You cannot major in...

[ksabek]

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Hey everyone,

Everyone seems to be saying that you can major in whatever you want, but I feel this statement alone is misleading and does not apply to all medical schools. I've been told by someone, who served on the admissions committee at Wayne State, that they laugh at non-science majors such as English, Psych and Soc when brought to the table and that they have the lowest priority. Wayne state, as I've been told, want science majors as an indication and preparation for how students will perform in med.school. He also mentioned that non-science majors, when accepted, are delayed a year and told to return to school and complete upper-level bio classes before starting Mschool.

It needs to be clarified where non-science majors will be competitive or laughed at.

 

[techstock]

Hey everyone,

Everyone seems to be saying that you can major in whatever you want, but I feel this statement alone is misleading and does not apply to all medical schools. I've been told by someone, who served on the admissions committee at Wayne State, that they laugh at non-science majors such as English, Psych and Soc when brought to the table and that they have the lowest priority. Wayne state, as I've been told, want science majors as an indication and preparation for how students will perform in med.school.

It needs to be clarified where non-science majors will be competitive or laughed at.

While I don't doubt your experience, in general, that couldn't be further from the truth. People with science backgrounds may tend to be more prepared applicants, but most med schools prioritize a well-rounded class above all else--as long as you have the qualifications your major doesn't matter. My fiancee is a classics major, and got into a ton of great schools

 

[RySerr21]

Hey everyone,

Everyone seems to be saying that you can major in whatever you want, but I feel this statement alone is misleading and does not apply to all medical schools. I've been told by someone, who served on the admissions committee at Wayne State, that they laugh at non-science majors such as English, Psych and Soc when brought to the table and that they have the lowest priority. Wayne state, as I've been told, want science majors as an indication and preparation for how students will perform in med.school.

thats why they have pre reqs that everyone has to take.

He also mentioned that non-science majors, when accepted, are delayed a year and told to return to school and complete upper-level bio classes before starting Mschool.

It needs to be clarified where non-science majors will be competitive or laughed at.

that is ridiculous/the stupidest thing i have ever heard...regardles if it is true or not. if you are going to accept someone and then tell them to delay a year........why not just reject them??


i know its hard to believe...... people actually have OTHER interests besides medicine/biology/chemistry/physics.......OH NO!?!

 

[umz]

i'm an english major and i didnt really have any problems. everyone i talk to seems to really love that i'm an english/premed major. my interviewers did.

 

[SamusLives]

When I was applying to med school 4 years ago, I remember they showed us a graph with data concerning this topic. Essentially, there were fewer non-science majors applying, but they were accepted at the same rate (percentage wise) as science majors. Besides, everyone has to take the same required courses anyway, that's why they calculate your science GPA separately.

I don't know if there is anyway to determine if a particular school looks down on non-science majors. I have english majors, history majors, and even a music major in my medical school class.

As a Bio major, honestly I don't think upper level bio classes would help all that much. Med school classes take a very different approach to the material.

 

[Depakote]

I cannot speak for Wayne State's admissions policy but a number of my classmates and I are non-science majors.

 

[redlight]

Hey everyone,

Everyone seems to be saying that you can major in whatever you want, but I feel this statement alone is misleading and does not apply to all medical schools. I've been told by someone, who served on the admissions committee at Wayne State, that they laugh at non-science majors such as English, Psych and Soc when brought to the table and that they have the lowest priority. Wayne state, as I've been told, want science majors as an indication and preparation for how students will perform in med.school. He also mentioned that non-science majors, when accepted, are delayed a year and told to return to school and complete upper-level bio classes before starting Mschool.

It needs to be clarified where non-science majors will be competitive or laughed at.

any chance you were told this today and this was an april fool's joke?
any chance this thread is a prank? haha

 

[fisko82]

I call BS.

 

[ksabek]

any chance you were told this today and this was an april fool's joke?
any chance this thread is a prank? haha

HAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ...i wish it was

No, but that is good news. What I had in mind to do is finish an English major and apply. If I don't get accepted then take another year and do a Biology major and reapply.

 

[kool aid kid]

.

 

[MattD]

So, wait. If you don't get in with the English degree, you're gonna take ONE more year and do a bio major? What are you gonna take 50 hours per semester, and just ignore pre-reqs??

 

[nu2004]

Hey everyone,

Everyone seems to be saying that you can major in whatever you want, but I feel this statement alone is misleading and does not apply to all medical schools. I've been told by someone, who served on the admissions committee at Wayne State, that they laugh at non-science majors such as English, Psych and Soc when brought to the table and that they have the lowest priority. Wayne state, as I've been told, want science majors as an indication and preparation for how students will perform in med.school. He also mentioned that non-science majors, when accepted, are delayed a year and told to return to school and complete upper-level bio classes before starting Mschool.

It needs to be clarified where non-science majors will be competitive or laughed at.

I was poli sci and international studies, and Wayne State was pretty into me. Don't take any one person's opinion too seriously.

 

[135892]

HAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ...i wish it was

No, but that is good news. What I had in mind to do is finish an English major and apply. If I don't get accepted then take another year and do a Biology major and reapply.

That sure seems like a foolproof method...

 

[MossPoh]

I've been told exactly the opposite by more than one person on various school's adcoms. I trust the majority. If you get strong grades in all the prereqs it really doesn't frickin matter. You aren't taking a different organic chemistry from the bio majors. If you got an A and they got a B then I don't see how it matters.

 

[ksabek]

well since i am taking 1 year of bio, 1 year of orgo, 1 year of gchem and 1 year of physics..i will have the prereqs completed and the distribution requirements for english and the sciences are the same

So, wait. If you don't get in with the English degree, you're gonna take ONE more year and do a bio major? What are you gonna take 50 hours per semester, and just ignore pre-reqs??

 

[ksabek]

I was poli sci and international studies, and Wayne State was pretty into me. Don't take any one person's opinion too seriously.

well, he did and still serves on the admissions committee so he is part of hte decision making that goes on and knows of what the other admissions persons say

 

[ksabek]

That sure seems like a foolproof method...

Gator do you mean that or are u saying that since its april 1st lol..u only have an hour left to play jokes btw

 

[nu2004]

well, he did and still serves on the admissions committee so he is part of hte decision making that goes on and knows of what the other admissions persons say

Maybe your impression of his comments was off a bit, or maybe he was over-generalizing to make a point. Regardless, your original post was seriously misinformed. Pre-req GPA, as well as MCAT performance, are the only universal "indicators" of how well a student will perform in medical school, not whether or not a person was a science major. It is true that committee members may view different majors as more or less rigorous, but that really only factors in when assessing a person's GPA. For example, an engineer with a 3.5 probably worked a lot harder than a Communications major with a 3.5.

No offense intended, I just think we would all like to keep as much mis-information off of SDN as possible. 🙂

 

[1956Goldtop]

I'm a social science major and did not have much trouble gaining admission to US allopathic schools. If what you say about Wayne state is true, I wish I could have applied there just to decline my a potential acceptance.

 

[135892]

Gator do you mean that or are u saying that since its april 1st lol..u only have an hour left to play jokes btw

I don't believe in April Fool's....

Anyway, I don't see how going back and getting a second degree will necessarily benifit your application. There are much better ways to strengthen your app, depending on what your particular weakness is.

 

[ksabek]

yeah..i agree..i dont mind taking off the thread as long as im not penalized lol

 

[ksabek]

my greatest weakness is probably my low GPA from the college classes i took during HS

 

[nu2004]

my greatest weakness is probably my low GPA from the college classes i took during HS

"upward trend" is a real, acknowledged phenomenon, not just something we like to say here at SDN. if you have a strong upward trend, those classes will not hurt you much. unless it's like a string of 6 F's.

 

[ksabek]

not really its a mix of As Bs and a few Cs..i have a recommendation where a professor of mine explains the reason for a decline in my grades

that was all during high school and i am aiming for As here on out

 

[dienekes88]

Even if that's the case at Wayne State, I doubt it's the case at many other places.

 

[Drogba]

obvious "prank"/troll.

 

[HumidBeing]

This is a total aside on one of your concerns. When AMCAS reports your grades they give the cumulative BCMP and overall. Then they have a section that breaks it down into segments:
College classes taken while in high school
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Classes taken post degree

Grade trends can be noted from the breakdown. So, if you do okay from here on out, your concurrent enrollment classes will stand out as having been taken at a young, more immature age. They tend to be more lenient with them. Your cumulative GPA has to make it past any automatic cutoff point before they take the time to look closely enough to take that into consideration, though.

 

[ksabek]

No, not a prank and thank you humid for also pointing that out. I am no longer worried about the courses I took during high school since I cannot do anything about it other than improving.

 

[135892]

No, not a prank and thank you humid for also pointing that out. I am no longer worried about the courses I took during high school since I cannot do anything about it other than improving.

This is the right attitude 👍

Just do your best from here on out, and everything will work itself out eventually

 

[HumidBeing]

I suppose if you major in something like early childhood education, it might raise a few eyebrows.

Really, each school has its own set of plainly stated prereqs. If you meet those and wind up being accepted, none of them is going to tell you that you have to go back and take more classes before starting your med school courses.

Your friend may have an "in", but I think there is a glitch in communication somewhere along the line.

 

[Maxprime]

You cannot be a biology major. My uncle's best friend's mailman's dog once told me that in a dream, so I assume it is a fact.

 

[Drogba]

If someone from wayne state really said that, which I doubt they did its really their loss not the prospective applicant's. I think its fair to say that very few would share that perspective especially as the potential contribution of the humanities to the practice of medicine is becoming more and more recognized.

 

[HumidBeing]

This is from their own admissions page:
Prerequisites

The MCAT is required in addition to a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent of all students applying to Wayne State University School of Medicine. The average MCAT of the 2007 entering class was a 10.10 (or 30+). It is recommended that applicants take the exam in the spring prior to application. We will consider scores on exams taken within the previous 3 years. For the 2009 entering class, we will consider all exams taken from 2005 to 2008. We will look at each exam separately and will not combine scores from different exams. The MCAT must be taken no later than September of the year prior to desired matriculation. To obtain more information on the MCAT, visit the AAMC website

Required Courses CourseYear
General biology or zoology (with lab)1
General or Inorganic chemistry (with lab)1
Organic chemistry (with lab) 1
General physics (with lab) 1
English 1

Besides a strong preparation in the basic sciences, a broad educational background in a liberal arts-oriented program is desirable. Applicants are encouraged to select subjects that will contribute substantially to a broad cultural background.



You can find it at http://www.med.wayne.edu/admissions/preparing/prerequisites.asp

I bolded the bottom text because, not only do they NOT stress that applicants should have a degree in the sciences, they do the opposite by stressing a broad liberal arts background. The prereqs listed in the table are just the standard basics for any med school, except that they give you a choice in the bio and chem classes.

 

[paradocs we are]

I got accepted to Wayne State and I'm a non-science major. In fact, I didn't study anatomy, physiology, or any other upper year biology classes during undergrad. Although I did take upper year organic chemistry classes as electives, I believe that Wayne liked my extensive study in the humanities and the interviewer mentioned that.

 

[ksabek]

Awesome. You know I have to really stop worrying about everything and just start doing ECs and other activities.

Thanks everyone.

 

[flip26]

Awesome. You know I have to really stop worrying about everything and just start doing ECs and other activities.

Thanks everyone.

While you are at it, get a copy of the MSAR and check out the matriculants by major...then you will see that what you thought (or heard) is total BS.

 

[One More Rep]

i'm an english major and i didnt really have any problems. everyone i talk to seems to really love that i'm an english/premed major. my interviewers did.

Sweet! You give me hope that my degree in English might prove useful. 🙂

 

[MattD]

"upward trend" is a real, acknowledged phenomenon, not just something we like to say here at SDN.

Not according to the admissions director at BMS's sister's dogwalker's cousin's daughter who whispered breathlessly in my ear after a 12 hour marathon S&M sack session that a single bad grade freshman year would cause the adcom to consider you a 'very bad boy' and relegate you to the 'punishment' aka rejection pile.

Or was that just a really bad LSD trip I had once? hmmm......

 

[tmac31]

Just a quick question...I'm interested in Comparative Religion, Clinical Psych, and Arabic...since my school only offers an Arabic minor, I was wondering what would be more appealing, a Comparative Religion major or Clinical Psych major ( the one I wouldn't major in would be my second minor)...I am interested in both, however, I don't know if double majoring would be a good idea...any thoughts?

 

[geogil]

Just a quick question...I'm interested in Comparative Religion, Clinical Psych, and Arabic...since my school only offers an Arabic minor, I was wondering what would be more appealing, a Comparative Religion major or Clinical Psych major ( the one I wouldn't major in would be my second minor)...I am interested in both, however, I don't know if double majoring would be a good idea...any thoughts?

Study what's interesting. I doubled in French and History, then went and did a post-bacc in gen sci and am finishing MS1. Don't try to plan you major based on what you think may or may not look good. You might find you like your major enough that you decide not to do medschool! Study something interesting and non-science because you're going to be breathing the sciences for the rest of your life, but you probably won't get a good structured way to study Arabic or Comp. Religion ever again. Best of luck.

 

[pride4jc727]

Well, at my Jesuit college in Connecticut, it can be done, although it hasn't in the past few years. One non-science major was an accounting major, went into business, changed his mind, did a post-bac, applied, and got into Yale. So yes, it can happen from a non-science major.

 

[Drogba]

A quick look at AAMC stats will show that almost 1/3 of matriculants are non science majors. Non-science majors getting accepted to medical school is not a rarity by any means. Furthermore, the acceptance rates for science and non-science majors are almost identical.

 

[brianmartin]

I would like to know who this "person" on the Wayne State adcom is who said they "laugh" at non-science majors (if they really exist)...

 

[In Vino Veritas]

Hey everyone,

Everyone seems to be saying that you can major in whatever you want, but I feel this statement alone is misleading and does not apply to all medical schools. I've been told by someone, who served on the admissions committee at Wayne State, that they laugh at non-science majors such as English, Psych and Soc when brought to the table and that they have the lowest priority. Wayne state, as I've been told, want science majors as an indication and preparation for how students will perform in med.school. He also mentioned that non-science majors, when accepted, are delayed a year and told to return to school and complete upper-level bio classes before starting Mschool.

It needs to be clarified where non-science majors will be competitive or laughed at.

This post is the perfect example of how SDN is a breeding ground for pre-med hysteria.

FWIW, I'm a non-science major who did perfectly fine in med school admissions if I do say so myself.

 

[tmac31]

Would you mind telling me what you majored in? Also, I don't think I was clear in what I was asking for really...I am really conflicted, and I cannot decide between the two majors because I'm interested in both, so I basically have to make a decision based on what will look better (even though I know you are never supposed to do this...). So, I've taken classes from both majors, yet I still cannot decide, any suggestions?

 

[flip26]

Would you mind telling me what you majored in? Also, I don't think I was clear in what I was asking for really...I am really conflicted, and I cannot decide between the two majors because I'm interested in both, so I basically have to make a decision based on what will look better (even though I know you are never supposed to do this...). So, I've taken classes from both majors, yet I still cannot decide, any suggestions?

Be the more interesting applicant, not the cookie cutter applicant.

Why do you think you "have to" decide based on what med schools will think "looks better?" It really doesn't matter to them...

Go with your own personal interests - once you get to medical school, you will never have another minute of time available to pursue your genuine academic interests...make the most of your opportunity...

 

[UFMed]

I didn't major in science and was accepted to many schools. Bottomline, school's don't care what you majored in. ADCOMS prefer a candidate that is well-rounded, passionate about their education and competent in the sciences (which is why we all take pre-reqs & the MCAT). Just major in something you're really interested in, even something that you believe will make you a better doctor in the future.

 

[jelly476]

To the OP. Whoever told you that is so full of horse#@$%. I was a japanese major who only took the required courses (bio, chem, orgo, phys, ap cred plus stats for my math req, and i also took genetics so 1 upper level class), and I got into Wayne no problem. Hell i teach English in Japan which is as far away from a lab as I could get to continue coursework and they liked it there so look, almost every med school likes non-trad majors=more worldly experience.