Pre-med with a business major?

[adhisk]

Hey guys! Hope everyone is doing well during these trying times. I need some advice. I am going to be an incoming freshman at Michigan State University for the fall semester of 2020.
Going to med school is my dream. I am planning on majoring in Supply Chain Management (#1 program in US) because it is such a great program, and I did not want to be stuck with a human biology/ neuroscience major if I don't get into med school. I also want to take the MCAT the summer after sophomore year, so that if I do not do well, I can take it a couple more times (summer after junior year and senior year).
I am planning on taking a couple of pre-reqs at a 4 year university close to me.
Any advice on if this is the right thing to do? Am I biting off more than I can chew? Any help is super appreciated.

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[Goro]

Adcoms do not care what your major is, only that you do well.

A non-Biology degree will be helpful for Plan B

 

[Lasofloxabuterol]

An adcom could probably give you better advice, but you can major in anything you want as long as you complete all of the pre-reqs as I am sure you are aware. As it relates to the MCAT, you should only take it when you are 100% ready and have done a majority of the pre-reqs so as to assure you are prepared adequately. The more you take the MCAT the less impressive your highest score will be when compared to others who have taken it once and have achieved the score it took you three or four times to take!

 

[deleted889094]

I wish I had done a non-science major tbh. But, I might not have done as well on the MCAT. Who knows?

I would advise, and take this with a grain of salt, wait on taking the MCAT. At the end of sophomore year you probably don't stand to do that well. Better to let the med school pre-reqs help you before you are tested on material you haven't learned yet.

 

[ismyexistenceamemeyet]

Hey guys! Hope everyone is doing well during these trying times. I need some advice. I am going to be an incoming freshman at Michigan State University for the fall semester of 2020.
Going to med school is my dream. I am planning on majoring in Supply Chain Management (#1 program in US) because it is such a great program, and I did not want to be stuck with a human biology/ neuroscience major if I don't get into med school. I also want to take the MCAT the summer after sophomore year, so that if I do not do well, I can take it a couple more times (summer after junior year and senior year).
I am planning on taking a couple of pre-reqs at a 4 year university close to me.
Any advice on if this is the right thing to do? Am I biting off more than I can chew? Any help is super appreciated.

Hey, great question, not to mention it's always nice to see a fellow business major. I was an accounting major myself and recently got accepted to med school, so hopefully I can talk from my experience.

Yes, it's possible, although it depends on some of your other commitments (work, family, etc). I was able to complete all my pre-reqs and my accounting coursework in 3.5 years (however, I had some AP credit and overloaded on credits two semesters in a row, blasting through my credits...yes, what I did is crazy and not recommended lol). Realistically, expect 4 years and summer classes (I took several of my business courses over the summers).

I held a few jobs during college and on average had a 10-16 hour workweek. I started taking pre-reqs in the second half of freshman year and completed them at ~end of junior year. I took the MCAT in the summer before senior year (June 2019, actually. However, I'd recommend an earlier date so you don't run the risks that I did), AFTER I'd taken all my pre-reqs.

I will echo what fellow SDNers have posted above; ideally, you only want to take the MCAT once. Taking it multiple times is a waste of time and money, not to mention it could hurt you in the admissions process. Take it once you've completed most of your pre-reqs because studying will probably be grueling and miserable otherwise.

I hope that helps! Feel free to PM me if you'd like to know more specifics!

 

[adhisk]

Adcoms do not care what your major is, only that you do well.

A non-Biology degree will be helpful for Plan B

Thanks for the great advice!

An adcom could probably give you better advice, but you can major in anything you want as long as you complete all of the pre-reqs as I am sure you are aware. As it relates to the MCAT, you should only take it when you are 100% ready and have done a majority of the pre-reqs so as to assure you are prepared adequately. The more you take the MCAT the less impressive your highest score will be when compared to others who have taken it once and have achieved the score it took you three or four times to take!

I had no idea taking the MCAT multiple times might hurt me! Thank you for telling me this!

 

[adhisk]

I wish I had done a non-science major tbh. But, I might not have done as well on the MCAT. Who knows?

I would advise, and take this with a grain of salt, wait on taking the MCAT. At the end of sophomore year you probably don't stand to do that well. Better to let the med school pre-reqs help you before you are tested on material you haven't learned yet.

Thank you for your advice! Appreciate it!

Hey, great question, not to mention it's always nice to see a fellow business major. I was an accounting major myself and recently got accepted to med school, so hopefully I can talk from my experience.

Yes, it's possible, although it depends on some of your other commitments (work, family, etc). I was able to complete all my pre-reqs and my accounting coursework in 3.5 years (however, I had some AP credit and overloaded on credits two semesters in a row, blasting through my credits...yes, what I did is crazy and not recommended lol). Realistically, expect 4 years and summer classes (I took several of my business courses over the summers).

I held a few jobs during college and on average had a 10-16 hour workweek. I started taking pre-reqs in the second half of freshman year and completed them at ~end of junior year. I took the MCAT in the summer before senior year (June 2019, actually. However, I'd recommend an earlier date so you don't run the risks that I did), AFTER I'd taken all my pre-reqs.

I will echo what fellow SDNers have posted above; ideally, you only want to take the MCAT once. Taking it multiple times is a waste of time and money, not to mention it could hurt you in the admissions process. Take it once you've completed most of your pre-reqs because studying will probably be grueling and miserable otherwise.

I hope that helps! Feel free to PM me if you'd like to know more specifics!

Hello, fellow business major! I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the advice! Congrats on the acceptance!!

 

[cubsfan95]

Actually, the non-science major puts you at an advantage when you think about it.

You will learn more science in medical school than you ever learned in undergrad so the non-science degree is actually additional education and skills that separate you from the bio major who went to med school and essentially repeated the bio.

 

[adhisk]

Actually, the non-science major puts you at an advantage when you think about it.

You will learn more science in medical school than you ever learned in undergrad so the non-science degree is actually additional education and skills that separate you from the bio major who went to med school and essentially repeated the bio.

When you put it that way, it sounds great! Learning stuff I usually wouldn't have is very appealing to me.

 

[riverrunner]

My partner got his CPA before starting medical school. Zero regrets. He was exotic during interviews, and his knowledge of business is highly sought after by doctor-friends. He has seamlessly run his own practice in an era when most practitioners are “owned”. There is no downside to your plan.

 

[beachbum75]

As long as you take prereq courses it doesn't matter what your major is. I am a biology major but I added a business minor because I think its important knowledge to have and the classes haven't added too much extra workload. The only disadvantage you might have is that science/biology majors typically take more science courses than just the prereqs required for med school which helps some with MCAT topics.

 

[Hi_I'mPaul]

I was a business major and just finished my first year of medical school! Definitely doable, and helpful if you have aspirations to start your own practice down the line or work in healthcare admin (where the real $$$ is lol). Good luck!