can premeds dare to double major?

<p>or will doing so ruin gpa? most people would prob. double major in one science and one humanities...would fulfilling requirements for both kill gpa? also, would med. schools respect the fact that u double majored? and stats show that your major doesn't really affect admissions, but if you use your major as a "hook", then would it be more beneficial? also, they say one year of math/calculus..do med schools care about the level of calc. u do? (sorry for the string of questions!)</p>

<p>1.) Whether a double will ruin your GPA is one of those questions that only you can answer. Nobody else can tell you whether you're intelligent and organized enough to pull it off.</p>

<p>2.) Med schools don't care about your major. This includes double majors, and given that they don't care, how do you envision using a major as a hook?</p>

<p>3.) Generally it's understood that you're supposed to at least complete up through Calc II. It's important for Physics, which is an important part (the etymology is not a coincidence) of physiology.</p>

<p>basically it doesn't matter how many majors you have or what major they are or even how difficult the major load was, what med schools want to see is your GPA. but are u tryin to tell me that a psych major will be considered equally with a biomedical engineer assuming both have the same gpa???????</p>

<p>No, I wouldn't argue that, because the "your major doesn't matter" factor includes GPA and MCAT scores.</p>

<p>What I do mean to say is simply that if you are attempting to choose whether to be a BME or a LHMTFS major (Left-handed Muslim Transsexual Feminism Studies), then your GPA is unlikely to be equal and your odds of entering medical school will be approximately the same either way.</p>

<p>So are you saying double-majoring or minoring is a waste of time? If they had to choose between an applicant who has double majored and an applicant who has a single major (both have same GPA and MCAT score), would'nt med schools likely choose the person who has double-majored?</p>

<p>
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2.) Med schools don't care about your major. This includes double majors, and given that they don't care, how do you envision using a major as a hook?

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<p>It's obviously a waste of time if you want to double major in something that you think will just look "good." Many people double major because they want to study that subject.</p>

<p>No, schools would turn instead to other criteria. It's impossible that they had written essays of exactly the same quality and had EC's of exactly the same quality, or interviewed exactly as well, or came from the same place in the country, etc.</p>

<p>when schools look at geographic residency, do they look at where you went to school or where your homestate is? Eg. a boy from alaska going to school in california.</p>

<p>I would figure that geographic diversity matters less to med schools than it does to colleges. Med school classes are typically small (50-150 students). I don't think they would want to just hand out spots to applicants just so they can have students from each state.</p>

<p>Geography (in-state residency) matters a great deal; private medical schools as a rule do not care very much.</p>

<p>The way they assess your home residency varies from school to school, but in no case will they count your university experience simply for its own sake.</p>

<p>Generally, they will use your "home address", where you went to high school, etc. Many schools will ask during secondaries; many will ask for proof of residency at some point or another.</p>

<p>Whoops, misread the post. Yes, residency matters a lot to public med schools. Different states have different rules for residency. It's typically where your home is.</p>

<p>On at least one list I've seen, double majors seem to do well. But I don't have a link for that. Also, I've heard that if you intend to double major, make sure that it is in two different areas. (Science and Humanities for example, or Art and Math - something like that). </p>

<p>Don't know about the GPA thing, but it will take longer. I'd only do it if it was something you really wanted to do (strong interest in both).</p>

<p>Here are some excerpts from the UCSF site. California residency, or lack thereof, factors into both admissions and tuition ($12,245 surcharge for non-residents).</p>

<p>State of residence for students claimed as dependents on parents' tax returns is determined by the parents' state of residence. State of high school attendance could be a factor for financially independent, former California high school students who not currently residing in California. </p>

<p>
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Basic Rule
To be classified a California resident for tuition purposes; you must be a financially independent, adult resident of California for more than one year immediately prior to the residence determination date or a minor whose parents are California residents.</p>

<p>You may establish a residence in California for tuition purposes if you are a financially independent adult. You are not eligible to establish residence if you are an adult alien present in the U.S. with a nonimmigrant status that precludes you from establishing a domicile in the U.S. (including, but not limited to, B, F, H2, H3, J, TN, TD), or an alien without a legal immigration status. To establish residence you must be physically present in California with the intent to make California your permanent home, and you must demonstrate by your actions that you have given up your former residence to establish a residence in California. Once you have established your residence in California, you must reside in California for more than one year (366 days) before you will be eligible to be classified a resident for tuition purposes. If you are in California solely for educational purposes, you will not be considered to have established a residence for tuition purposes, regardless of the length of your stay.

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<p>See the site <a href="http://saa49.ucsf.edu/admission/residency.htm%20%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://saa49.ucsf.edu/admission/residency.htm%20&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>BTW i'm a double major in chem and math and doing pre-med and my gpa is fine, so its possible, but i did it cuz i like both subjects. Do it only if you're interested and willing to put in the time.</p>