Nonscience majors and the "Why are you applying" Interview Question

[Freddie11]

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As a freshie in college, I'm a long while away from my (hopefully existent) interview from XYZ med school. I am probably going to major in Economics because that is something I've been interested in for a while (and it isn't too bad of a backup 🙂) while completing my prereqs for med school (something else I am very interested in) because being a physician is one of the few jobs I can see myself doing. I have little to no interest in doing research, so I would rather not major in, say, Bio or Chemistry in case things do not work out.

I'm now a bit worried. During an interview, if they ask you why you are an econ major (or something else far removed from science) and you argue that it is something you are interested in, how do you answer the inevitable follow-up question of "So why are you applying for med school and not doing something in ____ major?" 😱 Would saying "I'd rather be doing ____ should med school not pan out" really an acceptable (albeit truthful) answer?

Thanks guys.

 

[GoodMorning]

I'm a humanities major and have not run into the "Why do you want to go into medicine as opposed to (something in major field)" question at any of my interviews. However, my personal statement pretty much addressed it. They WILL ask you why you want to go to medical school/be a doctor.

DONT worry about being an econ major and applying to medical school. However, I would advise against saying "If i dont get in this round, i'll work at an investment bank" Schools want to see that your dedicated to medicine, not that you'll flake out right away.

That said, It's completely legitimate to be honest and say "I find economics fascinating and have enjoyed my major, but looking forward, I could really only see myself being a physician..." Just because you want to go to medical school doesn't mean you have to disavow your interest in economics!

 

[236116]

Your major doesn't matter that much, so definitely go for Econ if that's what you like.

You could just say it's something you're intellectually interested in, that you wanted to study it in depth, but your heart lies in medicine.

 

[Greonis]

Not everyone develops an interest in medicine from their undergraduate major(s). Since that is the case with you, you have but to make that clear in your personal statement/application essays (hopefully you have other material to work with, such as a life-changing event or an extracurricular activity), and it won't matter what you choose to major in.