If you were a psychology/sociology major [or any other non-science major] in undergrad, please read:

[pritzi]

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Hello to all!

I am currently a first year Biological Science major. I did some research on the acceptance rate of majors accepted to medical schools. Through said research, I've concluded that there is significantly a higher percentage of math, humanities, and English majors accepted in comparison to their Biology/science counterparts. With all the research that I have done, I learned that a) medical schools do not care what your major is b) med schools look for diversity in their applicants c) undergrad science courses don't necessarily help you in terms of performance in med school d) science courses in med school are more rigorous and have more depth in comparison to undergrad biology/science courses.

I come from a family with majority that are in the medical field, and they influenced me in regard to being a biology/science major, saying that it will be most beneficial and will prepare me for medical school. I am currently thinking of switching to either sociology or psychology. I have a keen interest in biology, but I am more intrigued by sociology/psychology. I love both sociology/psychology, so there is also a possibility to double major. I also plan to minor in either neuroscience or biology in addition to being a sociology/psychology [double] major. What do you guys think?

I wanted to know if there are any of you who were either a psychology or sociology major in undergrad and am curious in hearing your stories. Did you have a difficult time with the applying process for med school? Do you think majoring in either one hurt your chances or enhanced it? Do you think you are at a disadvantage in terms of science classes in med school in comparison to your science major counterparts?

 

[Doug Underhill]

I majored in biochemistry. Personally, I don't agree with your thought patterns.

Don't try to major in everything you're interested in. Taking on a double major is additional work that won't help you at all at gaining entry to medical school. Furthermore, trying to "game"the process based on acceptance rates is silly. The following undergrad courses WILL help you get into medical school, as they will be tested on the MCAT:

Biology
Gen. Chem
Organic Chem.
Physics
Biochemistry
Sociology/Psychology

Make sure you take all of those, regardless of what your major is. Furthermore, you need to establish that you can handle a full complement of upper-level science courses. High grades in undergrad courses in anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology, while by no means as in-depth as their med school counterparts, will convince adcoms of this. You can take other ones as well- Advanced Organic Synthesis will convince them just the same- but it probably won't be as pertinent.

 

[pritzi]

I majored in biochemistry. Personally, I don't agree with your thought patterns.

Don't try to major in everything you're interested in. Taking on a double major is additional work that won't help you at all at gaining entry to medical school. Furthermore, trying to "game"the process based on acceptance rates is silly. The following undergrad courses WILL help you get into medical school, as they will be tested on the MCAT:

Biology
Gen. Chem
Organic Chem.
Physics
Biochemistry
Sociology/Psychology

Make sure you take all of those, regardless of what your major is. Furthermore, you need to establish that you can handle a full complement of upper-level science courses. High grades in undergrad courses in anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology, while by no means as in-depth as their med school counterparts, will convince adcoms of this. You can take other ones as well- Advanced Organic Synthesis will convince them just the same- but it probably won't be as pertinent.

I was not thinking of taking on a double major to help me get into medical school. I was going to do it solely because I wanted to, for myself, for the sake of knowledge, and because I truly enjoy both. However, I slept on it and decided that I am ruling sociology out. I am considering three schools in Chicago to transfer to. Loyola University offers BSPsychology and neuroscience minor. DePaul University offers BSPsychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience. UIC offers BSNeuroscience, BAPsychology, and minor in psychology. Which do you think would most benefit me in terms of knowledge to be utilized in med school? I personally think that BSNeuroscience would be the most challenging and intellectually stimulating, which I am all for.

 

[WillburCobb]

Which do you think would most benefit me in terms of knowledge to be utilized in med school? I personally think that BSNeuroscience would be the most challenging and intellectually stimulating, which I am all for.

I was a psych and music major, neuro and chem minor, and only needed genetics and capstone for a zoology degree. No one field will be more beneficial for you in terms of knowledge. Any area (bio, math, engineering, languages, music, art, etc.) can provide you with some minor benefit in terms of skills, perspective, knowledge, etc., but not a enough to make certain areas of study more beneficial than others. Pick a school and major where you feel you'll be happiest and most successful.

 

[pritzi]

I was a psych and music major, neuro and chem minor, and only needed genetics and capstone for a zoology degree. No one field will be more beneficial for you in terms of knowledge. Any area (bio, math, engineering, languages, music, art, etc.) can provide you with some minor benefit in terms of skills, perspective, knowledge, etc., but not a enough to make certain areas of study more beneficial than others. Pick a school and major where you feel you'll be happiest and most successful.

If I had to choose, I would major in neuroscience. However, of the three schools that I mentioned, only UIC offers it as a major, and the school is last on my list. The ambience of the school is just not for me, but what what attracts me to it is the sole fact that they offer neuro as a major. Would being a psychology major and neuroscience minor be practically the same thing as being a psychology major with a cognitive neuroscience concentration?

 

[WillburCobb]

Would being a psychology major and neuroscience minor be practically the same thing as being a psychology major with a cognitive neuroscience concentration?

There would likely be a lot of overlap.

 

[pritzi]

There would likely be a lot of overlap.

Okay, thank you for the responses!!