<p>cooltej16 - Premed is not really a major, u can major in whatever u want, but all ppl going to med school have to take certain classes, more specifically there are 10 required by almost all med schools, if not all: Calculus I and II, General Biology I and II, General Chemistry I and II, Organic Chemistry I and II, and 2 english classes. Some also require a course in biochemistry. A lot of ppl going to med school major in one of the sciences, esp. bio/chem cuz from what Ive heard, they offer the best prep for the 1-2 years of the med school curriculum which is like bio/chem overdrive. A lot of humanities/non-science majors also go to med school, some say they're rates of admission are slightly higher than the science majors, but they r generally speaking, a little behind in their first yr of med school due to the strenuous science curriculum. Its fine to do any major u are interested in, just remember that u must take these 10 courses for med school. --- orgo is generally considered the weeder class b/c of its difficulty, the others I imagine, while difficult, r not that bad cuz they are intro courses. With the math major, which I did not know b4 going to a summer program in the math/sciences, the intro/intermediate math classes are generally easier and manageable, but after u get past say linear algebra and differential eqs, it starts to get insane with a lot of proofs/abstract theory, so its def not an ez major, also a lot of comp sci., so u would def not be avoiding anything hard by going that route. just my .02</p>
<p>Is taking the minimum 10 courses good for top med schools? That is if I were to major in math? I mean what looks more appealing? Do they just like to see depth even if it some some random non-science or math course such as Philosophy or even the Classics...?</p>
<p>i have no idea really - Im just as new to the process as u r. I'm guessing its similar to college admissions (undergrad) - they do like to see depth in ur curriculum and that u do well not only in intro classes, but also in the higher division courses.</p>
<p>regarding the other questions u posted:
2) have no idea
3) Entering Class is approx 25% premed, 7% actually stay premed by the time med school app time comes around - this is not very accurate tho cuz a lot of ppl change their minds about whether or not to go to med school, some would rather do a research oriented career, go to a job, etc... a lot can happen in 4 yrs, but weeding out does occur cuz of the difficulty of some classes.
4. Kinda answered it b4, math majors who are premed still have to take premed classes and both are hard, so GPA wise might be lower. But the avg premed admit from Duke has around a 3.5-3.6 GPA according to this pamphlet thingy I got from the bio undergrad coordinater at Blue Devil Days so even tho its hard, cuz its Duke, they know its hard and u dont need like a 4.0. The GPA scale is also kinda harsh at Duke, an A - = a 3.7 GPA so u could get strait A's and still only have a 3.7.</p>
<p>Regardless of what you major in--Philosophy, Classics, Biology, Chemistry--they will want to see depth. Performing well in your require pre-med courses is a given; also, like leejwwc alluded to, Biochemistry is VERY helpful in medical school, as such, it is recommended by many, if not all.</p>
<p>Depth that can be conveyed by:
1. Scientific Research (highly advised regardless of what your major is)
2. Volunteering</p>
<p>P.S. Yeah Math counts towards you Science GPA for med school</p>
<p>The AMCAS (common app for most med schools) calculates your BCPM gpa based on your bio, chem, physics, and math courses. This is the 'science' gpa that premeds are always talking about. There is also a little leeway into this as you can take some courses in other depts., like psych, that are more bio based, and still count them as bio classes for the BCPM gpa even though they're listed as psych classes. Examples are neuroscience and behavioral psych classes.</p>