History Major considering Medical School

[21B]

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I'm a history major at a Tier 2 private university. At some points in my life, I wanted to be a doctor. I loved the idea of helping people get better and save lives (yeah, I know it sounds cliche). But along the way, like a lot of people, math and science got hard for me (Truthfully, at the time, I was just really lazy), so I abandoned any idea about medical school and went the humanities route. I entered college as a history major, planning on becoming a lawyer. However, due to some financial issues, I had to leave school last January, (which turned out to be a good thing, so that I could investigate other career options, such as medicine). I'm planning on heading back to campus this summer, so I have some questions.

1. Would it be a good idea to go post-bac, or take my pre-med classes during college? I'm already halfway through my degree, so I'm not sure if I'd want to delay my actual graduation date; post bac sounds like a nice idea.
2. Which matters more for pre-med, and medicine in general, math or science? I've done well in science (got A's and B's in my general ed science classes), but I'm not the strongest in math. And what is the highest level of mathematics that I'll need for medical school?
3. Would being a history major help or hinder me where med school applications are concerned?

I know my situation is unusual, but I'd really love to become a doctor and fulfill my dream at last. Thanks in advance for your answers! 🙂

 

[vitanuova]

In my opinion, you should try to take the necessary courses while you are still an undergrad. Post-bacc programs are expensive and medical is even more expensive.
Your school should have advisors that can help you plan your course of studies but in general you will need:
1 year bio w/labs
1 year gen chem w/labs
1 year orgo w/labs
1 year physics w/labs
and most schools want to see a year of college level math too.
Individual schools have different requirements. These can be found on the school's websites.
If you are relatively weak in math but stronger in science you should be fine. Just make sure you take responsibility for your work and get help if you need it. Most school don't require you to take calc based physics and the highest level of math you should need for your science classes is algebra/trig.
If this is something you are serious about you will want to get some actual experience shadowing doctors and/or volunteering in a hospital. You should also do research on what becoming a doctor entails. It is not an easy path. There is a lot of info on forum. You can learn a lot by reading posts here.

 

[ToldYouSo]

Your major won't matter in terms of med school admissions. Just take the pre-reqs, do fine on them and keep your overall and science GPA as high as possible. For math, I would just take a semester of statistics and 1 semester of calc.

Just so you know, Katie Rodan, a prominent dermatologist and one of the creators of Proactiv was a history major.

 

[theseeker4]

I'm a history major at a Tier 2 private university. At some points in my life, I wanted to be a doctor. I loved the idea of helping people get better and save lives (yeah, I know it sounds cliche). But along the way, like a lot of people, math and science got hard for me (Truthfully, at the time, I was just really lazy), so I abandoned any idea about medical school and went the humanities route. I entered college as a history major, planning on becoming a lawyer. However, due to some financial issues, I had to leave school last January, (which turned out to be a good thing, so that I could investigate other career options, such as medicine). I'm planning on heading back to campus this summer, so I have some questions.

1. Would it be a good idea to go post-bac, or take my pre-med classes during college? I'm already halfway through my degree, so I'm not sure if I'd want to delay my actual graduation date; post bac sounds like a nice idea.
2. Which matters more for pre-med, and medicine in general, math or science? I've done well in science (got A's and B's in my general ed science classes), but I'm not the strongest in math. And what is the highest level of mathematics that I'll need for medical school?
3. Would being a history major help or hinder me where med school applications are concerned?

I know my situation is unusual, but I'd really love to become a doctor and fulfill my dream at last. Thanks in advance for your answers! 🙂

1) I would fit your pre-reqs in before graduation. It is just easier, and sometimes less expensive, to take the courses while delaying graduation than it is to find, apply for, be accepted to, then pay for a post-bac. They are good options for people who have already graduated, but there is no reason to choose a post-bac instead of delaying graduation.
2) Science courses are much, much more important than math. That said, math grades are included in your science GPA that MD schools see on your application, so bad math grades will seriously hurt your sGPA. Demonstrating solid work in the pre-reqs and maybe some upper-level sciences will go a long way to make up for a poor math grade, though, so it isn't the end of the world if you do well in everything else.
3) Your history major won't help or hinder you. It may help you with the verbal section of the MCAT (it seems science majors have more difficulty with that section than humanities majors) but the major itself won't have any serious impact on your chances.

What is your current GPA and your GPA of just Chemistry, Math, Physics and Biology courses? Have you done any physician shadowing or clinical volunteering? How about non-clinical volunteering, teaching/tutoring, leadership, etc.? I assume you don't have any science research, but that is another thing to look into to help your application. Good luck.

 

[21B]

I only attended college for one semester, so I didn't have time for any of those extracurricular activities; I'll be sure to get those in once I return. My GPA when I left was around 3.5, and I got a B in my College Biology class (did very well, got an "A" on the final exam, and enjoyed it thoroughly!)

 

[beethousand]

I was a history major too, now I am embarking on a post bacc. I would recommend taking you prerequisites while in your undergrad as you get better financial aide.

 

[Law2Doc]

It doesn't really matter whether you extend undergrad or take the courses as a postbac. The goal needs to be to not rush so you can get A's. If that means an extra year somewhere, so be it. Rushing things is a major reason I see of people not getting into med school on this board.

 

[21B]

Also, how long exactly does it take to become a full-fledged doctor? I mean the whole way through, med school, residency, and sub-specialty training. I've been considering cardiology, allergy/immunology, or cardiac surgery. Exactly how long would it take for each of these? Also, what books would you suggest I read in the meantime (I'll probably return back to campus either in summer or in the fall), so what books should I read to prep me for pre-med?

 

[Law2Doc]

Also, how long exactly does it take to become a full-fledged doctor? I mean the whole way through, med school, residency, and sub-specialty training. I've been considering cardiology, allergy/immunology, or cardiac surgery. Exactly how long would it take for each of these? Also, what books would you suggest I read in the meantime (I'll probably return back to campus either in summer or in the fall), so what books should I read to prep me for pre-med?

Med school is 4 years. You can look on FRIEDA to see lengths of residency. A handful of residencies (particularly surgical ones) expect you to do a year or two of research and extend your residency. Fellowships tend to be 1-2 years. The short answer is that to become a full fledged doctor we are probably talking about a range of anywhere from 7 years (4 years of med school plus 3 years of residency) to 12 years (4 years med school, 6-7 years residency, 1-2 years fellowship).
Don't read anything to prep for premed.

 

[dmf2682]

Read house of God

 

[beethousand]

A good starter book that I read was becoming a doctor. Start to Shadow physicians, this will give you a good idea of what you are getting into

 

[hmockingbird]

I'm confused - you said you only attended college for one semester but you are halfway through your degree? If you've only completed one semester you definitely have time to fulfil pre-reqs for med school, post-bac shouldn't even be an option. If you've done more, you might be able to fit them all in with summer courses, which you could always take at a cheaper school to save money. I'd try to get everything done before you graduate if you can, so there's less hassle and it might not be as expensive.

For math... I did one semester biostats (our regular stats class wasn't being offered) and one semester of calc. Some schools don't even require a full year, just 3 credits, in which case I'd recommend stats. It was a lot easier and I don't think that's just because of the teacher, it's more about figuring out which test fits the problem and then plugging in numbers rather than solving complicated equations.

History major is neither good nor bad. It can make you stand out a little bit because most people are science majors. At the same time I was told (as an English major) that it would be good to take some extra upper-level science courses to show that I wasn't just checking boxes. I took genetics, anatomy, and biochem in addition to the requirements, but those were also all "strongly suggested" courses at some schools I applied to.

Books? I don't think there's anything specific, but if you like reading medical stuff, the early 600s in the Dewey Decimal system is the medical section. (LOL, I worked at a library throughout high school and still have it all memorized 😉 ) There are a lot of memoirs out there now by doctors and patients, as well as more straight-up nonfiction. Some of the more interesting ones I've read lately were Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All and Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple-Personality Case. It's not like you need to read anything though, I am just geeky and that's the type of book I've always read for fun.

 

[21B]

I'm confused - you said you only attended college for one semester but you are halfway through your degree?

I was an AP/Honors student in high school, and almost all of my AP classes were in history, so I entered college already having finished about 1/3 of my degree. I don't have all that many more classes to take (some history classes, and maybe a general ed class or two), so I guess I could take my prereqs in college.

 

[Danbo1957]

History major here.

I went pre-med, and did all my pre-reqs by junior year. Easy.

(Don't forget, some med-school require Statistics, and Biochemistry or Microbiology-- I took all three courses.)

 

[Veritas86]

Sociology for me.

But yeah, as long as you bang out the prereqs and maybe take a couple of upper levels (genetics, biochem...that's my plan), I wouldnt think it would be a problem at all.

 

[21B]

What's the deal with Orgo? I don't think I'd have a problem with Bio, Chem, and even Physics, but I've heard that Orgo is an extremely confusing class. If you study hard enough, is it fairly easy to understand, or is it just lazy, non-motivated people that say that it's hard?

 

[theseeker4]

What's the deal with Orgo? I don't think I'd have a problem with Bio, Chem, and even Physics, but I've heard that Orgo is an extremely confusing class. If you study hard enough, is it fairly easy to understand, or is it just lazy, non-motivated people that say that it's hard?

It isn't quite so cut-and-dried. Orgo is different from the others since it is not heavily math based like chem or physics, and it is a lot more comprehension-heavy than biology. Both bio and orgo require quite a bit of memorization, but there is more understanding and problem solving needed for orgo than bio. Some people just "get it" in orgo, and can do very well with minimal studying. Others struggle with it no matter how much time and effort they put in. It would be a mistake to assume you will do well unless you are lazy or unmotivated. Go into it expecting not to be one of those who get it easily, and if you do get it easily, you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[ptubs]

I was a history major too, now I am embarking on a post bacc. I would recommend taking you prerequisites while in your undergrad as you get better financial aide.

Hi I have the same academic situation like you, except I have a different major that is similar to history. I'm an American Studies major and I want to do pre-med as well and go do post bacc. Just wondering, what was the highest level of math that you did while doing prerequisites in your undergrad?

Do I really need to do up to Calculus or is Pre-Calc or Statistics ok? What level did you go up to? I'm new to this so any info on this would help, thanks.

 

[nysegop]

The "tier" of your undergraduate institution really doesn't matter. Just have good stats.

 

[Goro]

Concur with this assessment, but want to add that orgo is very concept based. LOTs of concepts. It is and has been the classic "weeding" class to help select out people who would have trouble in Medical school.

It isn't quite so cut-and-dried. Orgo is different from the others since it is not heavily math based like chem or physics, and it is a lot more comprehension-heavy than biology. Both bio and orgo require quite a bit of memorization, but there is more understanding and problem solving needed for orgo than bio. Some people just "get it" in orgo, and can do very well with minimal studying. Others struggle with it no matter how much time and effort they put in. It would be a mistake to assume you will do well unless you are lazy or unmotivated. Go into it expecting not to be one of those who get it easily, and if you do get it easily, you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[whatbout2morrow]

Hi I have the same academic situation like you, except I have a different major that is similar to history. I'm an American Studies major and I want to do pre-med as well and go do post bacc. Just wondering, what was the highest level of math that you did while doing prerequisites in your undergrad?

Do I really need to do up to Calculus or is Pre-Calc or Statistics ok? What level did you go up to? I'm new to this so any info on this would help, thanks.

http://www.brynmawr.edu/healthpro/documents/MedSchoolMathReq2013.pdf

Calculus I and Statistics would be optimal.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Lol post-bacc only sounds cute because you think somehow not having that undergrad label means anything. Delay graduation and do your classes. PB is expensive.

 

[Dre42]

Hey 21B,

I am kind of in the same boat as you are. I'm a junior, have been a psychology major for the past 2 years, and am now seriously thinking of pursing a career in dentistry.

I had been thinking of switching my major to something more applicable (like bio or chem), but am now considering getting my psych major with the needed classes for the schools I am considering.

Let me know how your path is working out for you!