Majoring in a non-science and still doing med school.

<p>Hey so I think this is the right place to put this but i'm not entirely sure. Here's my issue:</p>

<p>I plan to attend WVU and I'm conflicted between things. I really want a major in Economics but i also really want to be an oncologist. WVU has this major called "Multidisciplinary Studies" where you pick three minors that count as a major. I read that non-science majors have just as good a chance of getting into med school as science majors do, so I'm thinking about double majoring in Economics and the Multidisciplinary Studies with the three minors in biology, chemistry, and the third one doesn't really matter too much so I'll probably do like history or psychology or something.</p>

<p>Does this sound like a good idea?</p>

<p>Please and thanks!!</p>

<p>My nephew was a history and philosophy double major, and got into med school. Complete the med school requirements, get a strong GPA, do well on the MCAT, and get some medical experience (volunteer or paid, summers are fine). Also keep your debt low. If you can do those things, then that seems like a perfectly fine plan.</p>

<p>I think you could just major in economics and then take the most relevant pre-med classes. Adding that odd major doesn’t seem necessary.</p>

<p>You need one year of inorganic and one year of organic chemistry, closer to a year of biochemistry, one year of physics, one year of biology, one year of math and one year of english,</p>

<p>For the new MCAT, you also need one psychology and one sociology class. </p>

<p>So whatever you study, you should plan on doing all of these classes. So make sure your major does not require 2-3 years of classes just in your major.</p>

<p>The plural of anecdote is not data, but it may be comforting to know that I have met many doctors who did not major in a science. One of my favorite neurologists double majored in English and German. </p>

There’s this woman who is pretty famous now, because she starred on a show on CBS, who completed a double undergraduate major in Russian and economics. She is either finished with medical school or getting fairly close by now. She’s a very bright young woman and that’s why I think she could double major instead of completing only one. It’s a very interesting combination for sure. Probably the best advice is to major in something you can handle while completing the cellular biology, chemistry, anatomy, and the other classes people take to prepare for medical school. That’s all I know about this topic.

There’s nothing wrong with pursuing two majors as a premed for reasons of interest or perhaps a backup plan should med school not pan out or for whatever reason. But if you’re doing it to “wow” med schools (it won’t) and/ or pursuing the double major comes at expense of tIme needed to fulfill GE, major(s), and premed reqs while obtaining competitive GPAs, MCAT prep, and/or ECs, then you could see your dream of med school fade away. Good luck.