What major to choose in Pre-Med?

[tarazzl]

As the title states, I am hoping to gain some insightful info to help me decide what type of major and minor to choose in university.
I will be getting into Wayne State University in Michigan next year. I am trying to figure our what type of major I should choose for pre-med... Biological science and public health as a minor? Is it better to major in something that would help or have a preview on medical study?

Thank you for your time...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Philly145]

What are you passionate about? In my experience, it's far better to pursue something that you're interested in and convey that passion in your med school application than just majoring in something that you think admissions committees want to see. If that's biological science, then great! If it's music or whatever, then do a music major and take the med school prereqs on the side!

 

[LizzyM]

Your strategy should be to major in something you are excited about and can do well in. Take a look at the course requirements for each major that you are considering and think about how much you want, or don't want, to take those courses. You can get into medical school with any major from anthropology to zoology and from engineering to philosophy but only if you do well (you need to be shooting for a 3.8 or better). Do keep in mind that many successful applicants have a Nike swoop in terms of GPA by year with the 2nd year being lower than the first with an upward trajectory after that so don't be discouraged if you don't hit the 3.8 mark in the first and second years; come back strong.

Medical studies are very different than college biology, or chemistry, or physics, or sociology but might be considered a blend of those plus psychology, public health and much more. Anything, and nothing, can prepare you for what's ahead in medical school. Choose something you love.

 

[Rogue42]

Any major that you want so long as you're happy and can be successful at it

 

[stickgirl390]

Current MS3: take the premed coursework, and major in something that excites you. Biology, Chem, Biochem majors are a dime a dozen when it comes to med school applicants.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Any major that's interesting to you and you can get 3.8+ GPA (ORM) or 3.6+ GPA (URM). Don't go for double majors and triple minors. Engineering majors are hard in general. have a good balance of BPCM and non-BPCM courses every semester. In other words keep it simple.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

Your major should do three things
1.) be something you are interest in
2.) be something you can excel at
3.) help provide a viable plan B if med school doesn’t work out

Hard sciences may make it easier for you to be able to get in your prereqs but that’s about it

 

[LunaOri]

Absolutely major in something that interests you. A good college education will expose you to a wide variety of ideas and experiences, and train you in critical thinking, all of which is important for any profession. This is preparation for the rest of your life, not just for med school. College is not merely the training ground for medical school--if you view it as such, you will have wasted valuable years of your young life.

 

[Doctoscope]

Do what my friend did and go for a triple major in Physics, Chem and Engineering as a premed. He was so certain it’ll make him a shoe-in at UCSF because it shows “grit.” It turned out SUPER WELL for him.

 

[tarazzl]

What are you passionate about? In my experience, it's far better to pursue something that you're interested in and convey that passion in your med school application than just majoring in something that you think admissions committees want to see. If that's biological science, then great! If it's music or whatever, then do a music major and take the med school prereqs on the side!

Do what my friend did and go for a triple major in Physics, Chem and Engineering as a premed. He was so certain it’ll make him a shoe-in at UCSF because it shows “grit.” It turned out SUPER WELL for him.

Absolutely major in something that interests you. A good college education will expose you to a wide variety of ideas and experiences, and train you in critical thinking, all of which is important for any profession. This is preparation for the rest of your life, not just for med school. College is not merely the training ground for medical school--if you view it as such, you will have wasted valuable years of your young life.

Your major should do three things
1.) be something you are interest in
2.) be something you can excel at
3.) help provide a viable plan B if med school doesn’t work out

Hard sciences may make it easier for you to be able to get in your prereqs but that’s about it

Any major that's interesting to you and you can get 3.8+ GPA (ORM) or 3.6+ GPA (URM). Don't go for double majors and triple minors. Engineering majors are hard in general. have a good balance of BPCM and non-BPCM courses every semester. In other words keep it simple.

-Adcoms dont care whether BS or BA
-Adcoms dont care what you major in
-Adcoms dont care any minors (unless you are caught promoting delinquency with one)
-it isnt what you take but rather what you do with it, how it fits with the context of your time in school, and how you express it in your application

Current MS3: take the premed coursework, and major in something that excites you. Biology, Chem, Biochem majors are a dime a dozen when it comes to med school applicants.

Any major that you want so long as you're happy and can be successful at it

Thank you so much for your replies! I chose Public Health as my major and Philosophy as my minor.
I wish all of you best of luck in your journey!

 

[tarazzl]

Your strategy should be to major in something you are excited about and can do well in. Take a look at the course requirements for each major that you are considering and think about how much you want, or don't want, to take those courses. You can get into medical school with any major from anthropology to zoology and from engineering to philosophy but only if you do well (you need to be shooting for a 3.8 or better). Do keep in mind that many successful applicants have a Nike swoop in terms of GPA by year with the 2nd year being lower than the first with an upward trajectory after that so don't be discouraged if you don't hit the 3.8 mark in the first and second years; come back strong.

Medical studies are very different than college biology, or chemistry, or physics, or sociology but might be considered a blend of those plus psychology, public health and much more. Anything, and nothing, can prepare you for what's ahead in medical school. Choose something you love.

Thank you very much! I chose Public Health major and Philosophy as minor.
Wish you best of luck in your journey!

 

[jhmmd]

As the title states, I am hoping to gain some insightful info to help me decide what type of major and minor to choose in university.
I will be getting into Wayne State University in Michigan next year. I am trying to figure our what type of major I should choose for pre-med... Biological science and public health as a minor? Is it better to major in something that would help or have a preview on medical study?

Thank you for your time...

The long and short of it is that biology (I think it is called "biological sciences" at Wayne State, as well as at UC Davis and a couple other universities) is the easiest major to choose as a pre-med student. It will help you check off EVERY single pre-med requirement without having to consult the AAMC website (true story, but if you are a true pre-med, you should double check that anyway ).

The basic pre-med requirements are:
1) Bio I & II
2) Gen chem I & II
3) Ochem I & II
4) Physics I & II
5) At some schools: Biochemistry, Calculus I & II
6) English I & II
7) English composition I & II
etc.

You can check the AAMC website for more info on pre-med requirements.

As far as the public health minor, do that only if you're interested in that topic. If not, it will likely add a lot of drudgery to your days/studying time and you might not do as well. You want to major in something you like. That will help you get better grades, because you will enjoy what you are studying and therefore you will want to study more. If biology or the pre-med requirements are not things that you find you enjoy learning about, you might want to re-think your ambitions as a pre-med.

Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thank you very much! I chose Public Health major and Philosophy as minor.
Wish you best of luck in your journey!

Don’t be afraid to change either. I started out as a bio major, switched to English, then ended up majoring in math and minoring in Shakespeare.

 

[fogo]

Underwater basket weaving