Hi guys, Im new to this forum. I am still a freshman in college but I am pre med. I have no doubt in my mind that I want to go to med school and become a doctor but one step at a time right? I've been having trouble choosing a major though. The one subject that I have always thoroughly enjoyed in school was history and I feel like I can have a really high GPA doing so.After some thought I've decided to major in history with a minor in biology. However, I have heard that this will make studying for the MCATs tougher. Is it better to major in biology and just have history as a minor? I feel like there are already so many biology majors applying to med school and I will stand out with a humanity major. WHat are your thoughts? I am also working part time as an EMT. I know I still have a lot of work to do (MCATs, research, volunteer work, etc) But is this a good path to go down so far? Will history be a good major as long as I keep my GPA and science GPA up? Any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks.
What should I major in?
- Thread starter ShaggyAce
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Majoring in history or anything else should be fine as long as you make sure you take the required prerequisite classes needed for med school. If you're worried about knowledge needed for the MCAT, I recommend finishing the prerequisite classes before studying/taking the MCAT. There are also some good review books out there that cover the material tested on the MCAT, so you can just read and study from those also if you feel like you don't know enough for the test.
Many of my classmates in med school majored in nutrition, exercise, literature, and other random things in college so they can get a high GPA and get into med school. So, for the most part, your major won't really matter. Like you mentioned, there are a lot of things that go into a medical school app, so you'll have to plan wisely and make the most of your time in college, but don't forget to have some fun and enjoy the college experience.
Btw, you will probably get more help if you post in the pre-med forum, since at this time of year, a lot of med students are studying for the boards or starting rotations and are probably too stressed to respond to these kind of posts.
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Major in what you like and do well in it.
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mmmcdowe
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Yes, do history if you are interested. Study hard for the MCAT and your major ceases to matter really.
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Welcome to SDN! Maybe you should major in finding the right forum to post your question! 😛 Seriously though you are in the wrong forum, you should post questions about getting into medical school and what to do in college in the preallo forum. Expect the mods to move you when they get to this thread.
To answer your question any major will do. They really don't care. So major in what you want, history in this case.
P.S. Once this is moved (or maybe before) you will get a lot of people complaining at you for not using the search function. Good rule of thumb for posting any thread on SDN is to search the forum for similar threads first. (using the search tool at the top of the page) This question has been asked and answered tons of times before. (you could probably even find someone asking specifically about a history major)
To answer your question any major will do. They really don't care. So major in what you want, history in this case.
P.S. Once this is moved (or maybe before) you will get a lot of people complaining at you for not using the search function. Good rule of thumb for posting any thread on SDN is to search the forum for similar threads first. (using the search tool at the top of the page) This question has been asked and answered tons of times before. (you could probably even find someone asking specifically about a history major)
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The statistics confirm that you will stand out with a humanities major, and besides that, history is a fascinating subject.
Check out the table: (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...e8ihhg&cad=rja)
Overall MCAT scores from humanities matriculants are 1.2 points higher than biological science matriculants. Importantly, 0.8 of these points are due to higher verbal reasoning scores, which are historically difficult for examinees to improve through practice.
Also,
34.4% of health science applicants were admitted
42.8% of biological science applicants were admitted
47.1% & 47.4% of physical science and math applicants, respectively, were admitted. (These applicants posted higher mean MCAT scores than any other major, yet humanities applicants were still accepted in slightly higher percentages.)
50.8% of humanities applicants were admitted (with lower mean GPAs than science and health science majors)
Check out the table: (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...e8ihhg&cad=rja)
Overall MCAT scores from humanities matriculants are 1.2 points higher than biological science matriculants. Importantly, 0.8 of these points are due to higher verbal reasoning scores, which are historically difficult for examinees to improve through practice.
Also,
34.4% of health science applicants were admitted
42.8% of biological science applicants were admitted
47.1% & 47.4% of physical science and math applicants, respectively, were admitted. (These applicants posted higher mean MCAT scores than any other major, yet humanities applicants were still accepted in slightly higher percentages.)
50.8% of humanities applicants were admitted (with lower mean GPAs than science and health science majors)
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Here's the coursework that I recommend that you take in addition to your history major (if you go that way) 🙂:
Standard requirements:
General Biology I & II
General Chemistry I & II
Organic Chemistry I & II
General Physics I & II
Introduction to Statistics
Calculus I (and Calculus II if applying to a top 5 school)
Plus these optional, but often recommended courses:
Genetics (useful for MCAT)
Biochemistry I (useful for MCAT and M1) (Required at some schools)
Vertebrate Physiology (useful for MCAT and M1)
Cell Biology or Molecular Biology (useful for MCAT and M1)
2-3 Psychology Courses* (i.e. Intro to Psych, Abnormal Psych, Child Psych, Biological Psych, Health Psych, Neuroscience, etc.)
Ethics* or Biomedical Ethics (highly regarded course by adcoms)
Death and Dying** (usually offered through religion or psychology dept.)
Advanced Human Nutrition (often not covered in detail in med school curriculum, yet it is a vital aspect to health and wellness.)
*Note that "Social and Behavioral Sciences" along with "Ethical Decision Making" are going to be included in the MCAT starting in 2015. Additionally, the MCAT is going to include a more rigorous biology section which will benefit from the above "optional" science coursework.
**I think that understanding the various psychological, religious, and non-religious aspects of death and dying is critical for future physicians.
Standard requirements:
General Biology I & II
General Chemistry I & II
Organic Chemistry I & II
General Physics I & II
Introduction to Statistics
Calculus I (and Calculus II if applying to a top 5 school)
Plus these optional, but often recommended courses:
Genetics (useful for MCAT)
Biochemistry I (useful for MCAT and M1) (Required at some schools)
Vertebrate Physiology (useful for MCAT and M1)
Cell Biology or Molecular Biology (useful for MCAT and M1)
2-3 Psychology Courses* (i.e. Intro to Psych, Abnormal Psych, Child Psych, Biological Psych, Health Psych, Neuroscience, etc.)
Ethics* or Biomedical Ethics (highly regarded course by adcoms)
Death and Dying** (usually offered through religion or psychology dept.)
Advanced Human Nutrition (often not covered in detail in med school curriculum, yet it is a vital aspect to health and wellness.)
*Note that "Social and Behavioral Sciences" along with "Ethical Decision Making" are going to be included in the MCAT starting in 2015. Additionally, the MCAT is going to include a more rigorous biology section which will benefit from the above "optional" science coursework.
**I think that understanding the various psychological, religious, and non-religious aspects of death and dying is critical for future physicians.
Good choice, though I'd even cut out the biology minor if you're just doing it for medical school. Medical schools don't really care about minors, and they're really only done for personal interest/enrichment. If you're actually interested in biology, then that's great. But on the other hand if you're not genuinely interested in biology, or if you're not using biology classes to raise your sGPA.. then forget the bio minor. Just keep to history.
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Major in something unrelated to medicine and or science, the farther you go, ironically, the better you will be off in terms of medical school.
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Major in anything you like. Seriously. I'm a Latin and Studio Art major, and am still getting my pre-req's in. I don't think med schools look negatively at non-science majors at all, and it may even make them curious enough about you to warrant an interview.
There, fixed that for you.
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There are some really good MCAT prep books and review materials out. If you take all your pre-reqs before you study for the MCAT and do well in them, I think you should be alright.
The science background does help a little but I think dedicating time, studying hard and having the right study materials would make a bigger difference.
The science background does help a little but I think dedicating time, studying hard and having the right study materials would make a bigger difference.
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where did you hear this? I was thinking about taking it.
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Definitely major in History if that's what you love! I entered college as a science major, and for the first 1.5 years I was scared to change it because I thought I'd be at a huge disadvantage when studying for the MCAT. I ultimately decided to switch to what I was really interested in, and since then I haven't looked back. By the time I took the MCAT, the only class I had finished beyond the pre-reqs was Genetics and I still managed to score in the top 10%. One of SDN mods (Geekchick921) majored in Theater/Fine Arts and scored a 39! If anything, I think my non-science majors really helped with the MCAT because all of the reading/writing-intensive courses really minimized the amount of time I needed to practice Verbal. Sure, you might have to put more time into Bio than science majors, but everything on the MCAT is supposed to be covered in your basic pre-req courses. I don't know how much non-science majors help an applicant to "stand out" but I guess I'll find out as I make my way through the current application cycle.
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I heard this from the dean of my universities humanities dept (Harvard PhD). He runs an university-affiliated bio-ethics program in partnership with our local hospital. He has stressed that students have constantly gotten great feedback during their interviews about their ethics coursework and research. This is one example out of thousands though. A quick "google" will reveal an immense wealth of information about its relevancy.
My take is that ethics is one of the most important, universally-available classes to help oneself develop into a future professional who will be capable of making sound, independent, life-or-death judgements.
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interesting, I'll definitely look into trying to take it! 👍
but , after looking up the different ethics classes, theres 2 that may fit.
one is given through the philosophy dept. called "Bioethics: Medicine and Morality" and theres one through the health dept. called "Ethical, Legal, and Critical Health Problems"
I'm more inclined to take the philosophy one obviously, but it hasn't been offered in a long time....do you think the health one would be an ok substitute or not?
mmmcdowe
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History of medicine/health/science us also a good class to take if you are able.
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Agreed, all around. Just do the minor if you're interested in it. Otherwise, complete your major requirements, your pre-reqs, then just take some stuff for funsies, whatever that may be for you. And, obviously, make sure you have the time to participate in meaningful extra-curriculars.
Haha! Based on my own experience, I'm inclined to agree. 😉 I really do think schools like non-science majors, though. It suggests well-roundedness and makes you stand out.
Aww, shucks. I got a shout out. 😎
Ooh, that sounds like an interesting course.
Thank for all your help everyone. I was also wonndering how significant my EMT work will be for med schools. Is it a good idea to get my paramedic license in a year or two(assuming I'll have time)? I've heard most ad comms don't really recognize the difference between EMT work or paramedics work on your resume.
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if you havnt watched this already, then you should:
http://www.kaptest.com/MCAT/Home/med-insider.html go to the bottom of the page, and click " Watch last years event". its a 6 member panel from various medical schools talking about many the concerns you may have( including chosing a major and what classes to take).
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Or if you're a gunner, Underwater Basket Weaving.
