Most popular non-science majors for prospective doctors

I’ve read a lot about how what you major in doesn’t affect your chances of getting admitted to med school; how it’s more your grades in that major, and your reccomendations.

I’ve also read that in some cases, non-science majors even get admitted more of the time (possibly because you’re seen as more “well rounded?”)

I know that the simple answer to the question “what are the more popular non-science majors for premeds?” Asks what I’m interested in, but I’m interested in science and people, that’s why I want to be a doctor! Anyone have any suggestions of non-science majors for premeds?

<p>I split this up into a couple of categories.</p>

<p>1) An easy major. You want the best grades (both in and out of the science classes), so why not focus on what you're going to do <em>after</em> college and just take courses you know you could skate by in? Gives you more time for volunteering and research and whatnot, too.</p>

<p>2) A low class requirement. The major only requires X number of courses, so it'll leave you plenty of time to get your pre-med requirements in and still take that basketweaving class you've been eyeing. (This particularly applies to my college; the lowest course requirement is 11 and the highest is 28 (music, surprisingly, though the bio/chem/math/physics majors are close -- engineering doesn't count, because it is prohibitively full of non-life-science courses).</p>

<p>3) Your interest. No matter how hard it is to fit those pre-med classes in, you ARE going to major in French, darn it, because you know what you want to do and don't want to have to choose between medicine and French.</p>

<p>4) Your second choice. In case med school doesn't pan out, you can at least fall back on this major.</p>

<p>And then there are all those things about friends, connections (good professors), family pressure, et cetera. Those were just some of the things I thought of when I was still considering going pre-med.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Edited to add: Given that you believe you are committed to science and people, I would consider a major that strengthens your ability to relate between the two. The most successful doctors are those that fully understand their medicine AND their patients. English, Philosophy, et cetera, tend to be among the most popular majors, partially because they tend to be "easier" than the hard science courses and partially because they really focus on the human side of medicine, which you may not see much of in medical school.</p>

<p>hmm I didn't think about a lot of that. Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>Glad to be of service. :)</p>

<p>That was a great post. Thanks.</p>

<p>Undecided, do you go to UC-Santa Cruz? Just curious.</p>

<p>That I do. Did decide that I'm not pre-med, though, so my last science/math involvement will be this quarter -- I'm moving to literature, maybe politics.</p>