Hi everyone, I am a current high school junior looking into a career in clinical hemotology/oncology. I will be applying for some BS/MD programs, but in the case that I don’t get into those, I am trying to decide upon a major to use as a base for applying to med school. I would like to major in biochemistry. I’m not looking into any engineering as math is not my exact forte, and I don’t really love chem, so I don’t want a strictly chem major. I love bio, however I don’t want to be stuck with a degree in biology alone if med school doesn’t work out for some reason. My question however, is if it would be smart to double major or minor in another area, most likely unrelated to science. I love learning languages. I will complete AP Spanish next year and feel like I am semi-fluent in the language, however I’ve recently become very interested in learning East Asian language, particularly Korean. I speak English natively. I’m just wondering, would it be weird to either double major biochem/Korean language or major biochem and minor Korean language? I don’t really want to do Spanish after high school and I have a passion for learning Korean. Would this be a waste of credit hours/major or minor, or do you think it could also be seen as something that would make my application to med school a little more unique? Would a more science/math related major/minor perhaps be better? All input is welcome!
Having unique elements in your medical school application isn’t near as important as showing you are capable academically.
However, having any double major would indicate more rigor than the average program.
What I’m saying is you would have to complete it and do well in it in addition to your pre-medical preparation.
Don’t do this because you think it gets you admitted; do it because you are interested in it and want it.
BTW, it’s too early to talk about what you want to specialize in. Keep that to yourself.
“I am trying to decide upon a major to use as a base for applying to med school.”
Med schools do not care what your major is, or whether you have a double major or major/minor. You can be an art history major as long as you take premed reqs. Med schools will care a great deal about your college academic performance (aka GPAs). When you get to college pick a major(s) in areas that interest you as you’re more likely to do well GPA wise if you actually like material.
“or do you think it could also be seen as something that would make my application to med school a little more unique?”
Yes anything that makes you stand out from the typical bio major applicant would be a plus as long as you do well (GPAs).
Most importantly, enjoy your remaining time in high school.
It doesn’t matter either way. Double major if you want to, but don’t do it because it will look good on medical school applications. Your MCAT score, your GPA, and your experience (internships, research, volunteering, shadowing, etc) will be MUCH more important than whether you double major or not. If you can double major easily without sacrificing anything else (such as your GPA or time to volunteer in a hospital or shadow docs or do research or whatever), then go for it. If you find that you have to sacrifice other things, it probably won’t matter and will likely be one of the least important parts in your application.
That being said, knowing different languages would be very valuable, especially if you can speak them at a level where you could potentially see patients in that language. In healthcare, that’s extremely valuable. But if learning Korean is really what you want to do, you don’t need to major in it. Majors typically take into account a lot more than just learning the language. Students will take classes in literature, history, political science, etc, about that culture. If you want to just learn the language, it would be much better to just take language courses in addition to your major and participate in some other program to help you become fluent (such as studying abroad or finding some other way to practice with native speakers).
I agree with some of the other comments. It sounds like you want to double major in biochemistry and Korean due to your own interests in both subjects. If this is the case, then you should…as long as you think that you can do well academically with both of the majors. As others have pointed out, med school admissions is very competitive, and one of the biggest factors is GPA, regardless of the major.