4 answers
Kimberly
Student
Redwood City, California
2
Questions
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Is philosophy a good premed major?
I am a senior, and I have decided I want to major in philosophy, and minor in bioethics. Is that a good major for med school?
#medicine #premed #philosophy #july20
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4 answers
Vince Bottom
Research Coordinator
18
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Davis, California
Updated
Vince’s Answer
Hi Kimberly,
I minored in philosophy in college, and enjoyed it immensely. While I would absolutely recommend it as a major if you are passionate about it, there are many courses that are required for a pre-med track, including a series of biology, chemistry, and other natural sciences. These can be time-consuming. However, if your course schedule allows, I think taking both pre-med and philosophy together could be a very fulfilling experience, especially since the course content will likely differ between the two tracks. In any case, I would suggest checking with your college advisor to ensure your schedule can fulfill the typical pre-med requirements simultaneously.
There are many great reasons to pursue philosophy. It provides excellent training in structuring arguments, theories, and developing critical reading and writing skills. A 2019 study found that philosophy majors scored higher on the GRE test than any other college major, particularly in the essay writing and reading comprehension sections (http://dailynous.com/2019/10/11/philosophy-majors-gre-updated-data/). These are all great assets to have as a worker in any industry, as communication and reasoning skill is important in every organization. Many philosophy majors I knew were on a track for law school, so that is certainly another option, especially if you have an interest in ethics.
The only thing philosophy sadly cannot provide is the guarantee of a job purely by virtue of the major. In other words a bachelor's in computer science, engineering, communications, or others may provide more assurance of a job. For that reason, I think it can work as a great supplement to pre-med or any other major track.
I would say, try it out! You can always drop the philosophy track if you feel it is distracting.
Best of luck!
I minored in philosophy in college, and enjoyed it immensely. While I would absolutely recommend it as a major if you are passionate about it, there are many courses that are required for a pre-med track, including a series of biology, chemistry, and other natural sciences. These can be time-consuming. However, if your course schedule allows, I think taking both pre-med and philosophy together could be a very fulfilling experience, especially since the course content will likely differ between the two tracks. In any case, I would suggest checking with your college advisor to ensure your schedule can fulfill the typical pre-med requirements simultaneously.
There are many great reasons to pursue philosophy. It provides excellent training in structuring arguments, theories, and developing critical reading and writing skills. A 2019 study found that philosophy majors scored higher on the GRE test than any other college major, particularly in the essay writing and reading comprehension sections (http://dailynous.com/2019/10/11/philosophy-majors-gre-updated-data/). These are all great assets to have as a worker in any industry, as communication and reasoning skill is important in every organization. Many philosophy majors I knew were on a track for law school, so that is certainly another option, especially if you have an interest in ethics.
The only thing philosophy sadly cannot provide is the guarantee of a job purely by virtue of the major. In other words a bachelor's in computer science, engineering, communications, or others may provide more assurance of a job. For that reason, I think it can work as a great supplement to pre-med or any other major track.
I would say, try it out! You can always drop the philosophy track if you feel it is distracting.
Best of luck!
Yasemin G.
Aspiring physician
635
Answers
Updated
Yasemin’s Answer
Hi Kimberly! You can be any major and apply to medical school; to be honest it's about what interests you. I was a psychology major, it's just important to be able to complete your prerequisites like biology, chemistry, physics, English, and labs. I will attach a link below to give more information on them. Your premed adviser in college should also have a sheet that lists what to take and also recommended courses that help with the MCAT like genetics and biochemistry- (biochemistry is actually required for almost all medical schools so definitely take one semester; some schools count Organic Chemistry II for Biochem but most don't). I would also advise to volunteer and get clinical experience; as long as you are a well-rounded applicant your major will only add diversity to the medical school class and admission committees will be happy about that!
Best of luck!
There is other information in the link below, also about majors, so be sure to check the whole thing out!
https://www.kaptest.com/study/mcat/the-prerequisites-of-medical-school/
Best of luck!
There is other information in the link below, also about majors, so be sure to check the whole thing out!
Yasemin recommends the following next steps:
David Brottman
Pediatrician
11
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
David’s Answer
This is a loaded question....
College is the time for you to explore your academic interests but if you want to directly to medical school without grad school first...then a hard science is more desirable.
In general to get into med school (DO or MD) you need....
GPA 3.7 or higher
MCAT scores of 516 or higher (top 10%)
~1000 hours community service
~1000 hours healthcare experiences
Many students have 1-2 years grad school under their belts and you can take Science based curriculum at that time.
I would check with your local medical schools in your area. Look up on line what their average student majors in, GPA, etc...
Dr B
College is the time for you to explore your academic interests but if you want to directly to medical school without grad school first...then a hard science is more desirable.
In general to get into med school (DO or MD) you need....
GPA 3.7 or higher
MCAT scores of 516 or higher (top 10%)
~1000 hours community service
~1000 hours healthcare experiences
Many students have 1-2 years grad school under their belts and you can take Science based curriculum at that time.
I would check with your local medical schools in your area. Look up on line what their average student majors in, GPA, etc...
Dr B
Dr. Ronald Hockin, PhD
CEO & Entrepreneur
8
Answers
Michigan, Michigan
Updated
Dr. Ronald’s Answer
Hi Kimberly,
Philosophy affords opportunity to share ongoing wonderment with peers, mentors, and/or an amazing Monarch butterfly nestled tenderly upon a lavender iris flower petal preparing for flight of migration within the recesses of our consciousness, emotion, rationality and behavior. Or, more simply expressed, your answer rests within your own question.
Take care!
De. Ronald
Philosophy affords opportunity to share ongoing wonderment with peers, mentors, and/or an amazing Monarch butterfly nestled tenderly upon a lavender iris flower petal preparing for flight of migration within the recesses of our consciousness, emotion, rationality and behavior. Or, more simply expressed, your answer rests within your own question.
Take care!
De. Ronald