Is psychology a practical major to keep med school option open?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>Hey everyone, I'm starting my first year at a California community college this fall and I am determined to transfer to a good UC school like UCLA after two years. I want to major in psychology because it is something truly of interest to me, and ideally I would want to go on to grad school and get a PhD for clinical psychology. </p>

<p>But I just had a couple question about the Med school option. If I were to major in psychology, would med school be a viable option for me? I'm a pretty smart guy, but would it be bad not having advanced science and calculus courses? I mean, surely I will have some but not as many as let's say, a biology major. I know that psychology is a pretty open-ended major. For example, some people even choose law school. What about med school though? I mean could I just spend a few months studying to get accepted to medical school and be okay? Or would I be well out-of-the-loop with a BA in psychology?
Or could a med school simply turn me down for lacking advanced science and math courses?</p>

<p>I just want to have some options upon earning an undergraduate degree, and I know graduate programs are getting more and more expensive and competetive. And I know this is all a few years away; who knows exactly what major/career I'll end up with? But how exactly can I keep the med school option open?</p>

<p>Thanks guys!</p>

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<p>You’re way overthinking this, as history majors get into med school, and I’m pretty sure they don’t need higher level sciences within their major (though they may manage to squeeze some in anyways). Think of it this way: psychiatrists are medical doctors. They’ve got an interest in psychology, so there’s a high chance they majored in it in undergrad. Just make sure you’re aware of the prerequisite courses for the programs you’re interested in, and you’ll be fine. :)</p>

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<p>Haha you’re right, I thinking way too much. I guess I’ll just focus on psychology right now and try to squeeze in some calc and o-chem prior to transfer. I’ll mainly focus on getting a bachelors first, then see where it goes from there. Sorry I’m always posting a bunch of paranoid rambling nonsense; I just want to be sure I’m pointed in the right direction before I even start college! Haha thanks</p>

<p>edit: And thanks for helping me in that UCLA thread I posted too. Really means a lot, thanks</p>

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<p>It’s best to get all the paranoia out before you make hard-to-repair mistakes, not after. :slight_smile: I’m the same way, and unfortunately, the paranoia gets a bit worse once you’re in college and see everything that’s available to you. But don’t worry, there’s a lot you can do with a psych degree, if you make sure to do a bit of advance planning and research, as most grad programs you’ll likely consider will have similar requirements (lower level science and math, good GPA, prof recommendations, research experience, volunteering).</p>

<p>You’re welcome, and good luck with everything!</p>