Is it fine to pursue a degree outside of medicine if you want to have a career in medicine?
My name is Anthony, and I am a senior in high school. I initially thought I wanted to study biomedical engineering because most of the courses fulfill medical school requirement, but now, I have found other majors that peak my interests, such as Biological Sciences, Anthropology and Africana and African-American Studies. I hear reports that say that your major is not that important and others that say it makes you more appealing due to not only focusing on medicine. #college #doctor #pre-med #surgeon
4 answers
Justina’s Answer
You need a passing score on the MCAT to get into medical school. The point of pre-med degrees is to prepare you for this test. Will the other degrees prepare you to take the MCAT - if you are serious about medical school, then this is the only question you need to ask. I was pre-med and my majors were Biochemistry and Microbiology. It was my experience that biological sciences are also part of a pre-med program.
Richard’s Answer
Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses.
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