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.
If medical school is your goal, you can major in anything as long as you get the prerequisites covered. Mizzou has a good pre-health advising department. I’d ask them what your options are. Off the top of my head, I wouldn’t do BME or minor in music. Both will be time consuming and potentially drop your GPA. Choose a major you like, get your prereqs covered, join Marching Mizzou and kill the MCAT.
I’ve heard others say that music majors are one of the most common majors for those actually admitted to med school. But I doubt that is true for a double major. When I was in marching band (many years ago, different university) there were a few pre-meds in band. But again I don’t recall any of them double majoring. Might want to pick one major you are really interested in and focus on that. Should be able to play in band whether you major in music or not.
Yes, music majors may have one of the largest percentage admitted into med school, but consider how many music majors even apply - very few. The few that apply probably only did so if they feel like they had a chance. For certain majors like biology, which make up a significant portion of the applicant pool, there are definitely a number of people whose academic performance is obviously sub par but then decide to apply anyway.
A double major is not a worthy investment if it requires you to take extra semesters and/or sacrifice your mental health. In your career, you’re probably only going to make use of one of your degrees anyways, so there is little to no return for getting a second degree.
I wouldn’t say rule out engineering if you can see yourself becoming an engineer, should med school not work out. It is always wise to have a plan B in mind right from the beginning. Don’t wait until after you see whether or not you get into med school to make this decision.
I disagree with @umcoe16. Engineering as a back up plan can quickly become your primary plan because it will be harder to get good grades than it will be in easier majors. Yes you’ll take physics and calculus as a biology pre-med, but it won’t be the same series you’ll take as an engineer and med schools don’t care. You get a B in real physics and they get an A in Physics light, they get in and you don’t. So, if medical school is your true goal, you’ll make it more difficult by choosing engineering of any type. If you want plan A to work out, don’t pick a plan B that will sabotage it. MIZ…