Philosophy majors scoring high on the MCAt?

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fullefect1

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I think I read this a while ago? Any truth to this? Is there even a philosphy major?haha. I could see how it would be relivant because of the in depth reading that is done.

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I am a Philosophy Major. Any truth to the myth? Can't say I know as I haven't taken the MCAT yet and that is the first I have heard of it. I would be inclined to say Philosophy majors are not any more likely to score higher on the MCAT than any other major except maybe in terms of verbal ability. In fact I would say they may be at a disadvantage due to the supposed lack of in depth science knowledge other majors (ex. Bio Majors) would have obtained over their 4 or so years in college.
 
i wouldnt say the mcat itself...maybe just the verbal. I am a biochem major, I dont have trouble scoring 12's on the PS and BS.

The verbal is more than literature comprehension. Its more about analyzing arguments, assertions, etc
 
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you should go to the aamc website. there are some tables there. i think math and english major do pretty well.
 
docmemi said:
you should go to the aamc website. there are some tables there. i think math and english major do pretty well.

Yes there is some truth to this. Nonscience people as a whole tend to do better on the MCAT. The highest GRE scores are also by philosophy majors. And the 2nd highest acceptance by major into med school (behind those crazy biomedical engineers).

If you know philosophy you should also know the danger of assuming the converse true -- that if you major in philosophy you'll get into med school. Nada. Major in what your passion is, whatever that may be.
 
I am a philosophy major and I also have read and heard (multiple books and reputable sources) That Humanities major's perform better on the MCAT. Oh, and the MCAT isn't a science test, it's a verbal comprehension/ analytical test that requires only basic science understanding, which is why they do perform better. I am taking the MCAT in August, and after having taken 2 practice tests can really see how much it is verbally based. Yes, I think phil majors would and do perform better than science majors.
 
to answer your question: yes, 99% of colleges offer a philosophy major.
 
I am a philosophy major and I scored the lowest on verbal. :( But don't give up, you'll probably do better.
 
Scoring on the MCAT has almost nothing to do with advanced science knowledge. The standard 8 or so pre-med requirements are WAY more than enough knowledge for the test, at least where I went to undergrad. I majored in sociology, and did the minimum science thing, and did very well--it's not philosophy but it isn't biochem either. So, your major is irrelevant.
Med schools don't care what you know (other than basic stuff, obviously), because you catch up in med school so quickly--a biochem major is even with everyone else almost right off the bat. They care how you think (how smart/scientific you are). And, in my humble opinion, the MCAT does a pretty good job at testing that. Might be a little off topic, sorry.
 
I was a philosophy major, as well as a molecular and cell bio major. As far as the "philosophy advantage", I believe you can get that from reading complex articles regularly and taking a logic course. Basic bio and physics (like the premed prereqs) is about all you need for the mcat sciences. Upper division bio (like anatomy, neurochemistry, etc) doesn't really help so much.
 
I doubt philosophy majors would score very high considering they'd spend their time pondering why the MCAT exists and its purpose instead of taking the actual test. :D
 
I am not convinced that the score difference is necessarily due to the major as much as the self-selection within the non-science majors. Scores in the sciences may be a bit lower since EVERY biology major and chemistry major plans on going to med school. Only a few math and philo majors even consider the route. This means you have the potential for a lot of unqualified bio and chem majors taking the test to even out the high scores of the others. This is of course just a guess. I don't work for AAMC. And I am not a spy. See, I have an official Not-A-Spy ID badge. :idea:

~AS1~
 
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