<p>So currently I'm a biochemistry and music major with a Japanese minor who is bound to graduate in 5 years and hope to enter medical school.
Lately, I've been thinking that maybe 5 years isn't necessary and I could just graduate in 4 years with a music degree and some upper-level biology courses.
What could be the pros and cons to this?</p>
<p>pro - graduate one year sooner which means one year less tuition/start med school one year earlier
cons - have only 3 years on your record instead of 4 (but this isn’t really a con since it’s what the slight majority of applicants do)</p>
<p>In other words you don’t really gain anything by doing a 5th year.</p>
<p>Doing whatever fits you personaly the best is the way to go. If you feel like you prefer 5 years, why not? Do not tailor your life too much, do not undermind your personal preferences. You will not have choices later in your life. Make them now to your liking, enjoy your 4 or 5 years to the fullest.</p>
<p>Doing 2 majors and a minor in 4 years, while carrying on research and meaningful ECs without sacrificing that all important GPA is not easy. I know it because I see all that my son (who is majoring in CS and Biology with a minor in Linguistics) goes through. Is it worth it? Or more importantly, do you need all that to be a doctor? Good thing, kids are more liberated and less calculated than the parents :)</p>
<p>Easy or hard is another story. One of D’s pre-med friends had graduated with triple major (2 additional majors were related but absolutely not even close to her main major). Not sure 100%, but I believe it took her normal 4 years. My D. has graduated with Music Minor and was 2 classes short of completion another minor. She graduated in 4 years, no single summer class and very light schedule in senior year (for Med. School interviews) and somewhat lighter schedule in junior year to allow time to prepare for MCAT that she took 2 weeks after her spring exam. Both are in Med. School, no gap year. My D. had to do ALL of her EC’s during school year, there were almost nothing available for her in our home town. She never had any grade below an A, while singing in duets with Music Majors presented a challenge. The harder it is, the more fun it is to overcome difficulties, if you are up to it. Also learning to manage time while in UG is a great advantage coming to Med. School. No matter how much it was in UG and how challenging it was, the Med. School will be much much harder and much more challenging and time management skills will be one of your greatest assets.</p>