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many of whom they see as using them merely to expand their resume rather than as a springboard for a career in research.
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It was true in my case...</p>
<p>I see what you're saying about how many non-science majors don't take classes beyond the basic requirements, but I think it still depends on what exactly the student's coursework is. I know several engineers who work in biometrics/biomechanics labs, and although their coursework doesn't have a lot of pure science classes, they've taken other classes (programming, mathematical modeling, etc.) that help them immensely in their lab work. It's true that these kids aren't generally out in the lab doing pipetting, though!</p>
<p>On a different note, because I think we're getting too caught up on figuring out how non-science majors can find science research positions: It's entirely possible for non-science majors to do medically relevant research in non-science areas as well! </p>
<p>If you're econ or polysci, you could analyze healthcare institutions like Medicare and issues of non-universal healthcare or increasing health expenditures; if you're international relations, you could do comparative studies of health systems in different countries and their effect on health outcomes (eg: whites in Britain are consistently more healthy than their U.S. counterparts, even after controlling for socioeconomic status. Why???). If you're anthropology or history or sociology, you can look at historical perspectives on medicine or medicine as it relates to specific socioeconomic/cultural groups. If you're majoring in philosophy, you could write a thesis about medical ethics in certain situations. And if you're engineering or math... go ahead and help a prof develop a new type of medical device, or assist in the modeling and analysis of medical data. There are so many possibilities, and it's entirely possible to tailor your research plans to your own major and interests. And honestly, I think med schools will recognize that you're truly interested in the subject you researched and not just doing it to pad your resume, which should do nothing but help your application. </p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Agreed, there are a lot of possibilities in healthcare specific research in other fields.</p>
<p>However, and this is the problem I ran into, it's often difficult to find these interdisciplinary professors. I was a sociology major and none of the professors at my school had any interests in healthcare and sociology. That can make it difficult in finding either a research project to be a part of, or someone who can be a satisfactory mentor in any original research a student might do.</p>
<p>Finally, no where is it written that you have to do bench research for your med school application. You can do psych research or econ research and I believe it will carry the same weight. I have a friend who did psych research on food choices and mood.</p>
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I believe it will carry the same weight.
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</p>
<p>I have no evidence to the contrary, but my intuition is that it will NOT carry the same weight. Bench research reflects several things that medical schools like:</p>
<p>1.) Proficiency in science</p>
<p>2.) Proficiency in the scientific method, which many social-science type things do not adhere as closely to*.
-For example, experimentation in the social sciences is nearly impossible to do in a genuinely controlled setting.</p>
<p>3.) An interest in medicine. Here something like a health economics project would work, where, say, a trade deficits project would not serve a relevant purpose.</p>
<p>I think it still depends... At my school, we have a graduate program in "Health Research and Policy" with a faculty composed largely of MD's and MD/PhD's, and they do some really good work there. A lot of the profs are interested in working with undergrads, and I know some people who have taken little science outside of the premed requirements who have gone on to good med schools after working with HRP faculty. It's true that scientifical research is a crucial part of modern medicine, but I feel that there's so much more to it than that, too. With all the talk about universal healthcare for instance, the US has a really pressing need for individuals who are trained in medicine and know what it's like to be a doctor--but also have a deep understanding of the politics and economics governing healthcare policy, and can contribute to that debate in meaningful ways. And I think med schools realize that... So as long as you do conduct research into something with an obvious medical/health focus, and your grades are good in your pre-med classes, I don't think it's a problem at all if you don't do science research as an undergrade, especially if your major shows that your interests are obviously in a different academic area.</p>
<p>Sorry in advance, people probably ask this all the time, but I haven’t found it on the site.</p>
<p>Is there a universal set of pre med requirements that all US medical schools require? And specifically, how much, or what level, math is required. Is Calculus a universal requirement?</p>
<p>Thanks if you can help.</p>
<p>The requirements vary from school to school…the only UNIVERSAL requirements are:</p>
<p>1 year of biology
1 year of General Chemistry
1 year of physics
1 year of organic chemistry
1 year of english</p>
<p>I heard from people that most med schools prefer students with a liberal arts background with with a humanities/SS/science major as opposed to math/engineering…i hope this is FALSE?!</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/214387-what-should-premed-major.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/214387-what-should-premed-major.html</a></p>
<p>As a member of a med admission committee, I can confirm that we look at the entire application. The rigor of the courses taken, the performance in these courses, MCAT scores, health related volunteerism and research experience. In addition, the personal statement and the interview are also quite important in the final rankings of closely matched highly qualified individuals. The major is not the focus.</p>
<p>As to non-science majors being able to work in a research lab, it is quite possible. I have hired several over the years. The key is that the individual who approaches me to work in my lab must be familiar with what my lab does. They should have become familiar with our webpage and recent articles. Everything else required, we teach.</p>