Studying for MCAT as non-science major

[SJ_D122]

For all you guys who did not major in a science, how difficult was it studying for the MCAT? I am planning to do my major in economics and was wondering if/how much of a disadvantage i'm at. I plan to apply to UBC med school and a few others and they do NOT have any pre-reqs, so i do not think i'll be taking the related courses

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[jesie]

You'll be fine as long as you kill it in the relevant coursework. As far as MCAT-related courses are concerned, I had only taken the reasonable minimum (AP physics, bio 1/2, che 1/2, orgo 1/2, genetics, biochem, psych, soc) before taking my MCAT and I scored in the high 99th %ile (524). Tons of people have done the same. At the same time, tons of bio and chem double majors have failed the exam, so it's not about your major.

 

[Boogy'sChick15]

From what I have seen from the Applicants and Matriculants Data provided on AAMC's website (https://www.aamc.org/download/321496/data/factstablea17.pdf), majors within Mathematics and Statistics have done significantly well. As long as you work hard in the related coursework and study your butt off for the MCAT, you shouldn't be at any disadvantage. Some schools may not have requirements for applying, but you should still take the basic courses listed above ^^^ so that you can be prepared for the MCAT.

Another thing that my advisor showed me when I was asking this same question for my physics major was this: https://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/statistics/undergrad/mcat-lsat1.pdf
Those test scores are old, from 2012, so I don't know how much help it will be for the new MCAT. Still, on the old MCAT in 2012, economic majors who applied to medical schools had the highest average score. (Then again, you have majors that had more than twice the amount of applicants that could have really lowered their average scores). My advisor said this could be due to the way econ, math, physics, and engineering majors are taught to approach and analyze problems, and the study habits we formed during undergrad.