Does Your Pre-Med Major Matter?
As a pre-med entering your undergraduate years, there are many routes you can take regarding the major you choose to pursue. Whether it be biology, chemistry, neuroscience, molecular biology, or biomedical science, there’s a large variety of “acceptable” majors that people can and have chosen from. Recently, however, there has been a divergence from this commonly accepted practice, with pre-meds pursuing majors in other fields and still ending up in medical school and on the path to becoming a physician. So, does your pre-med major matter, and if not, why?
Firstly, medical schools only require a certain list of prerequisites, and if met, the major does not matter. In general, medical school students want to be smart, hard-working, and well-rounded. Developing interests in areas outside of the hard sciences can also help an applicant stand out in essays and extracurricular activities. It helps to have communication skills and a broad cultural awareness of ideas and history. For these reasons, a major in the humanities or the arts could be just as valuable as a major in the hard sciences for a premed” (Gray 12). Different majors also provide different values to medicine. For example, math and statistics majors develop excellent analytical and quantitative skills, which help them become successful medical school students and stand out in medical schools.
However, there are some dangers with taking an alternative route. For one, you may be pursuing an “easier” major that is less in comparison to science majors (usually have some of the highest course load offered). As long as you make sure you are challenging yourself, Gray 12 furthers that “Medical schools will notice that you achieved high grades with a rigorous curriculum. They’ll consider this when comparing you to students who took all easier classes.” Research opportunities and internships may also come easier depending on what major you pursue. For example, hospitals and research labs are more likely to give internships to science majors than other majors. Such problems have quick fixes, however, such as having a good relationship with a professor who heads a lab.
At the end of the day, no one person’s path will be the same as someone else’s and it comes down to one word: passion. No matter what undergraduate major you choose, if you are passionate about becoming a physician, you will find your way to medical school no matter your path there. However, there lies a comforting variability for everyone in the major they choose, all of which come with their dangers and advantages.
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Gray, Ryan. “Best Premed Major to Get into Medical School.” Medical School Headquarters, 28 Apr. 2012, medicalschoolhq.net/best-major-for-medical-school-do-i-need-to-suffer-through-chemistry/#:~:text=Does%20Your%20Choice%20of%20Major,outside%20of%20the%20hard%20sciences.. Accessed 27 Oct. 2022.
Inspira Advantage. “What Are the Best Pre-Med Majors?” Inspiraadvantage.com, Inspira Advantage, 26 Oct. 2022, www.inspiraadvantage.com/blog/what-are-the-best-pre-med-majors. Accessed 13 Nov. 2022.
Dr. Shemmassian. “Shemmassian Academic Consulting.” Shemmassian Academic Consulting, 3 Nov. 2022, www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/does-undergrad-matter-for-med-school. Accessed 13 Nov. 2022.
