English majors?

[AwaPremed]

ANy English major premeds out there?

What do med schools think of English majors? I know many biology majors that seem to think English majors are 'easy' - would English be considered too easy of a major or something? personally i don't think it's easy at all but anyway my fellow premed english majors speak up if you are out there.

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[VPDcurt]

as long as you can back it up with good grades in the pre-reqs, i don't think it matters too much.

 

[riley5]

A friend of mine is a resident at one of the top schools, and he double-majored in English and history. I agree with the other poster -- I don't think your major matters as much as your grades.

 

[MichiMO]

I majored in English Lit. minored in Anthro and Bio. If anything, it made me more interesting which is always a plus in the med. school process.
Plus if you study something you like chances are you'll do better in it.

A friend of mine is a resident at one of the top schools, and he double-majored in English and history. I agree with the other poster -- I don't think your major matters as much as your grades.

 

[Mistress S]

I was an english major/bio minor. I have good grades overall (3.75 GPA, 3.96 in my major), so I don't think it will be a problem and may even help me stand out a little. At least I'll be able to talk about something else in my adult life besides just biology and medicine. I really enjoyed my major and genuinely feel that I got a much more well-rounded education than if I had majored in bio or chem.
As far as english being an "easy" major, I think it is relative--many premeds like to think they are doing the most difficult thing in the world, but I knew a lot of bio majors in college who couldn't write papers to save their lives. It requires a different kind of thinking than is often required in the sciences, so being good at both shows schools that you can think critically in a variety of areas, which is a plus over someone who has just demonstrated that they are good at science. Schools like to see well-rounded individuals, and majoring in a humanity is one way to acheive this. Plus, I got a 15 in VR on the MCAT, so being an english major probably didn't hurt there either.

 

[morganlefay]

Literature/Biology double major...and I love it. It's very stressful to have two, though, but my grades overall are still strong. And no, Lit isn't any easier...as I like to tell my more narrow-minded hardcore science classmates, no matter how bitter you are about memorizing the glycolysis reaction/krebs cycle, describing Shakespeare's many influences on modern theatre with specific examples of each isn't gonna make your life any easier.

 

[rocker]

What's easier? English or History?

 

[bbaek]

What's easier? English or History?

history i would believe in general.

i'm a 2nd year english and biology double major and the work load is pretty tough as it is. it will only get tougher moving into 3rd and 4th years only because there is so much work that they require from two separate schools. but if you truly have a genuine interest, like all counselors say, then you should pursue the major.

english does help out with verbal and writing on the mcats, which is definitely a plus. and med schools like to see a well-rounded student and an english major doesn't hurt at all. it can only help with good grades.

if you are wondering about why i chose english as a double major, it is the simple yet unbelievable reason that i just truly love english as a language and wish to learn it critically and thoroughly in a manner unknown to me. the obvious, indirect benefits are the increased opportunities to think more and to read more. not a bad thing for doctors i believe

 

[mustangsally65]

At most schools, I think, English majors do a lot more work outside of classes than do science majors. I am a double major in English/Psychology, and have found that English requires much more reading and writing papers than my science classes. Also, you learn about the historical time periods when literature was written, and what were the beliefs of writers, and what influenced writers. Much of the information contained in literature lectures is more of a humanity subject than non-English majors think. You learn how to put yourself in other people's shoes, and this is very valuable for future doctors. Doing all the reading and writing required shows your commitment to your classwork, and this is also a big plus. It helps create good study habits and time managment, too, if anyone else has ever had 4 literature classes in one semester!