Taking a Med. Humanities class even though it is not required

[poox]

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Hi Guys,

I am currently registered in a medical humanities class.

Do you guys think I should go ahead and take it? Or should I just forget about it?

Thanks,

Poox

 

[seelee]

I don't know if it would help you that much on your application, but by taking the course you will be familiar with medical ethics and will (hopefully) be able to intelligently discuss them in your interview.

If you have the time and the inclination take the course.

 

[the duck]

Taking the course won't booster your chances of getting into medical school. If you want to take the course because you find the subject interesting, take the course. There is a lot more the college than building a transcript for medical school.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

it'll be useful lol..
i doubt it'd impress many adcoms though..

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Taking the course won't booster your chances of getting into medical school. If you want to take the course because you find the subject interesting, take the course. There is a lot more the college than building a transcript for medical school.

👍
take courses that interest you...
your only a undergrad once.. well... umm you get my point

 

[the duck]

👍
take courses that interest you...
your only a undergrad once.. well... umm you get my point

Yay! Someone on SDN actually found something I said to be worth a 👍!
-self esteem skyrockets-

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Yay! Someone on SDN actually found something I said to be worth a 👍!
-self esteem skyrockets-

lol when you get one from a 5 year member its much better

 

[Myuu]

Hi Guys,

I am currently registered in a medical humanities class, which deals with things like Euthanasia, Abortion, etc(Its called End-Of-Life Issues). It is not required for my major, but considering I want to be a Doctor, I thought it would be appropriate to take it during my UG. I would also guess that many ADCOMS would like to see courses like this on an applicants transcript - Is this true?

Do you guys think I should go ahead and take it? Or should I just forget about it?

Thanks,

Poox

Go for it. It'll be a neat class, but may require a bit more writing than you're expecting.

 

[MichaelRW]

Yay! Someone on SDN actually found something I said to be worth a 👍!
-self esteem skyrockets-

yeah.....
thats what i long for..... for an SDN member to agree with my views and give me their approval

 

[Myuu]

yeah.....
thats what i long for..... for an SDN member to agree with my views and give me their approval

👍?

 

[Catalystik]

You'll probably cover medical ethics in med school, but I agree it's greatest usefulness now will be the ~two times you are asked related questions at an interview.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hi Guys,

I am currently registered in a medical humanities class, which deals with things like Euthanasia, Abortion, etc(Its called End-Of-Life Issues). It is not required for my major, but considering I want to be a Doctor, I thought it would be appropriate to take it during my UG. I would also guess that many ADCOMS would like to see courses like this on an applicants transcript - Is this true?

Do you guys think I should go ahead and take it? Or should I just forget about it?

Thanks,

Poox

Honestly, adcoms are more impressed with people who have interests outside of medicine than they are folks who take every undergrad class that has "medical" in the title or that premeds think are "appropriate" for a premed. Take it only if you are interested in it. Otherwise, you will get plenty of medically related courses and exposure to ethical issues in med school, and adcoms couldn't care less that you took such a course ahead of time. The dude with the high grades and MCAT scores who majored in a something he was interested in (including totally non-science stuff) is going to get in even if he just took the minimum prereqs over someone who packed his schedule with premed courses and courses he thought were "appropriate" for going to med school. Why? Because med school teaches you all you need to know about medicine and then some, and you are only cheating yourself out of the opportunity to try something different if you try to take stuff you are going to be exposed to in med school anyhow, just to try to impress adcoms, rather than things that actually interest you in other fields. In general, when a premed does something that s/he thinks will impress adcoms simply for that purpose, rather than because of a burning desire to do it out of their own interest, they miss the target 100%. Adcoms are more interested in the premed who goes off and takes a sculpting or dance class than someone who takes just another non-required course with "medical" in the same. Sorry, but broadening your interests and bringing in diverse viewpoints is the goal, not taking medicine, medicine and more medicine before you settle down to study medicine. Expand your horizons. That's kind of the reason the US system makes you do college first before med school.

 

[nonsciencemajor]

if you are a science major, taking this course will help

med school ad com's want a BALANCED curriculum, not one entirely filled with science courses

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

if you are a science major, taking this course will help

med school ad com's want a BALANCED curriculum, not one entirely filled with science courses

yup..
i think that if someone is a science major they really need to consider a minor in a social science/humanity ..
medical schools really eat up the humanities/social science majors... and see them as well rounded people who can actually talk to their patients about something they can understand, like art or the humanities of blah blah bs.

 

[nonsciencemajor]

yup..
i think that if someone is a science major they really need to consider a minor in a social science/humanity ..
medical schools really eat up the humanities/social science majors... and see them as well rounded people who can actually talk to their patients about something they can understand, like art or the humanities of blah blah bs.

its not bs.... you sound like a typical science major premed... the purpose of any undergraduate is to get a well-rounded education regardless of what career you want to go into... doing a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics I believe is enough science in undergrad... graduate school is meant to specialize (in our case, med school is meant to specialize in human body science). If I loaded myself with more upper division science courses, I wouldnt get a well-rounded education, thus not fulfilling the basic idea upon which any undergraduate is built upon. I took courses in the humanities, and coming out of college I see myself as a well rounded person having taken science courses and humanities courses... I really believe a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics is enough science in undergrad... and clearly med schools believe the same, as I got into multiple med schools

Unless an applicant is a double major in science and humanities, I really believe a science major premed does not get a well rounded education nor are they able to get enriched by all the other knowledge that lies in other fields other than science

 

[the duck]

if you are a science major, taking this course will help

med school ad com's want a BALANCED curriculum, not one entirely filled with science courses

I agree they want to see well rounded applicants. But in my opinion, a course with "medical" in the title really isn't rounding out an application very much. I would suggest taking some social sciences or humanities that AREN'T related to medicine.

 

[nonsciencemajor]

I agree they want to see well rounded applicants. But in my opinion, a course with "medical" in the title really isn't rounding out an application very much. I would suggest taking some social sciences or humanities that AREN'T related to medicine.

yes that maybe the case... my point was not that this course will specifically help in you med school admissions... just take courses which are not science also

But the point of these courses is not to impress ad com's... it is to make you genuinely a well-rounded person

i became a nonscience major, not because they have higher acceptances to med school than science majors... nor did i take it because I was trying to escape and not be forced to take courses that are not REQUIRED for med schools.... but because I genuinely wanted to learn as much as I can about every other field as much as possible.... it is the last time you can do something like this...

and if you are so focused on med school admissions, they will probably tell you the same thing

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

its not bs.... you sound like a typical science major premed... the purpose of any undergraduate is to get a well-rounded education regardless of what career you want to go into... doing a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics I believe is enough science in undergrad... graduate school is meant to specialize (in our case, med school is meant to specialize in human body science). If I loaded myself with more upper division science courses, I wouldnt get a well-rounded education, thus not fulfilling the basic idea upon which any undergraduate is built upon. I took courses in the humanities, and coming out of college I see myself as a well rounded person having taken science courses and humanities courses... I really believe a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics is enough science in undergrad... and clearly med schools believe the same, as I got into multiple med schools

Unless an applicant is a double major in science and humanities, I really believe a science major premed does not get a well rounded education nor are they able to get enriched by all the other knowledge that lies in other fields other than science

cough.. psychology - sociology double major thank you very much 😉
and come on.. most of what we learn in humanities are what we've already known for ever and then go to a deeper level to better understand..
when i was talking about "bs"..
i mean talk about something in the humanities that we know and then elaborate upon it
which is what bsing is..
lol

 

[armybound]

Take any class that interests you. That's what college is for.

 

[nonsciencemajor]

cough.. psychology - sociology double major thank you very much 😉
and come on.. most of what we learn in humanities are what we've already known for ever and then go to a deeper level to better understand..
when i was talking about "bs"..
i mean talk about something in the humanities that we know and then elaborate upon it
which is what bsing is..
lol

well you clearly go to an undergrad which doesnt have strong liberal arts... because mine requires intensive reading, analyzing, class discussions, and research style papers

or maybe you are ignorant and just dont realize the benefit of humanities classes... science major premed's... (roll eyes)

and for your information... if a non-science major competes with you (I am assuming you are a science major) in med school admissions, and he has done better in general bio, chem, orgo, and/or physics (assuming everything else is equal) and has not taken upper level science courses like you, he will still probably be preferred over you

No med school asked you to take upper level science courses... all they asked is that you do well in general bio, chem, orgo, and physics and have a well-rounded education

so don't think med schools are impressed with science majors.. they value humanities classes A LOT

but again, its not about admissions,... its about truly wanting to become a well-rounded person

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

well you clearly go to an undergrad which doesnt have strong liberal arts... because mine requires intensive reading, analyzing, class discussions, and research style papers

or maybe you are ignorant and just dont realize the benefit of humanities classes... science major premed's... (roll eyes)

and for your information... if a non-science major competes with you (I am assuming you are a science major) in med school admissions, and he has done better in general bio, chem, orgo, and/or physics (assuming everything else is equal) and has not taken upper level science courses like you, he will still probably be preferred over you

No med school asked you to take upper level science courses... all they asked is that you do well in general bio, chem, orgo, and physics and have a well-rounded education

so don't think med schools are impressed with science majors.. they value humanities classes A LOT

but again, its not about admissions,... its about truly wanting to become a well-rounded person

*head-desk*...
dude.. chill..
i personally love the humanities..
but i live the humanities..
anyone who understands the basics of the humanities is that your basically learning about life and its beauties..
by living the humanities..
you really consider humanities to be something so basic and common place in the very essence of life itself.. the foundation of all culture, without which life would be plain and pointless.
my point being is i have a very humanitarian point of view..
thats why the field of sociology for me is so interesting.. i also love psychology.. and history.. and poetry..and philosophy
humanities is what makes my life amazing.. really i've philosophized about how without the humanities i'd have probably been a mindless prep tool.

the implements and benefits of humanities is in the fact that you as a person become more understanding.. more able to relate to others..
i really cant even explain about the benefits of humanities.. because there is no straightforward answer....
humanities is why we live.. its the the reason why we create and build..

alright im going to stop.. at this point im just being over philosophical...

 

[FloatOn]

It sounds like a really interesting class that definitely has relevance to outside of the medical field. I would take it.

 

[summerallwinter]

My uni actually has a minor in medical humanities, including medical ethics, medical sociology, history of medicine and other such classes... 12 or 16 hours I believe to receive the minor. I plan on minoring in this not to impress med schools but because I find it interesting. Yes there is definitely an advantage to studying aspects outside of medicine, but if you are interested in immersing yourself in medicine, it seems like these classes will actually prove more interesting than many hard sciences, with the possible exception of anatomy and physiology and certain patho-bio classes. I'd say take the class, only reason not to is if you really hate to read, because if it's anything like the non-medical humanities classes I've taken so far, you will be reading a LOT.

 

[KTD]

I took History of 20th Century American Medicine and also Religion in Medicine and several of my interviewers commented positively on these courses, liking that I had explored my interest in medicine outside of science class. I was also able to talk about these courses when asked about my favorite undergraduate courses in interviews, which was pretty helpful. I disagree with people who say the course wouldn't help at all, but it won't help enough to make up for you spending a semester in a course that you hate, so take it if it interests you and, if not, find something else that does.