Is an easy major really the way to go?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>I have heard it countless times, both on this forum and many others: Choosing a unique major is THE way to go, because it boosts your GPA (med schools care more about what GPA you have than how hard the major was), and it helps you to “stand out” from the herd.</p>

<p>On the surface, this would sound like the way to go, but I have found two potentially serious flaws with this approach.</p>

<li>An “easy” major might not be as versatile as a “hard” major.</li>
</ol>

<p>Assuming that a premed wants to pursue medicine because he/she has a real interest in science and how the human body works: if this person chooses an “easy major” and STILL does not get accepted into any medical school, then his/her degree in music appreciation, dance, theatre, etc… will not be very versatile in landing a decent job, much less a job that is at least related to the sciences, which presumably, is what this student wanted.</p>

<li>A student with a non-science major ends up taking more classes.</li>
</ol>

<p>Premed, as most people know, is not an actual major; rather, it is a collection of classes that serve as prerequisites for most med schools. Most of these classes are related to the sciences, specifically the biological sciences. </p>

<p>Lets say that there are two students: student A and student B. Student A decides to major in Fine Arts. He/she has to take the classes that are required for this major, IN ADDITION to the prerequisites for med school. This usually leads to the student having to take more individual classes, which means that there is less time devoted to each class. Needless to say, this will put a lot of strain on the student, and his/her grades might drop.</p>

<p>Now, lets say that student B decides to major in Biology, or some aspect of Biological Science. While this student might have a greater workload than student A, he/she probably has more time to devote to each individual class, since most of the classes that are required for Biology are also the prerequisites for most med schools.</p>

<p>What does everyone else think of this? If I am wrong, please don’t hesitate to correct me.</p>

2

<p>For admissions purposes, I see nothing wrong with majoring in something that's not science. Once you get into med school, it's a different story. You will be at a disadvantage to your peers who have more of a scientific background because they were science majors in college.</p>

3

<p>ive heard that most (but not all) of the things science majors learn won't help much in med school. Basically, major in what you like. don't just major in world arts because you think its super easy, because you'll be miserable and bored. If you really interested in bio, then major in it and your interest will naturally help you get better grades.</p>

4

<p>"For admissions purposes, I see nothing wrong with majoring in something that's not science. Once you get into med school, it's a different story. You will be at a disadvantage to your peers who have more of a scientific background because they were science majors in college."</p>

<p>I respectfully disagree.</p>

<p>All aspiring doctors, regardless of which major they choose, must complete the prerequisite courses before they can be admitted into most medical schools. Therefore, it is safe to assume that they are on roughly equal footing when it comes to a scientific background.</p>

<p>Granted, the graduates with science majors will probably be more science-savvy than the non-science graduates; however, it is my understanding that the hardest part of medical training is actually getting accepted into med school. </p>

<p>Picking a non-science major MIGHT give one's non-science GPA a noticeable boost, but it will also leave the person with more classes to concentrate on, which might jeopardize one's GPA across the board. So unless you know how to play the game, it might do more harm than good.</p>

<p>Here is the bottom line IMHO: Getting into med school is mostly a number's game. Unless a college student has a real liking for a non-science/non-medical major, then he/she should not be lured into the so-called "easy" majors, because all premeds must take most of the same classes. Not to mention, if the student has no real liking for his/her chosen major, then it won't matter how easy the classes for that major are: the student will more likely than not be very unhappy and bored.</p>

<p>And to the people who are pondering whether or not to take a REALLY easy major, such as underwater basket-weaving: Should you not get accepted into any med school (which is a VERY REAL possibility), that major will probably not keep you afloat!</p>

5

<p>As a non-science major, taking the bare minimum, you can get into med school with having taken just 1 year each of bio, chem, orgo, and physics. As a bio major for instance, I have to take genetics, molecular cell bio, biochem, various classes on proteins, histology, etc. While not required for med school, these are all topics that will be covered in the first year of med school. I would argue that science and non-science majors do NOT start out on an equal footing in their first year of med school.</p>

<p>I've found non-science courses to be so easy that it really doesn't matter if I have an interest in them or even if I do any work in them. I still get better grades. Roughly 1/2 of my credits have been in bio/chem courses while the other half are in other courses so I have a good sample size of each type. Every single grade lower than an A (includes A-, B+, and B's) I've received has been in a bio or chemistry course. In some of my humanities classes, despite the fact I've been more than 2 novels behind the class in some instances or stopped reading for the class halfway through the semester, I've still gotten A's. They are that easy. </p>

<p>Not only do non-science majors have a higher GPA than science majors, they also have higher MCAT scores. They have much more practice in reading comprehension than science majors and, not surprisingly, they do better on the MCAT which is reading intensive. You don't need to know that much science for the MCAT but you do need to be able to read and write well.</p>

<p>As for a non-science major taking more classes, med schools only require a handful of science courses (4-5 if you wanna include stats or biochem or whatever). Non-science majors often have to take science electives (just as we science majors have to take non-science electives) so it's not like they'll be going that much out of their way to complete the med school prereq's. </p>

<p>So, GPA boost, MCAT boost, the possibility of "standing out," more of a social life, less stress-->a humanities major sounds pretty good to me.</p>

6

<p>If someone takes a humanities major because they LIKE humanities, and they get into med school, then it sounds to me that the person greatly enjoyed his/her college experience; he/she has a bright future ahead.</p>

<p>If someone takes a humanities major because they think its easy, and they get admitted into med school, then this person might not have fully enjoyed his/her college experience; however, I suppose that this person can take comfort in the fact that all the "hard" work paid off, and they are on their way to becoming a doctor.</p>

<p>If someone takes a humanities major because they LIKE humanities, and they DON'T get into med school, then at least this person has a degree which will allow him/her to get a job that will probably be fulfilling and rewarding for the person.</p>

<p>If someone takes a humanities major because they think its easy, and they DON'T get into med school, then what? Odds are, this person didn't have much of a backup plan.</p>

<p>My warning goes out to the people in groups 2 and 4 (before they have applied to med school).</p>

7

<p>You speak as though someone could only like one major. I haven't met too many people who don't like any humanities majors (econ, history, sociology, and the list goes on). I don't think #2 is a likely scenario. If anything the reverse is true. Many students who don't even like bio major in bio anyway because they think that's the major they should be in order to get into med school. We know by now that you can major in whatever you want.</p>

<p>As for #4, a bio major isn't that much more useful than a humanities major. If you didn't get into med school, there's always grad school and other options. Your bachelor's degree is hardly an iron cage.</p>

<p>Unless you absolutely loathe humanities, I don't see any reason not to major in it.</p>

8

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