Double major?

[CrazyboyMD]

Hello.

I was recently accepted into my desired biology program but I am now considering double-majoring.

I know that double majoring creates an extra workload, especially if the disciplines are very different.

I have a genuine interest in English and wanted to major in Creative Writing along with Biology.

If I pursue this, I would like to finish this in 4 years.
If anyone has double majored before, please tell me your experience.
Do you think double majoring in Science and English is a good idea? I really enjoy both.

If I choose to double major, then I will not minor in anything.

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[Cheezin]

You are asking this in the high school section of SDN, I would suggest asking in the pre-med section of SDN if you are looking for people who have already double-majored.

And it is definitely doable, there are people at most good schools that have 3 or 4 majors at the same time (at Baylor someone had 6) and they were graduating in 4 or 5 years, so 4 years is definitely doable for a double major (I think it's pretty common).

It couldn't hurt if you really want to do it

 

[longhaul3]

Why not just take some English and writing classes for the fun of it? No need to add another major. Most colleges will require at least one English class as a sort of core requirement anyway, and it's not like adding an English major will open up the job market for you after college if you decide against med school.

If your goal is to get into medical school, it's best to keep it as simple as you can and do as well as you can. As you will learn if you pursue our profession, medicine is a very risk-averse field in a lot of ways. There is little benefit to adding a second major and it comes at a risk of not doing as well as you can in one major.

 

[medicalschool*]

Agreed that it is best to keep it as simple as you can and do as best you can for medical school - however, I would actually suggest majoring in English, and then taking the required medical school pre-requisites/additional science classes as your elective credits. As long as you do well in the pre-reqs and science classes you do take, an English major will make you stand out slightly to admissions committees when compared to the mass of pre-med biology majors. Medical school admission committees love diversity and if you are able to relate your passion for English to medicine this will only benefit you in the long run.

 

[CrazyboyMD]

@longhaul3 @medicalschool*

Thank you both for the wonderful insight. This really helps out.

 

[Maudlin]

Agreed that it is best to keep it as simple as you can and do as best you can for medical school - however, I would actually suggest majoring in English, and then taking the required medical school pre-requisites/additional science classes as your elective credits. As long as you do well in the pre-reqs and science classes you do take, an English major will make you stand out slightly to admissions committees when compared to the mass of pre-med biology majors. Medical school admission committees love diversity and if you are able to relate your passion for English to medicine this will only benefit you in the long run.

This is something I need to consider carefully. My heart says psychology but my GPA says I need STEM exposure in undergrad.

But then again, is psychology even considered an offbeat major anymore?

 

[medicalschool*]

This is something I need to consider carefully. My heart says psychology but my GPA says I need STEM exposure in undergrad.

But then again, is psychology even considered an offbeat major anymore?

I am not sure psychology is as "offbeat" as something like English or music, for example, but there are fewer psychology majors than biology or chemistry. Psychology itself has a lot of relevance to the behavioral sciences section of the MCAT, as well as dealing with social issues in your future patients. However, if you like psychology yet feel as though you need exposure to STEM, consider neuroscience if this is offered by your school.

 

[AllBleedingStops]

This is something I need to consider carefully. My heart says psychology but my GPA says I need STEM exposure in undergrad.

But then again, is psychology even considered an offbeat major anymore?

Most good psychology programs are very closely backed by the neuroscience behind the psych. You could do a neuroscience major instead. I did a Biology major with a psych minor and that felt perfect for me.

 

[AllBleedingStops]

Hello.

I was recently accepted into my desired biology program but I am now considering double-majoring.

I know that double majoring creates an extra workload, especially if the disciplines are very different.

I have a genuine interest in English and wanted to major in Creative Writing along with Biology.

If I pursue this, I would like to finish this in 4 years.
If anyone has double majored before, please tell me your experience.
Do you think double majoring in Science and English is a good idea? I really enjoy both.

If I choose to double major, then I will not minor in anything.

First, let me just remind you that your major itself does not matter when it comes to getting into medical school as long as you have good grades, got the pre-reqs done, and have a well rounded application overall. However, I can understand your concern over a major since it is a major decision for the next 3-5 years. If you are considering double majoring, realize you will likely have less flexibility to choose courses that interest you and may be stuck with certain courses that can be counted for both majors. This is so you can finish in 4 years and not destroy yourself with a completely doubled workload (and yes, there will be at least a few courses that will be counted for both a Biology and Creative Writing major). If you want to do both, I encourage you to do so but recognize that the English courses will be more divergent from your STEM courses. I know quite a few people who only did one undergraduate degree with a minor or two and they got in (including myself) so don't think you haveto have multiple majors in order to get in.

That said, my personal recommendation is to do the Biology degree with a Creative Writing minor. Heck, pick up 2 or 3 minors if your school lets you. It will be less stressful, more freedom to choose courses, and will give you the well-rounded/broad education that can benefit your application.