Possible Undergrad Minors

[sp97]

Hi!

I am a freshman at SUNY Albany. I am an intended Biology major on a Pre-Med track. My academic goal is to go to medical school and become an anesthesiologist. My academic advisor had mentioned looking into minors to kind of "spruce up" my med school application (starting early). I was thinking of taking anywhere from 1-2 minors, MAYBE 3. My current course schedule between this semester and next semester includes Biology 1&2, General Chemistry 1&2, General Chemistry Lab 1&2, Algebra & Calculus 1, Statistics 1, Golden Age of Piano Music, Writing and Critical Inquiry, and Sociology of Culture. After looking through the list of minors offered at my school, the minors listed above are the ones I'm most interested in. Which three do you think would be best for med school applications?

Thanks for you help!

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[WedgeDawg]

Med schools give exactly 0 ****s about your minor, FYI

 

[WedgeDawg]

I will add to this and say that the only time my minor came up during interviews is when I brought it up because I thought it was interesting and wanted to talk about it.

The only reason you should do a minor is because it is on a subject that you want to learn about with the understanding that it will only help you if you choose to apply it. For example, minoring in biostatistics won't impress medical schools, but it may help you analyze and present the data in your research project in a more coherent and precise way. At the same time, minoring in 16th century Aztec political science won't impress medical schools, but it may be something you find interesting outside of your core sciences.

Don't do a minor to please anyone else, particularly if your goal is to apply to medical school.

 

[sp97]

@WedgeDawg thanks for the tips! So the only way to really spruce up my college career is by joining clubs, studying abroad, and volunteering?

 

[amazing tekkers]

Don't bother with a minor, take a few computer science courses instead such as java, C++. Then get a certificate. You'll be able to find a decent paying job if you take a gap year(s).

 

[WedgeDawg]

Do you want to spruce up your college career or do you want to do things that are impressive to medical admissions committees? Because unfortunately, the two aren't always mutually exclusive.

 

[amazing tekkers]

@WedgeDawg thanks for the tips! So the only way to really spruce up my college career is by joining clubs, studying abroad, and volunteering?

Make sure to be well rounded. Have interests and other commitments outside of school/research. Not only will you make friends outside of, perhaps, your pre-health circles, you also get the chance to obtain worthwhile skills and experiences.

 

[Turkishking]

Minors mean nothing, focus on GPA. Unless you have another interest.

 

[Strigon]

I've said this elsewhere, and I'm sure folks here would agree, pursue a minor if it interests you. Having a genuine interest means you can live outside pre-med.

 

[BluMist]

Given the SDN mentality, schools already don't care about your MAJOR, so minors might be care-less...

FWIW, I had a dual degree out of undergraduate and ended up not using either for my career thus far.
So even in the real world, outside of the pre-med bubble, no one cares.

 

[psychgirl95]

Adding on to what's already been said, another possibility may involve you designing your own minor if you just really want to pursue one. (You may be able to talk to your advisor about whether your school allows this.) Someone mentioned their minor being an interesting thing to talk about during interviews (I expect mine to be as well), so if it's unusual (e.g., interdisciplinary), it may grab someone's attention and show them that you have interests outside of medicine.