Broad Liberal Arts

<p>There is alot of talk about the non-science undergrad having a good deal of appeal to the medical admissions committees. I think that I want to be a doctor but I do not want to limit myself in undergraduate school to too much of a focus on the hard sciences.</p>

<p>The Classics, English, The History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Psychology...all sound interesting to me. In fact, I like JHU for that reason. There are requirements to be met in order to apply to medical school.</p>

<p>To obtain admission into a top 50 medical school, what is the typical course requirement for the non Pre-med major?</p>

<p>Check any med school admissions site and it'll explain.</p>

<p>Generally it is:</p>

<p>1 year of general chem
1 year of organic chem
1 year of calculus
1 year of physics</p>

<p>and some require biology</p>

<p>Thanks for the response. Some schools like Hopkins Med require more coursework in these sciences. So I guess your rule is general but it is up to me to find out what the specific requirements are for all the top 50...It would be unfortunate if one were to be unaware of the requirements to get into a particular med school until their junior year of college...under the assumption that there is only on course required in each of the areas you suggested.</p>

<p>actually, i believe that the only med schools that require a full year of calculus are Harvard and Duke med schools. some others recommend it.</p>

<p>a few actually require a year of english, i believe</p>

<p>But what if you don't get into med school?</p>

<p>There are some bizarre requirements (bizarre as in they're not too general, like 'biology' or 'physics'), so it's best to actually check the websites of the schools you think you may be interested in -- yes, all of them.</p>

<p>Though the above requirements are generally applicable (correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that's what AMCAS states the minimum requirements for its participant schools are?), they vary from college to college. Some only require 2 quarters of this or that, most also require related laboratory (ie, 1 year physics WITH LABS), some require math (and some don't), some strongly discourage you from taking anything you'd learn at the school itself (like some classes with cadaver dissection), and some require a specific set of science courses (or at least strongly recommend; UCSF is one such school I know of, in that it requires a class in vertebrate zoology or the equivalent). English composition is also a likely addition, as is proficiency in a foreign language (particularly one you'll get some mileage in practically, like Spanish or French or Asiatic languages; though Latin/ancient Greek can help with identifying, you're not going to be able to communicate with patients very effectively!)</p>

<p>In essence? Check the school's website, as requirements do vary.</p>

<p>so if you just utterly despise the tedium of calculus and want to get it over during the summer at some college, would it count against you when u try to get into med school?</p>