I will most likely be attending Mizzou in the fall and am very torn on what to major in. I will be following the pre med track on both of these options. What I want to do the most is to double major. I would like to get a B.S. Biology and a B.A. in music. The only thing I’m worried about is if I’ll have enough time for extracurriculars like marching band and pre med related clubs, research opportunities, job shadowing, and have enough time to complete my majors and score well on the MCATS’s. I am also interested in Biological Engineering, but if I do go into biological engineering I’m not sure I will be able to get a good GPA due to the rigor of the courses and I will not be able to double major or even minor in music due to the large course load it requires. My overall goal is to major in something that I’m interested in and be able to still stand out among all of the pre meds who just majored in Biology.
Thanks!
What will make you stand out among all the premeds is a competitive app (ie strong GPAs and MCAT, solid ECs, strong LORs, well written PS which explains why you are choosing medicine, good interviews, fit with school’s mission statement). Your major(s) will have zero impact on whether you get into med school. You certainly should consider a major(s) that you are interested in as if you like material you’re more likely to do well GPA wise. Consider major(s) with a plan B in mind as most premeds will never see the inside of a med school. Don’t go for double major/difficult major thinking you’ll get some slack if your GPA is less than competitive as med schools don’t require applicants to take double majors, take difficult majors, take major and minor, etc. Double majors/difficult majors and doing poorly is on you, not because of a med school’s requirement.
If you still want to go down pathway of double major/or bio eng, (and there are successful applicants that do), consider slowing down and applying after you graduate which would free up more time for ECs, maintain grades, MCAT prep, and time to have a college life. Or consider one major, say bio and add in music courses. You don’t need to do all the things on your EC list as it may appear you’re just checking boxes. You want, in part, ECs that help show that you know what you’re getting into (ie medicine); better to have long term clinical experiences as opposed to a little research here, a little shadowing there, etc. Also shadowing might be viewed as a weaker EC.
There’s a saying about getting into med school… “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”. You want to do it right the first time. Talk to your advisors. Good luck