<p>Now, before you guys tell me that major doesn't matter for med school admissions and that I should be focusing more on my grades and my MCAT score, let me just state that I already know that it doesn't matter if you have four majors, as long as you complete the prerequisite courses for med school so you guys don't have to tell me that. I was thinking about double-majoring and minoring because I will be able to take more courses that are relevant to the MCAT and deepen my knowledge of the science and medical field. I just want to know if it's worth double-majoring as a pre-med student because you want to take more relevant courses and be better-prepared for the MCAT, not because you want to be a stronger candidate for med school. So let me explain my situation.</p>
<p>I will be attending the University of Arizona this coming fall. I was admitted as a pre-Neuroscience & Cognitive Science major and I am hoping to be promoted to the full Neuroscience & Cognitive Science major when I become a junior (that's the earliest time you can move to the full major at UA). I'm also minoring in mathematics because I really enjoy the subject and I completed around half of the courses required for a math minor anyway (up to linear algebra and including statistics) so I might as well. The second major that I was thinking about adding was Biochemistry. I did pretty well in bio & chem in high school and I really enjoyed those subjects so I thought that I would fare pretty well as a Biochemistry major (and plus, its required courses are common topics on the MCAT). Plus, the lower-division courses in the NSCS & biochem majors intersect a lot. It's the upper division courses that start to differ from each other. So I may have more classes per semester than the typical student (and one problem is that I'm planning on volunteering, shadowing & interning at the university hospital so I'm not sure if I will have enough time for those activities if I double-major). So if anyone with experience can give me feedback here, then that would be great. :D</p>
<p>Be sure to check school policies regarding how many common courses you can count towards your majors/minors. I know that at D2’s school, there was a hard limit of 2. (i.e. only 2 courses in total could be taken and applied towards fulfilling more than one departmental graduation requirements.)</p>
<p>I’d also suggest you get out the course catalog and plot out your schedule for the next 4 years to see if what you want to is feasible. And if it will require you to take multiple summer classes to graduate on time–think hard about your plan.</p>
<p>Lastly check to see if there is a “overage” fee for taking more than 18 credits per semester. Many schools (both public and private) charge more for credits in excess of a baseline amount.</p>
<p>Hmm… looked at graduation requirements for both biochem and Neuro–there’s a large amount of overlap (basic bio, chem, ochem, biochem, physics, stats). You really need to speak with an academic advisor at UA.</p>
<p>You said that you know it doesn’t matter if you double major or not, so I don’t think I understand the question because that’s exactly my answer, even with your explanation.</p>
<p>You can take classes outside of your major without having a double major. If all of the classes you want to take are restricted to majors and you want to double major, then sure, double major. As long as your school allows it and you want to and are able to do it, then do it. It doesn’t matter. But you don’t HAVE to double major just to take more science classes. I took more science classes than I needed to fulfill my major requirements even though I was a double major in college, including upper division classes outside of my department. It doesn’t matter either way for med school or for “deepening your knowledge of the science and medical field.”</p>
<p>And I just realized that you haven’t started college yet. So here comes the next stereotypical piece of advice: make a 4 year plan. Figure out what you have to take when to do your double major. Take into account any school policies about double majors (rules about the amount of classes that can overlap, rules about which majors you can double major in, rules about . Then see if you can fit it all in or not and still have time for the other stuff that you want to do. Try it out, and if it doesn’t work the way you thought it would, then readjust your plan. Double majoring or not double majoring isn’t going to matter in the grand scheme of things, unless it means giving up other opportunities. So just come up with a plan and try it. If your plan doesn’t work, then readjust.</p>
<p>You do whatever you wish as long as your college GPA is NOT affected negatively. Make sure you do pay attention and devote time to opportunities that provide a personal growth. Very important aspect of UG that is overlooked by many and more so by upper caliber students who are intensely chasing their As. While As are important, in medicine the personal maturity and ability to connect to others easily (it is a skill that has to be developed, just like any musician will try to develop certain musical skills). In my D’s case (as an example), she made sure that she went out of her “comfort” zone, she made sure to attend an UG wher she would be able to meet and interact with the variety of people. She realized that her figorous tiny private HS did not provide these opportunites, despite of having very diverse (racial, socioeconomical, cultural) student body, all kids were very ambitious and goal oriented (and were coming from families with these characteristics). She realized that to be able to connect to a wide range of people, she needs to seek students outside of pre-med / Honors / science crowd, the ones that have a different mind set. While in Med. School she realized that despite the fact that she was one of the youngest, she was socially more mature. She was told by many around her (both MDs, patients, students, just about anybody), that she is easy to work with and has a great bed manners.
You may or may not have more classes than typical pre-med. All around my D. graduated with some combo of unrelated major(s) / minor(s). They were simply interesting people who realized that if they do not pursue their personal interests in UG, then they will not have time for it later. D. has graduated with the Zoology major (very challenging at her UG) / Music Composition minor and was 2 classes short of completing Neuroscience minor (had to drop it because one of Med. schools added to reguirements after D. applied). One of her friend graduated with the Zoology / Spanish / Latin triple major and another had Zoology major / Art minor - I would not recommend this one, Art is extremely time consuming and you still have to make a grade. All made their grades and graduated Summa Cum Laude (in Zoology department, one had to have GPA 3.96+ to receive Summa Cum Laude). All were extremely busy during school year, working, interning in Medical Research Lab, sorority (board), volunteering, D. went abroad. All were long term commitments (few years).<br>
While majors / minors has no relevance in Med. School admission, your interivew definitely breaking monotonous interview day for interviewers. D’s interview were filled with discussions about music, from classical thru contemporary pop bands and another common subject was unusual for pre-med volunteering. She was dissapointed with how little attention was given to her 3 year interning in Med. Research lab that included writing proposal for grants and receiving 2 and poster presentation at the end. Interviewer wants to see a real person, all other inrformation is included in your application. They want to see your persoanlity and how you fit with specific Med. School culture / student body / faculty.</p>
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<p>what would those be? </p>
<p>"take more courses that are relevant to the MCAT
what would those be? "
-D. mentioned that all upper Bio that she took were helpful, like cell, physiology, genetics…</p>