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What should I major in if I want to go to medical school?
Hello, my name is Athena and I am currently a junior in high school. As implied, I'm going to be applying to colleges soon (wow, time really does fly!). I'm actually doing dual-enrollment at my local community college, since I know med school takes a long time. I should be done with my GED classes by the end of high school if I transfer to a UC or CSU (California colleges for anyone out of state). Is pre-med even a major? Also, I heard that most people major in biology, but should I major in something else to make me stand out? For example, maybe a double major in some science and humanities path? Thank you in advance to anyone who answers my question! #majors #college-major #medical-school #doctor #biology #pediatrician #college
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Jennifer’s Answer
Hi Athena,
Pre-med is actually not a major! It's more commonly referred to as the pre-med track, in which on top of the requirements you need to satisfy for your degree, you take classes that are required for medical school: gen chem, organic chem, biology, physics, english, math. Each school should tell you which classes fulfill the premed track and if it's not explicitly stated somewhere, definitely double check with a premed advisor. People mainly major in biology because the requirements for a biology major are usually convenient for fulfilling the premed track. However, if you're not passionate about biology, it's not necessary to major in it. If you want to do a humanities major, then go for it! It's really about your interests and how you want to balance your academics and classes. Your choice of major and how many majors you want has no impact on your admission to medical schools. The main thing they want to see is how good your GPA/MCAT scores are (if you take a look at a table by AMCAAS. So to summarize, you can pick any major you want as long as you fulfill the required classes for a pre-med track. Hope this helped!
Pre-med is actually not a major! It's more commonly referred to as the pre-med track, in which on top of the requirements you need to satisfy for your degree, you take classes that are required for medical school: gen chem, organic chem, biology, physics, english, math. Each school should tell you which classes fulfill the premed track and if it's not explicitly stated somewhere, definitely double check with a premed advisor. People mainly major in biology because the requirements for a biology major are usually convenient for fulfilling the premed track. However, if you're not passionate about biology, it's not necessary to major in it. If you want to do a humanities major, then go for it! It's really about your interests and how you want to balance your academics and classes. Your choice of major and how many majors you want has no impact on your admission to medical schools. The main thing they want to see is how good your GPA/MCAT scores are (if you take a look at a table by AMCAAS. So to summarize, you can pick any major you want as long as you fulfill the required classes for a pre-med track. Hope this helped!
Thanks a lot! This was very helpful.
Athena
Updated
RAVI’s Answer
Athena,
Like earlier answer pre-med is a track not a major. My answers are generic and not specific. Medical school require a certain level and credits of Physics, Chem, Bio, math, Englinsh, and Organic Chem. They do not really require a specific major although many have one of the Science majors.
You would need an undergrad degree completed with a good GPA. Each med school might have a different number as well.
Additionally you do have to take MCAT entrance exam and have a really good score. You do this usually during junior year of college and/or Senior year.
Even after that many if not all med schools do conduct interviews and most are in person. Due to Covid, it may be via Zoom calls. But usually are in person interviews.
It is a bit involved. But not to worry. My daughter just got admitted to med school and starting in first week of August. You seem focused and seem to be doing well. Work hard, enjoy the study and stay focused. Congratulations on your current accomplishment. Best wishes for your future success.
Like earlier answer pre-med is a track not a major. My answers are generic and not specific. Medical school require a certain level and credits of Physics, Chem, Bio, math, Englinsh, and Organic Chem. They do not really require a specific major although many have one of the Science majors.
You would need an undergrad degree completed with a good GPA. Each med school might have a different number as well.
Additionally you do have to take MCAT entrance exam and have a really good score. You do this usually during junior year of college and/or Senior year.
Even after that many if not all med schools do conduct interviews and most are in person. Due to Covid, it may be via Zoom calls. But usually are in person interviews.
It is a bit involved. But not to worry. My daughter just got admitted to med school and starting in first week of August. You seem focused and seem to be doing well. Work hard, enjoy the study and stay focused. Congratulations on your current accomplishment. Best wishes for your future success.
Updated
Brian’s Answer
As many people have already mentioned, pre-med is not a major. It's great that you're on the track to become a doctor. A lot of medical school admissions don't particularly care what you majored in college. Obviously, you would need to take the required courses to get into medical school like chemistry, biology, and physics, but otherwise you are free to select any major you'd like. If anything, medical school admissions encourage students to select major that have nothing to do with the medical school field. They want to see that you are a well rounded student who does well with their GPA and MCAT test. You could really standout if you were able to apply with an economics degree for example and take all the required classes for medical school.
Updated
Kristen’s Answer
Congratulations on almost being done with school! That is a great accomplishment. If you want to go into the medical field you’re going to want to focus in on your sciences and biology. There is a program it’s pretty bad and they will be different criteria just like anything else. But it is heavy in the sciences. Obviously you’re going to have anatomy and things like that and I even believe there’s chemistry involved too. But the overall program to focus in on before you going to medical school is called premed. Every college will be a little bit different so take a look at your school and see what criteria they require. Also I would strongly recommend looking at the medical school you want to go to and see what their entrance requirements are and almost build backward so you have a better chance of getting into your first choice medical school
Research medical school criteria
Research premed programs
Look at GPA requirements
See if you can volunteer locally at nursing homes
Kristen recommends the following next steps:
Thank you for your answer1
Athena