For those of you who went to medical school but didn't major in a Science, what did you major in?

hi jessica,

i've been a family physician for 20 years. i graduated with a BBA in Business Management.

yes, it is 100% accurate that you needn't have a science degree to go to medical school. and it's true that medical schools are trying hard to find well-rounded, less-sciency applicants.

nevertheless, i will also say that a large proportion of my medical school classmates did have biology or chemistry degrees.

so how can that be?

first, because of all of the science prerequisite courses it is easier to complete college in 4 years if you have a biology or chemistry degree. for instance, it took me 5 years in college.

second, many applicants have more than one undergraduate degree. some had biology plus history, or chemistry plus business, etc.

when you interview for medical school you're definitely going to be asked why you decided on that particular major(s). so my advice is to know well your reason for selecting it.

let's say that you decide to be a history major. then you probably want to emphasize how much medical history you learned. if you become a computer science major, then you could talk about how electronic medical records and data are driving the future of medicine. if you chose psychology then you emphasize the mind-body connection to overcoming illness. etc, etc.

in my particular case, it had been drilled into me from an early age how incompetent doctors were in their business affairs. my mother was a registered nurse who had seen many doctors go under financially. my father was an accountant, which also influenced my major.

hopefully that helps some.

good luck!

As long as you complete the required courses to be considered for medical school, you can major in anything. Most students will major in biology, chemistry, or something similar so they can start getting an understanding of the field and start taking upper level biology courses but I have also seen students major in history, English, etc. so they are more well rounded or have other interests.
Typically medical schools require a year of chemistry, biology, and English plus courses in physics, organic chemistry, math, and biochemistry.
In order to be the best applicant you can be, you will want to volunteer in the field - whether it is a hospital, private practice, clinic, etc. This will allow you to understand a day-in-the-life of the professionals, determine what kind of medicine you are most interested in, and speak with the doctors about their own academic and professional journeys. This will also give you more to talk about should you be asked to interview in support of your candidacy.