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Psychology or Pre-med for Psychiatry?

I want to be a Psychiatric. Do I major in Psychology or Pre-med?

#Psychology #Medicine #psychiatry #psychiatrist #healthcare #college #college-major

college-major psychology psychiatry psychiatrist
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Richard’s Answer

Pick a major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.
Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses. I chose to major in biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years.
Typical medical school prerequisites include:
Biology: Lecture – 4 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
General Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Organic Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Biochemistry: Lecture – 1 semester
General Physics: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Math: Statistics – 1 semester
English: Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 2 semesters
Thank you comment icon Hey Richard, this is a good general answer but it doesn't directly answer the student's question. Would you recommend they study pre-med or psychology? Gurpreet Lally, Admin
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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Matthew! So premed is what you will be considered in college if you are planning to go to medical school. It isn't really a major but more so a way to identity yourself based on the curriculum and courses you will take. You can be any major and apply to medical school; it is important complete prerequisites such as biology, chemistry (both general and organic), physics (either university or college based just a difference in math- college is algebra based while university physics emphasizes calculus), biochemistry (some medical schools do not require but I highly recommend it for the MCAT), and English I and II. There are also recommended courses as well such as language and ethics/philosophy that can help in being more prepared for medical school in general. I was a psychology major but in addition to that I also was a premed because my plan was to apply to medical school and I was taking the curriculum needed. Psychology is also a helpful major especially since it is now on the MCAT and medical schools also look favorably upon diverse majors as well, in addition to traditional ones like biology or chemistry. I would advise to check out the link below on the prerequisites for the MCAT and also make sure you have a premed adviser as well, and get clinical experience as a premed!

** it also includes information about extracurriculars which are crucial to a strong application!
Best of luck!

Yasemin recommends the following next steps:

https://www.kaptest.com/study/mcat/the-prerequisites-of-medical-school/
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G. Mark’s Answer

Something to be aware of is that Psychiatrists are MD s. So they will generally be in Pre-med first and then get their medical degree. Now, psychology is of course a big part of that training to lead to psychiatry. Someone you may have heard about was Charles Krauthammer who died recently. He was an MD when he had a diving accident which paralyzed him. He want on to practice psychiatry, wrote many articles and books and was a television personality for a long time. He was also involved in politics for a long time. And admittedly brilliant man whose career spanned quite a bit of achievement. Bear in mind that all of these activities will require study in technology, science, mathematics, biology, etc.. So even if you decide this path is not for you, none of these studies will be wasted. They apply to a fantastic set of possibilities for other career choices as well.
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