better would be something like SAT scores, colleges, and lifetime earnings. When comparing colleges, it isn't enough to just look at the earnings. You need to account for what the students were like going into college to find the effect of one college over another, and SAT scores is a good way of doing this.

Taken to the extreme in this case, one major might have an average MCAT of 35 while another has an average MCAT of 25. Without adjusting for MCAT scores, one would conclude that the major with an average of 35 was the better choice, but if you account for the scores you might see that the major with an average of 25, even with a lower matriculation rate, was the better choice.

Edit: Another way of doing this that makes the reasoning more clear is to compare the matriculation rates of those who scored 35s on their MCATs in 2 different majors. The idea is to account for one variable to you can look at another more in isolation.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

Basically, what adjusting for MCAT would show what the GPA/major versus acceptance would look like if everyone scored the same MCAT. If there is a correlation between what major you choose, the GPA you get in it, and the matriculation rate of that major. The MCAT is dictated by your study habits rather than difficulty of the major you chose. GPA is more based on long term study, learning style, and the difficulty of the major. If the MCAT were removed, GPA from the major would be the only factor in this table and would show which is the better major to have for medical school statistically. You could then compare the average GPA in humanities (say it was a 3.8) and the average GPA in biology (say it was a 3.7) and see how well you need to do in each major to get into medical school. If we adjusted for GPA now, we could see if there really is a preference based solely on major.

The MCAT for each major all only vary by a point or 2 so I doubt it would make much of a difference.

One thing about this table is GPA and MCAT are not the only factors for acceptance. ECs and Interview also count, which you cannot see in this table. Maybe humanities had better ECs or more ability to participate because the students in this major had more free time. We really need a more in depth table to get the whole picture, but since GPA and MCAT are the most likely first screen for applicants, this table will suffice.

 

[wpierce118]

Basically what the GPA versus major acceptance would look like if everyone scored the same MCAT. If there is a correlation between what major you choose, the GPA you get in it, and the matriculation rate of that major. The MCAT is dictated by your study habits rather than difficulty of the major you chose. If the MCAT were removed, GPA (could be easier to achieve in one major over another) from the major would be the only factor in this table and would show which is the better major to have for medical school statistically.

The MCAT for each major all only vary by a point or 2 so I doubt it would make much of a difference.

One thing about this table is GPA and MCAT are not the only factors for acceptance. ECs and Interview also count, which you cannot see in this table. Maybe humanities had better ECs or more ability to because the students in this major had more free time. We really need a more in depth table to get the whole picture, but since GPA and MCAT are the most likely first screen for applicants, this table will suffice.

Well put. My feeling from looking at the table is that it might be interesting to see those other numbers, but that the difference between majors when something like MCAT is accounted for will not be statistically significant. Leading back to the conclusion that major isn't really that big of a deal.

 

[487806]

Basically what the GPA versus major acceptance would look like if everyone scored the same MCAT. If there is a correlation between what major you choose, the GPA you get in it, and the matriculation rate of that major. The MCAT is dictated by your study habits rather than difficulty of the major you chose. If the MCAT were removed, GPA (could be easier to achieve in one major over another) from the major would be the only factor in this table and would show which is the better major to have for medical school statistically.

The MCAT for each major all only vary by a point or 2 so I doubt it would make much of a difference.

One thing about this table is GPA and MCAT are not the only factors for acceptance. ECs and Interview also count, which you cannot see in this table. Maybe humanities had better ECs or more ability to participate because the students in this major had more free time. We really need a more in depth table to get the whole picture, but since GPA and MCAT are the most likely first screen for applicants, this table will suffice.

Ok, now I know what you mean. It's basically removing the outliers that could distort the average.

An example that illustrates this better would be something like SAT scores, colleges, and lifetime earnings. When comparing colleges, it isn't enough to just look at the earnings. You need to account for what the students were like going into college to find the effect of one college over another, and SAT scores is a good way of doing this.

Taken to the extreme in this case, one major might have an average MCAT of 35 while another has an average MCAT of 25. Without adjusting for MCAT scores, one would conclude that the major with an average of 35 was the better choice, but if you account for the scores you might see that the major with an average of 25, even with a lower matriculation rate, was the better choice.

Edit: Another way of doing this that makes the reasoning more clear is to compare the matriculation rates of those who scored 35s on their MCATs in 2 different majors. The idea is to account for one variable to you can look at another more in isolation.

Yeah, I think those MCAT averages in the charts sound pretty reasonable (although specialized health sciences seem to be ironically 29).

 

[Spinach Dip]

I think he means the matriculation rate of bio majors that scored 30 v humanities majors that scored 30 v math majors....



But let me try something here...

Major__MCAT of applicants__Acceptance Rate

Math and Stats __ 30.5 __ 49.1
Physical Sci ____ 29.9 __ 49.3
Humanities _____ 29.4 __ 49.5
Social Sci ______ 28.2 __ 44.6
Biology ________ 28.1 __ 42.8
Other __________ 27.7 __ 42.7
Health Sci ______ 25.5 __ 32.8

So, based on a simple ranking of the average MCAT scores, we can see that (after the first three, which have practically identical acceptance rates), MCAT average is highly correlated to acceptance rate.



This was just something I decided to do on the spur of the moment. No, it's probably not statistically valid. Don't tear me apart for it.

 

[487806]

Well put. My feeling from looking at the table is that it might be interesting to see those other numbers, but that the difference between majors when something like MCAT is accounted for will not be statistically significant. Leading back to the conclusion that major isn't really that big of a deal.

It really isn't. The main point is non-biology majors have unique experiences to back them up, since they weren't the typical biology majors. But that's irrelevant when bio majors can major/minor in humanities/sciences etc.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

It really isn't. The main point is non-biology majors have unique experiences to back them up, since they weren't the typical biology majors. But that's irrelevant when bio majors can major/minor in humanities/sciences etc.

Exactly. There is so much more that go into getting accepted other than GPA and MCAT that only comparing the two when looking at acceptance is not a great indicator of the true "best major."

 

[ChartaBona]

Yesterday I ran into a med student at UVM. He told me if he could do it all over again, he wouldn't major in chemistry because of its difficulty.

From my experience with the MCAT, I'd agree you only need basic Gen Bio knowledge to do well on the BS section. My knowledge from upper-level Bio courses did not help me get a 14 on BS. That was all ExamKrackers.