Is changing majors too frequently for undergrad a bad thing for med school application?

[coolmouse]

Hi.

I am turning 23 and currently in my final year of my undergrad course in Podiatry. After finishing my degree, I am planning to pursue medicine. Having seen patients in the podiatry clinic, I've developed an interest to learn more about anatomy, pathologies, pharmacology and etc. I find it a joy to treat patients whenever I see them. Currently studying for the MCAT and will take it whenever I am ready.

The one thing that bugs me in this journey is my past record of changing majors. I've changed universities 4 times (including my current one) due to family adjustments. At one point, I had to move to another country and start from scratch. Those majors were Primary Education, Psychology and Business. I know this probably won't look good on the application, but I am still not giving up. My current GPA is alright at the moment (3.8 out of 4.0). Podiatry was a stepping stone for me to realise that medicine was what I was looking for.

From my perspective, I take my past records as rich experiences that not many people go through. Yet, there is still a part of me that fears that it's a curse rather than a blessing. Just wondering what you guys think. Would love to hear from others of similar experiences or med students who have insights to share.

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[Goro]

We don't care about majors or minors, only that you do well.

 

[DokterMom]

That's a lot of different universities! Did your changes in majors coincide with your changes in university? Maybe you can map things out for us and clarify what motivated each change? Example:

Fall 2012 - Uni A, Business major
Spring 2013 - Uni A, Education major (changed mind)
Fall 2013 - Uni B, Education major (family moved cities)

The risk, of course, is that you look flaky and like you flit from dream to dream, or potentially that you are not in control of your own destiny from semester to semester...

But on the bright side, your major may not appear anywhere on your transcript except your final degree --

 

[coolmouse]

That's a lot of different universities! Did your changes in majors coincide with your changes in university? Maybe you can map things out for us and clarify what motivated each change? Example:

Fall 2012 - Uni A, Business major
Spring 2013 - Uni A, Education major (changed mind)
Fall 2013 - Uni B, Education major (family moved cities)

The risk, of course, is that you look flaky and like you flit from dream to dream, or potentially that you are not in control of your own destiny from semester to semester...

But on the bright side, your major may not appear anywhere on your transcript except your final degree --

Right you've got a point there. So here's my timeline:

2014 Uni A: Primary Education (clearly had no idea what I wanted after high school)
2015 Uni B: American Degree Transfer Program- Still undeclared major at that point, was looking into Psychology ( had to stop due to personal financial issues, therefore moving to a cheaper country)
2016 Uni C: Still had no declared major at that point, but was doing different papers (E.g. American Law, Business etc). Had to stop again after a year because my family emigrated to another country. This involved visa issues. So, kind of a complicated situation.
2017 Uni D: At this point, I was burnout moving around. Felt lost and demotivated because I thought I could never finish anything. Tried Business for a semester and didn't work out. Then came Podiatry and I've been loving it ever since.

In summary, a young kid who had no idea what she wanted and took the long route to realise that healthcare was her calling. I am sure many young people have gone through this (though not as crazy as my story). Sure I admit that I was once indecisive, but I am amazed at how I got here. Resilience was something I learned from the whole course. Note that I had to start from scratch for every single year (in different universities). What do you guys think? And thank you for your honest opinions. Really appreciate it.

 

[DokterMom]

IMO, moving countries is a free pass. You'll need to list all universities, but if you can avoid listing majors 2 and 3, I think that'll help. Are you looking at podiatry school or medical school? If it's podiatry, you're golden -- If med school, you may just need more time to demonstrate that you've stayed the course for a few years.

 

[coolmouse]

IMO, moving countries is a free pass. You'll need to list all universities, but if you can avoid listing majors 2 and 3, I think that'll help. Are you looking at podiatry school or medical school? If it's podiatry, you're golden -- If med school, you may just need more time to demonstrate that you've stayed the course for a few years.

I think you're right. Will probably take some time to show med schools that I can be consistent. I am looking into medical school, especially those in Australia. Thanks for the tip. Really helpful!