Getting into Medical school with non bio major

[neuroblu]

Hello, I am a bio intended major but i was planing on switching to Psychology and continuing with my pre med courses also i am pursing a neuroscience minor

is it harder to get into medical school having a non biology major?
also, what classes are needed for medical school
some told me genetics is a requirement is it? or is it not?

does the Psychology/neuroscience minor with pre med concentration work out for medical school?

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[MadRadLad]

Nobody cares what your major is as long as your do well in it.

Depends school to school, but generally:

1 year bio w/ lab
1 year gen chem w/ lab
1 year orgo w/lab
1 year physics
1 year math/stats
1 year english/writing

Some schools require a sem of biochem. Really depends school to school, so check with the individual schools.

 

[bmalbert]

I'm still relatively new here, but my experience is that you are more likely to stand out if you have a non-science degree and I've seen schools that set aside a % of spaces for non pre meds.

 

[Ismet]

I don't think any school requires genetics, but some might recommend it, and some people argue that it helps for the MCAT. Most schools require what was posted above, some schools require only a semester of math, a few schools require biochem (also helps with MCAT).

And no, it doesn't matter what you major in as long as you enjoy it!

 

[neuroblu]

I don't think any school requires genetics, but some might recommend it, and some people argue that it helps for the MCAT. Most schools require what was posted above, some schools require only a semester of math, a few schools require biochem (also helps with MCAT).

And no, it doesn't matter what you major in as long as you enjoy it!

thanks, I would like to know how did you feel about MCATs and the percentage of material on it? Also do you think being a non biology major makes a person stand out?

 

[Ismet]

thanks, I would like to know how did you feel about MCATs and the percentage of material on it? Also do you think being a non biology major makes a person stand out?

Each MCAT has different proportions of subjects, and there are multiple versions of the MCAT on each test day, so the person next to you might have had a completely different makeup on their test. My PS section was more physics than gen chem (maybe like 60/40) and the physics was a lot of kinematics with a little E&M. I really don't remember what was in the gen chem material. VR was "usual" - a philosophy passage, a natural science passage, a politics passage, etc. BS was mostly biology (maybe 75/25) with mostly biochemistry questions and one insane genetics passage. Don't study based on that, though, because your MCAT will almost certainly be different.

Psychology is a very common major, so that won't really make you stand out. You shouldn't worry about your major - just major in whatever interests you and do well in the pre-reqs.

 

[neuroblu]

Each MCAT has different proportions of subjects, and there are multiple versions of the MCAT on each test day, so the person next to you might have had a completely different makeup on their test. My PS section was more physics than gen chem (maybe like 60/40) and the physics was a lot of kinematics with a little E&M. I really don't remember what was in the gen chem material. VR was "usual" - a philosophy passage, a natural science passage, a politics passage, etc. BS was mostly biology (maybe 75/25) with mostly biochemistry questions and one insane genetics passage. Don't study based on that, though, because your MCAT will almost certainly be different.

Psychology is a very common major, so that won't really make you stand out. You shouldn't worry about your major - just major in whatever interests you and do well in the pre-reqs.

oh ok i here from a lot of people theres a lot of physics consistently, but i see how it does vary form year and test specific.

 

[Temperature101]

I don't think any school requires genetics, but some might recommend it, and some people argue that it helps for the MCAT. Most schools require what was posted above, some schools require only a semester of math, a few schools require biochem (also helps with MCAT).

And no, it doesn't matter what you major in as long as you enjoy it!

I heard you should have a good background in genetics if you wanna do very well in the bio section. I was doing some TPR practice questions online the other day and there was a question about alternative splicing...If did not take genetics there was no way I would have gotten the right answer.