Is there a reason why Medical schools don't like vocational majors ?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Unfair or not, med schools don't have the time/resources to know how rigorous a major is at most schools. The same thing happens with kinesiology majors. At many schools, it's sort of a science-lite major. I've heard that at UMich, it's a rigorous major (just been told that, don't know if true). Unless med schools know that UMich has a rigorous program, they may likely perceive the major as a coaching major or PE teacher major. I know that a number of PrePT students major in kinesiology or exercise science, but it seems that DPT programs are used to seeing that.

oh, I doubt attitudes will change any time soon. lol

by the end of the day, you can get into medical school with a degree in creative writing so im not really worried about what adcoms will think of me. Especially if i decide to apply to the medical school im getting my CLS degree in UMDSOM

Members don't see this ad.
 
@Quackery445 Congrats on getting to do a DO school! Did your classes from CLS were accumulate as an undergraduate GPA or was that put in different section?
 
i am curious to know where you are doing your CLS program a ? Its seems the academic rigor is pretty similar to my own (UMDSOM). It also begs the question if CLS are unfairly called "non rigorous" majors when that may not be the case anymore.

At my school, we take all the non clinical sciences that biochem and bio majors take as well as the school emphasizing heavy research in clinical science and we are given plenty of research opportunities to boot.

Looking through the forums, there seems to be a lot of old biases that are no longer relevant that are still held in the field of Medicine like the whole MD vs DO situation with residencies.
I'm doing my degree at the University of Central Oklahoma. But, yes, I agree. Quite a bit of bias exists against health professionals in general who decide to go to medical school. We are all lumped into one category us CLS's, and so have to prove our scientific rigor against professionals like nursing? Apples and oranges. I'm not saying nursing isn't rigorous, but it is very science light compared to CLS which most people mistake for a person that only does the simplest of tasks in the laboratory. I've actually met a few nurses that don't even have a clue what my job even entails and I am like "yeah, people actually run tests on the patient's blood. It doesn't just appear in EPIC like magic." But, anyway, I want to stress that EVERY professional is absolutely needed on the team, and I don't see why any of these experiences won't help in admissions or medical school.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
@Quackery445 Congrats on getting to do a DO school! Did your classes from CLS were accumulate as an undergraduate GPA or was that put in different section?
Thanks! I am very excited about it! But my classes actually weren't involved in the GPA calculation because my grades are reported at the end of my internship. Although, at my school, all of my clinical classes are considered biology or chemistry instead of "clinical" and so would have factored in to the calculation had they been available.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Thanks! I am very excited about it! But my classes actually weren't involved in the GPA calculation because my grades are reported at the end of my internship. Although, at my school, all of my clinical classes are considered biology or chemistry instead of "clinical" and so would have factored in to the calculation had they been available.

One last question, how much were your CLS program? I'm really considering doing it one, but I'm hoping it won't be too expensive. I notice some schools offer no tuition fee but some does.
 
One last question, how much were your CLS program? I'm really considering doing it one, but I'm hoping it won't be too expensive. I notice some schools offer no tuition fee but some does.
Well my school is my state school, so my tuition is about $6,000 per year or more. The internship is a joint effort between UCO and Mercy Hospital, and so the cost of the internship is the cost of UCO tuition.
 
I think it's less that "AdComs don't like vocational majors", and more that people who pursue those degrees tend to be less likely to put together a strong application for a variety of reasons mentioned above. Probably most relevant is that statistically they have by far the lowest MCAT scores.

This. People who come out of MLS/CLS programs with good GPAs, good MCAT scores, good LORs, and other solid experiences get into medical school. The issue is that a fair number of people who end up being weak candidates choose these programs so they can at least have a career in healthcare if the med school application process doesn't work out for them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Top