Could use help deciding on what major/college

[clevelandrox23]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Im in my senior year in highschool and I know that eventually I want to become a doctor. I plan on going to a school in Ohio but I don't know which one would be better when it comes to applying for Med schools. I have thought about Miami Ohio, Ohio State, University of Toledo, University of Akron, or Cleveland State. Currently I am mainly trying to decide between Toledo and Akron. Toledo has a medschool so I assumed that a science degree there would carry more weight than a science degree at Akron. At Toledo I can't decide what major I should pursue there. I always thought that it would be smart to have a backup plan and not simply major in Pre-Med.

What major should I pursue and would still get me into Med-School?

What are the best Med-Schools in Ohio?

Im not the smart test taker that will pull off a 39 on the MCAT. What extracurricular activities or anything else will help me get into a Med School like Toledo?

Can anyone explain to me these pre-pharmaceutical degrees?
http://www.utoledo.edu/pharmacy/academic_programs/pharmacy_bsps.html
They are two year bachelor degrees that cover some of the pre-med requirements. Would it work to get one of those degrees and simply take the extra classes required for med school separately?

I know I have a lot of questions but any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[schrizto]

The link you linked to looks like the first two years of a 6 year pharmacy program, just that you're not guaranteed a spot in pharmacy school after the two years. Not recommended.

There are a lot of good med schools in Ohio. Case, OSU, UCinci are probably the best ones.

 

[chrslbrt]

It really doesn't matter what college you go to for undergrad. As long as you keep a good GPA, score good on the MCAT, and do extracurriculars, you'll be fine.

Any major is good for med school, however I would recommend a science major, like biology or chemistry, because they usually cover most of the prerequisites. The easier the major, the better because med schools look at GPA first, not the difficulty of the major.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I wouldnt take Bio if you want a backup.. In my opinion biology is probably the most useless major ( its not the most useless i just dont like bio majors 😀). But yes major in whatever you like/enjoy can do better in whether its art history or zoology and everything in-between as long as you do well in it your fine. My personal major is psychology, i know that if i decide that medicine isnt my thing i'll be putting my ass into a psychology phd program.

btw the pre-reqs and a few upper level biology classes wont really be that difficult to pull off. Only 34 credits for the pre-req's + maybe another 8 to 12 credits of biology work. yah.. its thrilling lol haha..

 

[clevelandrox23]

Biology seems the easiest, the entire senior year and part of the junior year is all electives. I might consider Athletic Training which according their website also serves as a pre-med major. As far as extracurricular activities go what besides shadowing did you do to get into med school? I see a bunch of people say they did research for something, what are they talking about and how do they do that? lol

 

[FutureCTDoc]

Im in my senior year in highschool and I know that eventually I want to become a doctor. I plan on going to a school in Ohio but I don't know which one would be better when it comes to applying for Med schools. I have thought about Miami Ohio, Ohio State, University of Toledo, University of Akron, or Cleveland State. Currently I am mainly trying to decide between Toledo and Akron. Toledo has a medschool so I assumed that a science degree there would carry more weight than a science degree at Akron. At Toledo I can't decide what major I should pursue there. I always thought that it would be smart to have a backup plan and not simply major in Pre-Med.

What major should I pursue and would still get me into Med-School?

What are the best Med-Schools in Ohio?

Im not the smart test taker that will pull off a 39 on the MCAT. What extracurricular activities or anything else will help me get into a Med School like Toledo?

Can anyone explain to me these pre-pharmaceutical degrees?
http://www.utoledo.edu/pharmacy/academic_programs/pharmacy_bsps.html
They are two year bachelor degrees that cover some of the pre-med requirements. Would it work to get one of those degrees and simply take the extra classes required for med school separately?

I know I have a lot of questions but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Choose the school that you prefer, if it's a tie look at cost. I wouldn't rush to declare a major. Instead I would take a freshman schedule akin to this:
Fall:
English I (Either Comp 101 or Literature 101)
Bio I
Humanities (The arts or whatever piques your interest)
Social Science (Sociology or Economics)
Math (Precalc, Trig, Calc I or Stats)

Don't rush to declare a major. Instead spend your first year exploring your interests. A major in the sciences is not required to gain admission to medical school. Any bachelors will suffice as long as A) You maintain a competitive GPA B) You do well in your pre-reqs 2 Semesters of Gen Chem, English, Biology or Zoology, Math (Stats, Calc I), Physics and orgo C) You demonstrate your interest in medicine.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

Any major is good for med school, however I would recommend a science major, like biology or chemistry, because they usually cover most of the prerequisites. The easier the major, the better because med schools look at GPA first, not the difficulty of the major.

I would argue against this. Whether you are a science major or not, you will take tons of science courses as prerequisites for medical school. Biology and chemistry majors are a dime a dozen in medical school. Med school admissions committees love non-science majors and seem to give them preferential treatment because they bring something else to the table (given that everybody applying is required to have a rigorous science background in the form of prereqs). All of your medical prereqs basically add up to a science major anyway, so you will be a trained scientist no matter what. I would tell you to major in whatever you find interesting. This will make your college experience much more fun, and will have the added benefit of really boosting your GPA, because people tend to do much better in subjects they love. I was a philosophy major, had multiple acceptances to medical school, and several interviewers told me my major was a strength and helped set me apart from all the biochem people. In fact, I just finished interviewing for residency, and my major is still being brought up in a positive light.

 

[Morsetlis]

I don't recommend engineering. Those types are usually smarter than pre-med and your grade will suffer as a result of curve grading. Of course, I've seen Comp Sci majors in med schools before. They're usually smarter than the rest of the med students.

Take any major you want, but make absolutely sure that your cumulative and BCMP (bio/chem/math/phys) GPAs are solid. Of course, take all the pre-med pre-req courses. Your college counselor can advise you on those.

 

[chrslbrt]

I would argue against this. Whether you are a science major or not, you will take tons of science courses as prerequisites for medical school. Biology and chemistry majors are a dime a dozen in medical school. Med school admissions committees love non-science majors and seem to give them preferential treatment because they bring something else to the table (given that everybody applying is required to have a rigorous science background in the form of prereqs). All of your medical prereqs basically add up to a science major anyway, so you will be a trained scientist no matter what. I would tell you to major in whatever you find interesting. This will make your college experience much more fun, and will have the added benefit of really boosting your GPA, because people tend to do much better in subjects they love. I was a philosophy major, had multiple acceptances to medical school, and several interviewers told me my major was a strength and helped set me apart from all the biochem people. In fact, I just finished interviewing for residency, and my major is still being brought up in a positive light.

I think you just proved my point for me. Sure, those admissions committees may 'love' you, but statistically speaking, most med students either major in biology or chemistry.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

I dont think theres anything wrong with engineering as long as you have the passion and can do well. You dont have to be that brilliant to get good grades you just have to work hard, study and know when to get help.

Even from high school i have been hearing that biology and chemistry majors are extremely popular, another reason why i chose to not major in them. I am currently majoring in an arguably more difficult science, but even if my GPA suffers a bit i think it will hopefully be worth it.

Dont worry so much about major now. A lot of my friends went into college saying "ohh im going to major in chemistry or biology or economics"...after taking the intro classes they decided to major in something completely different. Major in what you like and what you feel you can do the best in.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I think you just proved my point for me. Sure, those admissions committees may 'love' you, but statistically speaking, most med students either major in biology or chemistry.

Yah most are science majors. However you can major in whatever you like, no point in majoring in biology or chem because you think that med school wants you too. So major in whatever you want to do in your life as a back up in case the next day you decide that medicine isnt for you.

 

[the duck]

chrslbrt[/LEFT];9179792]I think you just proved my point for me. Sure, those admissions committees may 'love' you, but statistically speaking, most med students either major in biology or chemistry.

No, he didn't just prove your point. There are more science majors in medical school because there are vastly more science majors applying. Biology majors have, statistically speaking, the lowest acceptance rates of any majors, while non-science has the highest.

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

Im in my senior year in highschool and I know that eventually I want to become a doctor. I plan on going to a school in Ohio but I don't know which one would be better when it comes to applying for Med schools. I have thought about Miami Ohio, Ohio State, University of Toledo, University of Akron, or Cleveland State. Currently I am mainly trying to decide between Toledo and Akron. Toledo has a medschool so I assumed that a science degree there would carry more weight than a science degree at Akron. At Toledo I can't decide what major I should pursue there. I always thought that it would be smart to have a backup plan and not simply major in Pre-Med.

What major should I pursue and would still get me into Med-School?

What are the best Med-Schools in Ohio?

Im not the smart test taker that will pull off a 39 on the MCAT. What extracurricular activities or anything else will help me get into a Med School like Toledo?

Can anyone explain to me these pre-pharmaceutical degrees?
http://www.utoledo.edu/pharmacy/academic_programs/pharmacy_bsps.html
They are two year bachelor degrees that cover some of the pre-med requirements. Would it work to get one of those degrees and simply take the extra classes required for med school separately?

I know I have a lot of questions but any help would be greatly appreciated.

If I'm not mistaken Akron, Kent and Youngstown all have some sort of connection with Northeast Ohio University College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) in Rootstown. I think those colleges might even have a seven year program with NEOUCOM. If you can get into that program that would be a great bet.

Miami of Ohio is a very good school.

Don't get all hung up on med school reputation. Just get into one. Don't forget to work hard.😉

 

[razakhan]

But wont majoring in related science courses (biology, chemistry etc.) help with succeeding in med school? I have read the same thing in many articles, that med schools really look at the non-science majors but if you major in sociology vs. biology wont you be putting yourself in a harder position than the rest of the med school students who majored in biology and chemistry?
I'm currently thinking about doing a neuroscience/neurobiology (i still don't understand the difference between the two) major with a psychology minor mainly because so far thats what i am interested in and the school i'm interested in offers that. I'm not declaring that because I haven't taken any intro classes yet so I'm not sure if i will even like it. I do think that with that major and minor I will be preparing myself for med school and my possible professions (psychiatry/ many neurology related careers). Those are just my thoughts on the whole major/minor deal.

 

[MilkmanAl]

But wont majoring in related science courses (biology, chemistry etc.) help with succeeding in med school?

Not really. There are not very many courses in undergrad that help meaningfully in med school*, and I think only 1 or 2 of them are required for any science major.

I have read the same thing in many articles, that med schools really look at the non-science majors

I don't think that's the case at all. The general consensus (as stated by several admissions committee members on this board) is that major is largely irrelevant. As an addendum to that, getting multiple degrees and/or minors is also not of much benefit.

In any event, don't feel pressured to get a science degree. Most of what you learn in undergrad is going straight out the window once school starts, so do what you enjoy.

*For a slightly more concrete example, I took just about every undergrad version of the courses in the first year of med school and *maybe* had a tenth of the material covered between my 2 semesters of biochem, genetics, molecular bio, A&P, and cell bio, plus all the pre-reqs.

 

[packattack]

Major in something you like and would want to do if you didn't get into medical school - best advice I have heard. I feel like I knew a ton of pre-meds my freshman year and many decided it just wasn't for them and had to change their major. Lots of people change their majors, so don't fret too much about it this early.

You will be successful no matter what your major is as long as you have a good GPA, MCAT, service activities, and shadowing. Research is a bonus if you can do it, but it is not at all required. Take the required courses for med schools and also biochem if you can (required at some schools).

As far as picking an undergrad university, I would suggest picking whatever "clicks" or feels right. You're going to spend a few years there and you need to be happy and supported. Although I'm not familiar with the Ohio schools, I know that it helps to pick a school that puts emphasis on science and has a good pre-health program (good support from the administration and profs).

 

[Morsetlis]

The easier the major, the better because med schools look at GPA first, not the difficulty of the major.

If you take some **** like Human Biology it'll be amazingly easy cause you won't have to take advanced Phys and Chem classes. If you take something easier, like BA Psych, you'll need to take MORE classes than the average Bio/Chem majors due to non-overlapping classes. If you take Engineering / CSE, you're a masochist.

 

[Electrophile]

I wouldnt take Bio if you want a backup.. In my opinion biology is probably the most useless major ( its not the most useless i just dont like bio majors 😀). But yes major in whatever you like/enjoy can do better in whether its art history or zoology and everything in-between as long as you do well in it your fine. My personal major is psychology, i know that if i decide that medicine isnt my thing i'll be putting my ass into a psychology phd program.

You are a PSYCH major and you're calling biology a useless major?! OH MAN, funniest thing I've seen all day!

 

[TheFamilyDoc]

Not really. There are not very many courses in undergrad that help meaningfully in med school*, and I think only 1 or 2 of them are required for any science major.

I don't think that's the case at all. The general consensus (as stated by several admissions committee members on this board) is that major is largely irrelevant. As an addendum to that, getting multiple degrees and/or minors is also not of much benefit.

In any event, don't feel pressured to get a science degree. Most of what you learn in undergrad is going straight out the window once school starts, so do what you enjoy.

*For a slightly more concrete example, I took just about every undergrad version of the courses in the first year of med school and *maybe* had a tenth of the material covered between my 2 semesters of biochem, genetics, molecular bio, A&P, and cell bio, plus all the pre-reqs.

I agree that a science major wont help you that much in Med School, but in terms of the MCAT, majoring in something like lets say auhhh music, Wouldn't that hurt you on the MCAT?

 

[MilkmanAl]

No. The MCAT only tests (some of) the med school pre-reqs, so you'll have covered all the material regardless of what your major is.