I’m currently a junior in high school and looking to pick majors/colleges soon!!
So one thing I’m sure of is that I want to be on a pre-med track and go onto medical school. However, the more research I do, the more I learn that its not necessary that I’m a biology major and that if I major in something else, my medical school application will stand out more. What are the disadvantages/advantages of majoring vs. not majoring in biology?
Also, I realize that I also really enjoy global health, international health, etc. What are some good schools that offer this major but also have a strong science program to facilitate a pre-med to med school track? Is it even possible to combine these?
Avoid placing any importance into acceptance numbers. Some schools boast incredible rates, but it boils down to one of two things. Either they start with great students (think Stanford, etc) or the school weeds out students using the “committee letter” which small schools with average students use to dissuade all but the strongest applicants from applying; to no surprise, they often boast 90% or better med school “acceptance” numbers. Often a regular poster will chime in to recommend one such school, Holy Cross.
The real question to address at this point is: why an M.D? Not that I know it is wrong for you, it may be the right fit, but have you actually looked into the medical field and considered the alternatives? From the day you start college it will be 11-15 years before you are a practicing doctor, depending on what field you go into. In other words, think back to 1st grade; all those years since then matches the minimum it will take to become a practicing doc! Its almost a reflex action among HS kids, they think of a career in medicine and its “I’m pre-med!” Doctors are far from the only ones in the health field that help people. Physical therapists, radiology techs, nurses, speech pathologists, to name but just a few. Unless you’ve considered the alternatives and have spent time actually working in a health care setting (which is an unofficial requirement to get into med school, BTW) its better to think of yourself as interested in exploring a career as a doctor rather than someone who has already made the decision.
You can major in any subject and go on to med school. You just need to take the required pre-med classes. You can google what the requirements are (typically a year of bio, chem, physics, organic, calc) Most every college has a pre-health advisory group to be sure you know what you need. Virtually any accredited school can get you what you need in terms of pre-med coursework.
You don’t need to be a bio major to be pre-med. It helps to pick a major where the major requirements overlap with pre-med requirements though (bio, humbio,chemistry, etc.). It’s a bit more difficult to major in something with no course overlap and then do all the pre-med requirements on top of them.
Thank you so much for your response! Yes, I am definitely still considering allied health options as well, I was just wondering what the path would be should I decide. I am also interested in global health, so maybe a public health degree would be a good backup. Regardless, I do consider myself exploring a plethora of areas and will take your answer into consideration!
A relative of mine, now finishing up her 3rd year in med school, was a comparative literature major. She simply took all the required courses for med school, and did an internship at a hospital while an undergraduate. At her med school interview she had a wonderful talk with one of the professors about… Shakespeare.
It is absolutely possible to major in anything you want and go to medical school. I’d caution you to begin planning early, especially if your major has a lot of course requirements (double that if they go in a sequence). Just be smart and plan and you’ll be fine. As for global health, with a quick google search I came up with UC Berkeley, Tulane, and Boston University. I’m sure there are others. Smaller schools will probably not have the interest to sustain faculty for a specific public health major, so if you want a small college you might need to do an interdisciplinary major.
It’s also possible at some medical schools to do joint degree programs that are MD/MA in public health.
I wouldn’t look for an undergrad degree in PH, I think to do most anything in the field you’d need an MPH.
My D is pre-med but also has strong PH interest, so is doing what she needs to to keep all options open but will later decide if MD, MD-PhD or MPH is what she will do. She will probably take a year after college and work or something else before applying to any of those.