<p>I just wanted to ask a quick question about this. I've read many places (including the FAQ) that it doesn't matter as much to Med School admissions committees what you major in as long as you fulfill the necessary pre-req's for applying. I just wanted to ask if a Communications major + Pre-med would be an acceptable combination in that case? I think it should be OK but I have people telling me that I "need" to major in science. Will it make me less competitive if I major in Communications instead of let's say Biology?</p>
<p>The problem with communications isn’t that it’s a non-science. Nonetheless, it’s not a good major for a premed, since it’s not a very academic study subject.</p>
<p>Oh? Is the problem then that it’s not a “very academic study subject” or were you referring to something else? Perhaps there is a major similar to Communications that you could suggest instead?</p>
<p>Communications is a vocational equivalent, I think, of English. Similarly Accounting is a vocational equivalent of Economics, Kinesiology is a vocational equivalent of Biology, etc.</p>
<p>This is a digression, but from the stats I have seen it would seem that an English major has a slightly (<3%) better chance of getting into med school than a Science major. Can anyone substantiate this? (I wanna be an english major, not because of this bizzare statistic, but because I wanna be a doctor that writes on the side.)</p>
<p>this is a common yet incorrect conclusion to come to when looking at this data. your average bio major who applies to med school is much different than your average english major who applies. for an english major to have the necessary prerequisites he would have had to plan on doing premed early on in his college career or do some sort of post bacc where people feel like they have alot to lose. on the other hand a bio major basically fulfills all the premed requirements and many bio majors only decide on med school after they realize that they’re basic science degree won’t make them any money. in addition the english major will tend to have a leg up in the MCAT (especially the verbal section) which is basically a reading comprehension and critical thinking test.</p>
<p>I actually had the exact same question. Originally I planned to be a Public Relations major as that would’ve been my field of choice had I not decided to pursue the pre-med route. Of course, I also thought about staying with PR as this way I would have a back up in case I decide against going to med school. Although admittedly I was a little hesitant at first being that it’s rare to see people majoring in PR rather than the broader Communications major. </p>
<p>I’ve been considering psychology too but it’s just that I was concerned that if med school fell through, I may not want to pursue a PhD in psych so it would be a waste of a major. Anyone have anymore input on this? Presently, my biggest goal is still to aim for med school so do you guys really think that majoring in PR would significantly impact my chances?</p>
<p>In response to the jobs-after-college issue, psych has the advantage of actually being well sought-after as a jack of all trades degree as well as an academically oriented degree. While, yes, the stereotypical psych student still goes onto a PhD program in clinical psychology, most psych students end up in other fields (e.g., HR is quite popular and can make good money for a psych grad). In addition, psych is one of the largest contributors of med students after the basic science fields. Med schools are quite used to dealing with psych students and are aware of the major strengths of this major (i.e., strong research base/knowledge/orientation, excellent understanding of patients’ psychosocial and emotional needs, etc.).</p>