Non-Science major for Pre-Med? HELP!

[One Fine Day]

So, as the title implies, I am wondering about a non-science major as a pre-med.

Some background info, I'm currently a senior and am considering which majors appeal to me both as a person and a pre-med. Communications has risen as one of the most interesting and broad majors that I'm considering.

I've done my research and already know that I can cover my pre-med reqs and still cover my major's recs, but how hard would it be? and how often do people do this?

Also, another thing that I'm worried about is that as a Communications major, I won't be surrounded with common pre-meds and therefore I won't have people with similar goals and personalities to lean on or study with. While all the bio majors etc will congregate and work on their problem sets, I'm afraid I'll be busy with work on completely different topics.

Anyone know how possible this is and how hard it would be, both emotionally and mentally, to take this track?

All answers are much appreciated!!

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[sgtbrushes]

Hands down, it is very possible to be a communications major while knocking out the med school pre-reqs. Also, your major isn't written in stone your freshman year. You will probably be focusing general education and med school pre-reqs your first year or two, so you won't take any classes even related to your major, so you don't need to make the decision now.

 

[2010houston]

Also, having a non-sci major - especially in something like communications, which isn't as common as the social sci majors - will set you apart a little bit from the crowd, which is always a good thing. And premed students seem to come out of the woodwork; you won't have trouble finding people to study with.

Good luck!

 

[schrizto]

I'm not really familiar with the classes that a communications major takes, but it's definitely possible to be such a major and be pre-med. Something you might want to look into though, is when I got into Northwestern I was accepted into the Communication Sciences and Disorders major. It was considered within the School of Communication, and required some classes in communication as well as communication sciences.

 

[Shinobiz11]

Communications is actually one of the best non-science majors you can do. I might do my minor in either that or music.

 

[DirtyJustice]

A) You are still in high school. You can say what you are going to major in now, but when you get to college it might be completely different. (That's how it was for me).

B) I am an Econ major, I did just fine on the MCATs and the science classes. major doesn't matter THAT much.

 

[Electrophile]

Keep in mind that a communications major is almost worthless if you drop from being pre-med (no shame in that, but it's very common). Just about as worthless as majoring in psychology. I would advise majoring in something practical and minoring or double majoring in something fun or complementary. I majored in biology, but I double majored in religious studies and minored in history in four years.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

Being a non-sci major and going to med school isn't that hard to do. Your cGPA is higher as the liveral arts tend to be more grade inflated than hard sciences. You need to take gen chem, o chem, physics, bio and perhaps zoology and get at least a B in those classes.

 

[loveoforganic]

Keep in mind that a communications major is almost worthless if you drop from being pre-med (no shame in that, but it's very common). Just about as worthless as majoring in psychology. I would advise majoring in something practical and minoring or double majoring in something fun or complementary. I majored in biology, but I double majored in religious studies and minored in history in four years.

That would depend on what you want to do. If you plan on falling back on a psych doctorate, majoring in psychology is pretty far from worthless.

 

[Tots]

Hanging out with non-premeds is a pro, not a con.

 

[HurricaneKatt]

Hanging out with non-premeds is a pro, not a con.

I have to strongly disagree with you there - though I DO think that it depends on where you are. I hang out with fellow premeds all of the time and it is great. We have a lot in common, know what each other are going through, etc. I know that in some places it can get pretty dirty and competitive between premeds at the same school, but here everyone is very friendly and supportive. For me hanging out around other premeds both ahead and behind me school-wise has helped me a LOT, not to mention it is a lot of fun.
To the OP - join a premed club and you will meet other premed students there, and who knows, some might be in your major!

 

[Electrophile]

That would depend on what you want to do. If you plan on falling back on a psych doctorate, majoring in psychology is pretty far from worthless.

Yeah, but with the glut of people with psych degrees, even graduate level, applying to a psych graduate program isn't necessarily a great backup plan and you gotta really really like it.

 

[One Fine Day]

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

Towards the other poster, I agree that my interests may change when I'm in college, but I'm just speaking for my current beliefs and interests. Also, its a great suggestion to just join a pre-med club to meet up with like-minded people. I'll definitely look into that.

One poster mentioned that a Communications major is worthless after college, but can you elaborate? That made me kinda worried considering how many pre-meds drop from their track, I don't want to end up a dropout and then stuck with a worthless degree. My counselor told me Communications was a good choice because it can lead into many different paths including Business communications, or the media such as newspapers, government, or television branches.

 

[Electrophile]

One poster mentioned that a Communications major is worthless after college, but can you elaborate? That made me kinda worried considering how many pre-meds drop from their track, I don't want to end up a dropout and then stuck with a worthless degree. My counselor told me Communications was a good choice because it can lead into many different paths including Business communications, or the media such as newspapers, government, or television branches.

Sure thing. My husband's an MBA student and his bachelor's degree was in marketing, so I do know a bit about the business side of things. Put yourself in the shoes of a future employer. If you were looking to hire someone at a newspaper or television station right out of undergrad, all other things being relatively equal, a journalism major would likely be more marketable than a communications major because it uses more practical training. Same thing in "business communications" (I put parentheses around it because even my husband didn't know what that was, except maybe PR stuff?). They'd be more likely to hire someone with more practical training as a business major than a more theoretical degree like communications. Once you get out for like 3-5 years and have some technical expertise and experience in your field, your exact major probably won't matter quite as much. Hopefully that makes sense.

And just a word of advice. Some high school guidance counselors are fantastic, but some have no idea what they're talking about.

 

[MossPoh]

You don't want to hang with premeds. Trust me. Going non-science and taking pre-reqs + a few extra is probably the best decision you'll make. Take what you enjoy and have fun. My happiness went down and stress went up as soon as I was hanging out with premeds on a regular basis.

 

[Mopp22]

Medical schools are encouraging non-science major applicants. It 'filters' out what is called(sorry) "science nerds". They are interested in liberal arts majors outside of the sciences while still having a strong knowledge of the sciences. It shows you are well rounded and it is important to study what you are interested in, not what looks good on a transcript....you likely won't get a second chance to do it so take advantage. That also applies to your extracurriculars. There should be a pattern to what you are doing thats reflects your interests.

 

[r0ckaction]

I changed from a piano performance major to a german major with minors in biology and music.

I ended up taking enough science classes to fall 3 or 4 courses short of a double major in molecular biology.

I would do it again in a heartbeat. I also studied abroad for a semester, during which time I took 0 (that's right, zero) science courses. Naturally, I took summer classes two summers in a row. It was totally worth it to me though.

Do whatever interests you. You'll find that you will perform best that way too.

 

[CaliGirl14]

So is majoring in Environmental Science...too sciency? I know it's not as hard core as majoring in biochemistry and what not, but wouldn't you think it errs on the side of liberal arts?

 

[Terpskins99]

I'm going to take another angle at this.

Consider majoring in a subject that will be useful for you in case you don't decide to go into medical school (i.e. a backup plan).

Political science, business, computer programing, engineering... etc etc.

 

[medicalCPA]

I'm going to take another angle at this.

Consider majoring in a subject that will be useful for you in case you don't decide to go into medical school (i.e. a backup plan).

Political science, business, computer programing, engineering... etc etc.

This. You may think you won't need it, but even the best laid plans can fail.

 

[godcyning]

Don't be so concerned with having premed buddies from your major - you'll make plenty of pre-med friends through your premed coursework (bio, chem, etc.), as well as through extracurriculars. A non-science major will not make you ostracized.

 

[CaliGirl14]

Question: What if your plan is to attend a community college and transfer to your state university as a non-science major pre-med? I know it's not preferred to take your BCPM classes at your community college, but how on earth would you have time to take your BCPM classes at your four year university in time to take the MCAT during your Junior year?

That also goes with science majors at community college. If they don't want you to take your BCPM classes at your community college, how are you suppose to fit all those classes during your junior year to prepare you for the MCAT?

Also, if you major in science during your community college, some of your required classes to transfer to your state university tends to overlap with the BCPM courses...so isn't it inevitable NOT to take your BCPM classes at your community college?

From my understanding, most people attending a four year university as whatever major, take their BCPM classes during their first two years. How can you expect a community college go-er not to during their first two years?

Sorry if this is a bit off topic.