Health Science Major

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tiger93

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Hello everyone. I'm currently in a Health Sciences major (in the Pre Professional concentration). The major has me taking the pre-reqs for Med School, PT School, etc. but I was wondering how valuable of a major this would be if I decided on Med School. I've heard both sides of the argument: On one hand, I've heard that more weight would be given to a student with a Bio or other more intensive science degree, but on the other hand, I've heard that all you have to do is get the pre reqs. Also, I've heard that the shift in preventative care has made this a desirable major. However, with the conflicting sides to the argument, I'm not entirely sure how good of a choice the major is for someone with hopes of Med School. I was hoping some of you with more experience in the field would be able to provide some feedback? Thanks in advance.

Just look at the numbers. Health Sciences majors have a measly ~30% chance of acceptance vs. a 45% chance for bio, 55% chance for physics, and a whopping 60+% for music.... What does this tell you? What it tells me is that the non-science students who get in in such high numbers are likely not getting in by doing the minimum (which is what it sounds like you're trying to do) but by excelling in BOTH science AND another, unrelated subject area. Health Sciences-type majors (including "Pre-Health" "Nursing" "Kinesiology" "Athletic Training" and so forth) tend to do poorly in admissions. Go with an academic major, not a wuss major.
 
Are you interested in any specific subject? You can major in ANYTHING and go to med school as long as you get the pre-reqs done. Most interviews focus on your interests outside of medicine, so if you have an interest in poetry, for example, an interviewer might ask you why you didn't major in English. They want to see that you are more than a one-dimensional, solely-focused-on-med-school pre-med. A "different" major is also a talking point in interviews--every interviewer has asked me about my music minor and the ensembles I perform in, whereas no interviewer has asked me about my neuroscience major. Additionally, if you major in a non-science while still taking pre-med reqs, that shows schools that you can balance a lot and still do well.

Overall, I don't think a general major like Health Sciences will help you in the app process, and it might even hurt you a bit when you get to interviewing. My 2 cents
 
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Hello everyone. I'm currently in a Health Sciences major (in the Pre Professional concentration). The major has me taking the pre-reqs for Med School, PT School, etc. but I was wondering how valuable of a major this would be if I decided on Med School. I've heard both sides of the argument: On one hand, I've heard that more weight would be given to a student with a Bio or other more intensive science degree, but on the other hand, I've heard that all you have to do is get the pre reqs. Also, I've heard that the shift in preventative care has made this a desirable major. However, with the conflicting sides to the argument, I'm not entirely sure how good of a choice the major is for someone with hopes of Med School. I was hoping some of you with more experience in the field would be able to provide some feedback? Thanks in advance.

I was an Athletic Training major, and this was commented on very positively during interviews. Having done well in my pre reqs, this major did not hold me back at all. I have multiple acceptances with my "wus" major.
 
Go with an academic major, not a wuss major.
A million times this.

The way I see it, most bachelors degrees aren't worth the paper they're printed on. But there's no need to get one printed on a napkin when you can have regular paper just like everyone else.
 
Just look at the numbers. Health Sciences majors have a measly ~30% chance of acceptance vs. a 45% chance for bio, 55% chance for physics, and a whopping 60+% for music.... What does this tell you? What it tells me is that the non-science students who get in in such high numbers are likely not getting in by doing the minimum (which is what it sounds like you're trying to do) but by excelling in BOTH science AND another, unrelated subject area. Health Sciences-type majors (including "Pre-Health" "Nursing" "Kinesiology" "Athletic Training" and so forth) tend to do poorly in admissions. Go with an academic major, not a wuss major.

You can read the tea leaves if you like, but I'd take it worth a grain of salt. 60% of music majors getting accepted can be explained by a lot of things. Maybe health science majors are more likely to apply unqualified as they need most of the prereqs for their major anyways. There's a lot of speculation about the stats, but it's still speculation. I'd choose whatever major you will like the most. My speculation is that most schools care much more about your other stats than your major.
 
OP, depending on which Health Science major you choose, you may run into some ignorance regarding the profession. I did have more than one person I met throughout this process who had no clue what an ATC actually does, as I am sure many on these boards do not either.

Regardless of major choice, do well in your prereqs and MCAT, and you will be fine.
 
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