Im going to be a sophomore this fall and my indecisive mind finally decided on a major . The thing is that for this fall, taking classes towards premed major are full. I’m going to try to take winter classes.
As of right now, my major is Communication disorder to become a speech language pathology.
I read that to enter medical school, I will need to pick a science or math major. I decided to do biology, I always do good on it and I really like it. However, I think I’m too late and will fall back and I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to contact my advisor. The plan is to keep my current major either as a minor or double major (probably as a minor) but I want to become a doctor. Biology major with a minor in communication disorder ?
I don’t know what to do. I read that I will need to take the MCAT on my junior year while sending my applications to medical school. So now, I’m officially scared and I’m not sure what to do from here… from this point, I think I’m a lost cause and is eating me inside. I feel stupid for coming to this decision to late.
@laura24
You can become a pre-med at any time during college or even after you’ve graduated from college.
My older D didn’t decide yo pursue med school until she was a second semester senior. Today, she’s an attending physician in the specialty of her choice.
You have some misconceptions.
You do NOT need to major in biology, math or a science to be a pre-med. Pre med is an intention, not any specific major.
What you DO need to do is complete the typical med school pre-reqs:
2 semesters intro bio with labs
2 semesters gen chem w/ labs
2 semesters organic chem w/ labs
1 semester biochemistry
2 semesters general physics w/ labs
2 semesters English/writing skills (expository writing)
Recommended at all schools, required at many and tested on the MCAT:
1 semester statistics
1 semester intro psychology
1 semester intro sociology
Additionally some specific med school have additional requirements–like another semester of college level math, public speaking, or a course in medical ethics. Once you’ve completed your required classes and you are ready to start looking at specific med schools, you can check out those additional requirements.
You can take the MCAT any time after you’ve completed your pre-reqs.
You do NOT need to take the MCAT at the end of your junior year unless you intend to matriculate directly into med school from undergrad.
Only a minority of successful med school applicants follow that timeline. The majority of successful med school applicants take the MCAT at the end of their senior year or later and apply to med school after one or more gap years. There is no one specific timeline for a successful med school application.
Don't be scared!
The path to med school is long and it is different for everyone. If you want to be a pre-med--be one! Don't get trapped into thinking that there is a specific timeline you need to be on--because there isn't one. The average age of a newly matriculated med student is 26. There are even individuals who start med school well into their 40s and 50s.
Your college probably has a Health Professions Advising Office. Do a google search for "Health professions advising" and the name of your college. There will be general info about the pre-med process on that page.
Another useful resource is [Premed</a> Navigator](<a href="https://students-residents.aamc.org/navigator/%5DPremed">https://students-residents.aamc.org/navigator/)
Besides having the pre-reqs and a MCAT, all pre-meds need to have the expected pre-med ECs. Those ECs include: community service with disadvantaged populations, physician shadowing, clinical exposure either thru volunteering or paid employment, and some leadership experiences in your activities. If you can get some hands experience in a research lab or with a clinical programs--that's a plus! (But not having research isn't a dealbreaker.)
If you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer. You can post them or PM me.
I know someone who started off as a language major, and then switched to biology after one year. It is definitely possible to switch into biology from a “non-science” major. If they wanted to they could have completed the pre-med requirements and graduated in four years just fine. They did get special permission to start off in “biology for biology majors” first thing freshman year.
At one point they had to take four lab classes at the same time to catch up. This went really well in their case.
My understanding is that quite a few students take a gap year or two between getting their bachelor’s degree and attending medical school. This will allow you to postpone taking the MCAT a bit if you want to.
As @WayOutWestMom said, you can have any major that you want as long as you complete the premed requirements. You need to maintain a high GPA (not easy in premed classes) and have quite a lot of experience volunteering in a medical environment.
@laura24
I’m a speech pathologist and one of my favorite classmates became a pediatrician. It was a long while ago…but still. As noted, you can major in anything as long as you take the required courses for medical school admission.
BTW, speech pathology is a terrific profession. I’m sure you know it requires a two year masters program.