Do Med Schools have different preferences?

[tharealest]

There have been several discussions on SDN on whether your major actually matters or not, and if med school admissions cut you some slack on that. I am an engineering major, and I am afraid by the time I apply to med school, my GPA will not be as competitive as other applicants. Of course, I will try to stand out by my MCAT score and extracirriculars/research.

So my question is if you guys know of any med schools which seem to like and give an edge to engineering majors, rather than other typical majors? I'll need all the help I can get. Thanks.

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[EllieElle]

I think the consensus from the other threads was that your major really (truly!) doesn't matter. It's more important that you a.) have a good bcpm GPA regardless of your major b.) have a decent GPA for all the other courses you've taken (and it had better be wicked good if you majored in, say, underwater basket weaving) and c.) are able to defend your choice for why you majored in whatever you majored in and explain convincingly how your studies connect to your decision to apply to med school.

My thoughts? An engineering major will always be respected and well-received, especially with a decent GPA. We all know how hard engin is; that fact certainly won't escape the adcoms.

 

[tinkerbelle]

I know Penn State like engineers (or at least it likes Hopkins BMEs... we're all getting interviews and acceptances from there. We're not stellar applicants either. I know they always accept a lot of us)

As far as other schools go, I think they do take our major into consideration. I've gotten a lot more interviews and acceptances than I expected. In fact my advisor told me I might not get in and I'd be lucky to get one or two interviews.

But of course, this is just my opinion and is based on my own experience with the application process.