Major does matter?

[ranson]

I've done a search on this topic, and a lot of posters have stated that what you major in does not matter at all in the admissions process. However, after visiting several med school websites, they all state that the rigor of your undergraduate career (which includes what courses you take) is considered in the process. Obviously, Physics/Chemistry majors have to take more difficult courses than History, Environmental Studies, or Religious Studies majors. So, if two candidates, one a Physics major and the other a Religious studies major, had the same GPA, wouldn't the Physics major have a slight advantage?

Any thoughts on this? Or does major still not matter?
thanks

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[sliceofbread136]

Rigor applies more to hours per semester and the individual difficulty of the classes a student took. A history major could actually have a more rigorous curriculum than a physics major. What matters is what you do with your major, not what major you are in.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

It doesn't matter, also there is almost no point in ruminating over a situation like the one described above as the application process is not that simple and will involve many more factors.

 

[dreamweaver1988]

I heard only biochemistry/ chemical engineering double majors get accepted?? Is that true??

 

[ranson]

Rigor applies more to hours per semester and the individual difficulty of the classes a student took. A history major could actually have a more rigorous curriculum than a physics major. What matters is what you do with your major, not what major you are in.

I don' quite get what your last sentence means. What can you do with your major, other than take the courses that fulfill it?

 

[Bro Dude]

I have to reluctantly employ the cliche of "pick a major you are passionate about." Yes, it is a cliche, but it holds true nonetheless. Anecdotal evidence, combined with n=1 (i.e.myself) may not suffice to draw significant conclusions, but it has certainly worked out for me - I'm now sitting on a pile of acceptances.

I majored in Anthropology in college and I'm certain that it's the best decision I have ever made. The obvious advantage is a kind of implicit idiosyncrasy - there has to be a reason why you majored in, say, Latin American Studies, as opposed to physical chemistry.

 

[NYCMS2]

The passion thing is what matters most in picking a major. I was a lib arts major - I am convinced it enhanced my med school app, distinguished me from the traditional cookie cutter pre meds...

 

[sliceofbread136]

I don' quite get what your last sentence means. What can you do with your major, other than take the courses that fulfill it?

Take harder classes in your major/more hours in your major? I'm a biomedical engineer and there are a ton of non-required classes available to me. You could even take grad school courses. If I was bluntly answering the OP's question of "does your major matter", the answer would be no.

 

[Nymphicus]

I heard only biochemistry/ chemical engineering double majors get accepted?? Is that true??

I think so but don't quote me

 

[johnisles2011]

I think Serenade has a perfect answer.

It doesn't matter, also there is almost no point in ruminating over a situation like the one described above as the application process is not that simple and will involve many more factors.

Besides, what is the answer going to do for you? Will you pick a major you hate because it is more rigorous and a 4.0 would be more valuable there than anywhere else? That's silly. Come on. College will be your last chance to fully explore your intellectual interests BEYOND medicine in a structured environment with brilliant people teaching you. Do something you want to do. Take advantage of it. And have fun.

 

[UnclePhil]

Yes it matters, but not enough to offset the misery you will put yourself through by majoring in something you hate just because you want to impress adcoms. They don't care that much...

 

[varsityblue]

I've done a search on this topic, and a lot of posters have stated that what you major in does not matter at all in the admissions process. However, after visiting several med school websites, they all state that the rigor of your undergraduate career (which includes what courses you take) is considered in the process. Obviously, Physics/Chemistry majors have to take more difficult courses than History, Environmental Studies, or Religious Studies majors. So, if two candidates, one a Physics major and the other a Religious studies major, had the same GPA, wouldn't the Physics major have a slight advantage?

Any thoughts on this? Or does major still not matter?
thanks

Hello, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS ARE JUST AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER MAJORS. Medical schools just want to make sure you aren't taking a bunch of underwater basketweaving courses. Neither major nor amount of "hard-track/honors" med school reqs matters.

 

[CopaceticOne]

Hello, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS ARE JUST AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER MAJORS. Medical schools just want to make sure you aren't taking a bunch of underwater basketweaving courses. Neither major nor amount of "hard-track/honors" med school reqs matters.

Have you ever tried to weave a basket underwater? It's harder than it sounds

 

[varsityblue]

Have you ever tried to weave a basket underwater? It's harder than it sounds

Hmph. I could probably weave a bloody basket underwater if I had to.

 

[gravitywave]

I've done a search on this topic, and a lot of posters have stated that what you major in does not matter at all in the admissions process. However, after visiting several med school websites, they all state that the rigor of your undergraduate career (which includes what courses you take) is considered in the process. Obviously, Physics/Chemistry majors have to take more difficult courses than History, Environmental Studies, or Religious Studies majors. So, if two candidates, one a Physics major and the other a Religious studies major, had the same GPA, wouldn't the Physics major have a slight advantage?

Any thoughts on this? Or does major still not matter?
thanks

i've bolded the part where your argument falls down. The fact of the matter is that a simple comparison of the coursework involved in completing a pre-med hard science major and a pre-med humanities major does not suggest prima facie that one's courseload was of much different rigor than the other. So adcoms are always going to read the course list on AMCAS no matter what the actual major is. This is what is meant by "your major doesn't matter."

That said, at my undergrad, the difference in GPA between the History dept and the Engineering dept was about 0.4 (not of graduates' cGPA but of grades awarded by the departments.) Do adcoms factor for this as "rigor"? Yes. Does that consideration offset the numerical disadvantage in the admissions game? Conventional wisdom says no.

 

[CopaceticOne]

Hmph. I could probably weave a bloody basket underwater if I had to.

Chill little one, it was a joke.

 

[JESSFALLING]

Obviously,

This is only 'obvious' to you. Everyone has differently strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. For one, humanities is infinitely easier.....whereas, for another, hard science is much easier as math is their finest language. Some find both to be equally difficult.

 

[candav]

At my institution, we choose our majors after first year, so I actually ended up choosing majors and a minor that related to my extracurricular/research interests at the time. I've found that being able to take what you learn through coursework and apply it outside of class in your extracurriculars, and vice versa, really enhances the learning experience.

 

[dreamweaver1988]

Hello, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS ARE JUST AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER MAJORS. Medical schools just want to make sure you aren't taking a bunch of underwater basketweaving courses. Neither major nor amount of "hard-track/honors" med school reqs matters.

Ummmm nope. My own major, which is one of the physical sciences, is not that difficult. I've earned nothing but As in every one of my major courses with minimal effort. To get As in bio and chem classes, which I've managed to do only some of the time, I have to work my tail off. I can't imagine having four or five bio or chem classes in the same semester...that would just be awful.

Saying undergraduate major doesn't count is like saying undergraduate college doesn't count, in that both are false. Biochemistry >> Psychology, just as University of Chicago >> Winona State University.

P.S. I realize that if you're an English major, you are doing lots of reading and writing, so it's fair to say English and Biology are equally time consuming. But not equally difficult, duh.

 

[dreamweaver1988]

Also, just would like to mention a person't intelligence is often not correlated to the difficulty of their major. For example, at my college, freshmen in the College of Architecture had the highest average ACT score. Architecture is a moderately difficult and very time-consuming major, but it's not in the same ballpark as bio, chem, nuclear engineer, etc. A lot of smart kids just happen to want to be architects of some sort.

It's also important to note that many majors are only difficult if you're a pre-med and need to maintain a 3.7 or higher. I could breeze through a bio major if having a 3.2 was an option, but it is not.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Also, just would like to mention a person't intelligence is often not correlated to the difficulty of their major. For example, at my college, freshmen in the College of Architecture had the highest average ACT score. Architecture is a moderately difficult and very time-consuming major, but it's not in the same ballpark as bio, chem, nuclear engineer, etc. A lot of smart kids just happen to want to be architects of some sort.

It's also important to note that many majors are only difficult if you're a pre-med and need to maintain a 3.7 or higher. I could breeze through a bio major if having a 3.2 was an option, but it is not.

The only major that's going to get any slack from adcoms is engineering. And I wouldn't classify biology as a difficult major by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[ranson]

Hello, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS ARE JUST AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER MAJORS. Medical schools just want to make sure you aren't taking a bunch of underwater basketweaving courses. Neither major nor amount of "hard-track/honors" med school reqs matters.

Not really. At my University, we have a Course Rating system which allows students to rate the difficulty of the course as well as how much work is required. Courses that deal with Social Sciences have ratings that are much lower than any major course required for Physics, Chem, Engineering, or Biochem. I've also had to take these social science and humanities courses to satisfy requirements, and I've noticed that more students earn higher grades in these courses while not even paying attention in class (eg. goofing off on their computers during lecture). Also, these classes are not curved so there is no competition at all. In classes such as PChem, Biochem, ect. , only a fixed percentage can earn a certain grade.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Hello, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS ARE JUST AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER MAJORS.

Yeah...not so much.

Anyway, your major and courses do matter, but they matter much, much less than just doing well in whatever you choose. Doing what you enjoy is important, but picking a major you can succeed in (read: get lots of A's in) is crucial if med school is something you're fairly set on.

 

[Double Trouble]

Hello, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS ARE JUST AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER MAJORS. Medical schools just want to make sure you aren't taking a bunch of underwater basketweaving courses. Neither major nor amount of "hard-track/honors" med school reqs matters.

rofl

from her mdapps

Undergraduate College: University of Toronto, Trinity College
Undergraduate Area of Study: English/Literature

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Not really. At my University, we have a Course Rating system which allows students to rate the difficulty of the course as well as how much work is required. Courses that deal with Social Sciences have ratings that are much lower than any major course required for Physics, Chem, Engineering, or Biochem. I've also had to take these social science and humanities courses to satisfy requirements, and I've noticed that more students earn higher grades in these courses while not even paying attention in class (eg. goofing off on their computers during lecture). Also, these classes are not curved so there is no competition at all. In classes such as PChem, Biochem, ect. , only a fixed percentage can earn a certain grade.

You say that as if this is a good thing, why should my grade be dependent on other peoples master of the material?

 

[whatbout2morrow]

P.S. I realize that if you're an English major, you are doing lots of reading and writing, so it's fair to say English and Biology are equally time consuming. But not equally difficult, duh.

I agree, however, in terms of rigor of a 4 year course of study, the normal 120 credit English major has it much easier than the 150+ credit pre-med English major (the 30+ extra credits being science and upper-level bio classes) who also devotes time to research, volunteering and clinical experience and is involved in multiple pre-med extracurricular activities.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I'll be honest and openly say that most majors in the humanities/social sciences are going to be significantly easier than majors in the physical sciences. I would disagree however with the statement that biological sciences or life sciences are significantly more difficult than humanities/social science majors.

 

[chemistryguy]

I think how hard upper level classes are and how time consuming are both taken into account when thy view your academic record. In my opinion, science courses might be considered more difficult and are without a doubt much more time consuming than any other courses.

 

[SellerAl]

Hello, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS ARE JUST AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER MAJORS. Medical schools just want to make sure you aren't taking a bunch of underwater basketweaving courses. Neither major nor amount of "hard-track/honors" med school reqs matters.

but are they? really? hmph

 

[pkwraith]

It's one thing to say that majors are limited in their importance in med school application, and that study things you are interested in. That is true.

It's a completely different thing to say that humanities are as difficult as any other major. They're very nice words about how we're all special and fair, and can probably make people feel better about their majors. But, it's highly unrealistic.

 

[Conflagration]

As long as you get the prerequisites for medical school done and you keep a high GPA and a decent MCAT, I don't think adcoms give two craps what your major is. Just my two cents...

 

[circulus vitios]

Hello, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS ARE JUST AS DIFFICULT AS OTHER MAJORS.

When is the last time a humanities major ever took a test with a 30% class average?

 

[Narmerguy]

When is the last time a humanities major ever took a test with a 30% class average?

To be fair, this really only proves that there could be a lot of *****s in science classes, thus making the averages so low.

I think these kinds of discussions are pointless without any kind of context. What do we mean by harder? Time consuming? Difficult to achieve an A? Difficult to master the material? Fewer people that have the capacity to comprehend the material out of the greater population? I imagine that it's harder to receive A's in the humanities, but much easier to receive B's and C's. Whereas in the sciences, the objective grading is such that you can achieve A's if you understand the material, and you can receive F's if you don't. There's no room for interpretation, no way a professor can try to "gift" you a C. If you don't get thermodynamics, then you don't get it. If you do, you do.

I personally find literary analysis to be quite challenging, whereas Thermodynamics was quite intuitive for me. If I took a bunch of upper level English classes, I'd probably get a lower GPA than I have in all my upper level physics/chemistry classes.