Do med schools care about double majors?

[clippers50fan]

I'm a third year and I recently decided to double in Public Heath and Integrative Biology but am realizing it may drop my GPA from a 3.8. I originally decided to do this to raise my science GPA a bit (3.65) but should I just selectively pick science classes that will count for the science GPA and not have to deal with all the requirements that may dip my GPA?

tl;dr Is it worth to drop my other major in order to hypothetically save my GPA and/or raise it? Do med schools care at all?

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[Oso]

Med schools will not be impressed if you have a double major. They would rather see you keep up your good grades. So if you really want to have two majors, then do it for yourself, otherwise drop one and do well in school. Good luck.

 

[Pacna]

I don't know if "tl;dr" is indicated when you've written two sentences (but I understand). 😛

I think they look somewhat favorably on clearly more difficult major/double major, but not significantly so. I'd take a 4.0 degree over a 3.5 double major degree any day.

Do what you're interested in. Don't do it because you think medical schools want you to.

 

[masaraksh]

I don't know if "tl;dr" is indicated when you've written two sentences (but I understand). 😛

I think they look somewhat favorably on clearly more difficult major/double major, but not significantly so. I'd take a 4.0 degree over a 3.5 double major degree any day.

Do what you're interested in. Don't do it because you think medical schools want you to.

Oh c'mon. You think most pre-meds do clinical volunteering because they are "interested" in it?

 

[Oso]

Oh c'mon. You think most pre-meds do clinical volunteering because they are "interested" in it?

oh god please don't start this. This thread is about double majors.

 

[ace12345]

Everyone will tell you med schools do not care about double majors - including individuals much more knowledgable than I. That said, I do believe that if you can pull it off and keep your GPA high, there are many soft skills to be accumulated through a double major. Is this directly applicable to med school admissions? Probably not. Does it help with many things, including med school in a perhaps indirect manner? I believe so.

 

[NickNaylor]

Everyone will tell you med schools do not care about double majors - including individuals much more knowledgable than I. That said, I do believe that if you can pull it off and keep your GPA high, there are many soft skills to be accumulated through a double major. Is this directly applicable to med school admissions? Probably not. Does it help with many things, including med school in a perhaps indirect manner? I believe so.

Some schools (e.g., my own) have a specific appreciation for diversity in academic interests. In those cases, I think a double major - particularly in different fields - would be helpful. But at the end of the day it's not worth any potential but minor benefit if you wouldn't otherwise do the second major. It's just not that high in the list of important things on your app.

 

[DirtyJustice]

I double majored, glad I did it. Didn't talk about it at all during Med School interviews but it was very much a major talking point during residency interviews.

 

[Pacna]

Oh c'mon. You think most pre-meds do clinical volunteering because they are "interested" in it?

I chose clinical volunteering I was interested in. I became a volunteer EMT. It was loads of fun.

 

[ace12345]

Some schools (e.g., my own) have a specific appreciation for diversity in academic interests. In those cases, I think a double major - particularly in different fields - would be helpful. But at the end of the day it's not worth any potential but minor benefit if you wouldn't otherwise do the second major. It's just not that high in the list of important things on your app.

I agree. The important part to highlight here is "if you wouldn't do otherwise" though. I feel like a lot of SDNers get scared off from taking double major they are interested in. That certainly isn't beneficial.

 

[Patros]

Biochem/philosophy major here. Some interviewers did ask why I majored in philosophy, and I talked about how I have an interest in bioethics (I actually care much more about metaphysics and epistemology, but didn't want to put interviewers to sleep). Although most interviewers never asked about the double major, I think it left a good impression on those who did.

I also had recommendations from my phil professors, and they were absolutely glowing. I think humanities professors aren't pestered so much about med school recommendations like biomedical professors, so they are happy to write better letters. Besides, they probably just write better in general.

Anyway, I agree with the others. Major in something you have a serious interest in and you would be proud to have on your diploma, even though it may not help your application. Don't major/minor in things like engineering or physics unless you are sure it won't kill your GPA. And don't do something like bio/biochem or math/applied stats because that ain't fooling anyone.

 

[MDOnlyWillDo]

I double degree'd- BA in history (along with a minor), and BS in molecular bio. Not one med school I've encountered has cared. As to whether or not I have successfully intimidated other applicants though, I plead the fifth.

 

[Lil Mick]

Biochem/philosophy major here. Some interviewers did ask why I majored in philosophy, and I talked about how I have an interest in bioethics (I actually care much more about metaphysics and epistemology, but didn't want to put interviewers to sleep). Although most interviewers never asked about the double major, I think it left a good impression on those who did.

I also had recommendations from my phil professors, and they were absolutely glowing. I think humanities professors aren't pestered so much about med school recommendations like biomedical professors, so they are happy to write better letters. Besides, they probably just write better in general.

Anyway, I agree with the others. Major in something you have a serious interest in and you would be proud to have on your diploma, even though it may not help your application. Don't major/minor in things like engineering or physics unless you are sure it won't kill your GPA. And don't do something like bio/biochem or math/applied stats because that ain't fooling anyone.

Wow! I thought I was the only one with that combination.

If you're interested in an area not typically associated with medicine, it may help you a bit by standing out from other applicants. If they're looking at 500 students with a 3.7 or higher and decent MCAT with 450 of them majoring in biology, a philosophy or math major might catch their attention as something unique.

However, don't major in something just for the sake of double majoring. If you need more science classes, you can always take electives that look interesting without having to worry about whether or not it will count towards one of your majors.

 

[plumhill]

Wow! I thought I was the only one with that combination.

Another philosophy+science major here. Picking up a second major in philosophy was one of the best decisions I made in college (not to mention that it will help you kick a** on verbal) and I would do it again if I had the chance. My friends who are double majoring absolutely love it.

 

[itsthat1guy]

Another philosophy+science major here. Picking up a second major in philosophy was one of the best decisions I made in college (not to mention that it will help you kick a** on verbal) and I would do it again if I had the chance. My friends who are double majoring absolutely love it.

I just finished T.S. Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolution and want to read some more philosophy of science, what should I look into next? Is Karl Popper any good?

 

[plumhill]

I just finished T.S. Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolution and want to read some more philosophy of science, what should I look into next? Is Karl Popper any good?

I haven't read any of Popper's works personally, though he is quite renowned. My favorite scholar in Philosophy of Science is Richard Boyd. If you check out the SEP you will find a very comprehensive list and description of notable scholars in the field.

 

[itsthat1guy]

I haven't read any of Popper's works personally, though he is quite renowned. My favorite scholar in Philosophy of Science is Richard Boyd. If you check out the SEP you will find a very comprehensive list and description of notable scholars in the field.

What is SED, I'm not familiar with the acronym

 

[plumhill]

What is SED, I'm not familiar with the acronym

Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy

 

[PreMedOrDead]

Med schools will not be impressed if you have a double major. They would rather see you keep up your good grades. So if you really want to have two majors, then do it for yourself, otherwise drop one and do well in school. Good luck.

This is the right answer. Multiple majors do not change how AdComs look at your application. In fact, double majors have a lower average acceptance rate to medical schools than single majors, and triple majors have an even worse acceptance rate [True, but citation not provided because I'm lazy and have repeated this 100x].

 

[Goro]

100% agreee!

Med schools will not be impressed if you have a double major. They would rather see you keep up your good grades. So if you really want to have two majors, then do it for yourself, otherwise drop one and do well in school. Good luck.