Non-science major meeting requirements?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>I understand that major has no effect on med school acceptance, so I'll most likely be majoring in journalism or political science, because I really love those two fields and will use them as a fallback career. However, how hard is it to fulfill med school requirements as a non-science major? Will I be taking a lot of extra credit hours each semester to fulfill my major requirements and science/math requirements? </p>

<p>Anyone who's been a non-science major on the pre-med track/anyone who's had a DD/DS do this want to chime in?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

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<p>One of D’s best friends is a religion major and is going to med school. Just have to be sure your major gives you enough electives to allow you to take needed science classes…most majors require some science anyway.</p>

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<p>D1 was an English major and had no problem completing premed coursework. Sometimes the premed classes and labs restricted her choices of which major and elective courses she could take due to scheduling conflicts, but she didn’t have a problem with fitting them all in in four years.</p>

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<p>First of all, the course requirements for med school for current incoming freshmen are increasing. </p>

<p>For the 2015 MCAT and med school admission, you’ll need:</p>

<p>2 semesters gen chem w/ labs
2 semesters ochem w/labs
2 semesters intro bio w/labs
2 semesters intro physics w/ labs
1 sem statistics AND 1 sem college level math (some schools require or recommend calc 1)
2 semesters English or other “writing intensive” courses
1 sem biochem
1 sem intro to psych
1 sem intro to sociology</p>

<p>Some med schools have additional requirements besides those listed above, including genetics, anatomy & physiology, and upper level humanities. Check the specific courses required by your state medical schools since those are the schools you will be likely to be accepted to.</p>

<p>Depending upon the specific requirements for your major, the additional coursework for pre med, may or may not be doable.</p>

<p>What I would suggest is once you’ve decided on which college you’ll be attending, you make a spreadsheet and plan out a semester by semester schedule, using the course listings for the required classes for med school above and the courses required for your major.</p>

<p>If you’re attending a smaller college (with say fewer than 25,000 students), not all courses required for your major will be offered every semester. Or even every year. Make a schedule with your major classes first, then fill in the pre med requirements around that core. This will give you feel for how do-able various combinations of major+pre med coursework are.</p>

<p>~~~</p>

<p>RE: above posters–those students are going under the current admission requirements–which includes fewer required courses–no stats, biochem, soc or psych. </p>

<p>Depending on whether your college has distribution requirements (not all colleges do), you may be able use your distribution requirements to fulfill some of your pre med requirements.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the heads up, WayOutWestMom! Glad to know of the changes, so I can plan accordingly.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone else too.</p>

6

<p>Man I’m glad I applied to med school when I did. I would hate to have to take intro to psych just to go to med school. Sociology is pushing it a little too. I guess the increasing demand for med school admissions is making the AAMC increase the hurdles applicants have to jump over these days. </p>

<p>On a separate note, how come it’s mostly parents on this forum? It’s interesting seeing so many parents taking an interest in their children’s education (which is totally cool IMO), because in high school and college most of my friends were kind of just tossed into the deep end and told to figure it out.</p>

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<p>^^Psych 1 should be an easy A for a premed…just sayin’</p>

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<p>bobow98–the rationale for the new human behavior section is that:</p>

<p>a) since so many diseases are “lifestyle” diseases, it makes sense for physicians to understand the human factors involved the disease process.</p>

<p>b) since our culture is increasingly diverse, phyisicans need to understand more about people who are significantly different from their own personal experiences</p>

<p>Both of which make a great deal of sense to me.</p>

<p>And I don’t find it all strange that parents are involved in their children’s lives. In fact, I would finder it stranger if they weren’t.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Second- and third-order effects, my dear Watson. :)</p>

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<p>While it may make sense that psych 101 could help people relate to their patients, once you get to med school you realize the “Intro to your feelings class” is the bane of everyone’s schedule and the laughing stock of the curriculum. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, if students are callous by nature, it will take more than psych 101 to correct that to any noticeable degree.</p>

<p>I would encourage whoever to take the reasons for the change in requirements with a grain of salt; in the ends it’s really just more hurdles. There will always be people doing it for the right and wrong reasons.</p>

<p>Sociology, while interesting as an idea, is not going to explain why your patients from the inner city are diabetic or why they use their food stamps on junk food, or why there are food desserts in cities with whole foods and Trader Joe 2 miles away, or why they say they are not smokers (because of hospital nonsmoking policy really) and buy a pack upon discharge. This is coming from a sociology minor, by the way. </p>

<p>The best way to learn is ultimately through experience and talking to those patients a little, and I’m pretty sure psych 101 and sociology 101 are not going to teach you how to get that information from the patients. So in the end it’s really, as I said, another hoop to go through.</p>

<p>It’s unfortunate that the above tends toward the truth, but our idealistic minds tend to make us give it a try regardless. I can’t say I support the changes to the requirements but I’m not exactly against it either. I guess only time will tell if the requirements do send more caring premeds into the MD pipeline and ultimately we end up with doctors who are more invested in the care of their patients. </p>

<p>Priorities will shift as students and doctors go through their training, and I’m not immune to that either. However, the idealism that the bright eyed premeds express when they start talking about med school is refreshing in a lot of ways. I remember I had no idea what medical school was going to be like, just that I was going to stroll in and be awesome and that my patients would love me and I’d learn a ton. I’ve learned a lot, some really cool knowledge and some things that are just straight up the saddest stuff you’ll see. Even with 2 physician parents (who love their jobs) there’s nothing that would have prepared me except for the experience itself. Now I’m finally getting a glimpse of how deep the water is on the other side of the lake. The hope is just that the premeds/I don’t turn into jaded physicians regretting their choice because of time invested/debt/etc. There’s really no way to avoid it except to try your best and learn as much as you can and maintain a positive outlook, because we have to choose a specialty after only 1 full year (1.5 in some curriculums) of patient care. Once you pick which path you want to follow, it’s pretty hard to change course (for the most part). Again, only time will tell and I’ve got my fingers crossed pretty damn tight on that one.</p>

<p>Sorry that this turned into a rant here, it’s just late and I was putting down what was on my mind. </p>

<p>Good luck to all you premeds, pace yourselves and maintain a healthy perspective.</p>

11

<p>

Even though you say are cool with it, somehow I get the feeling that you may not be … :slight_smile: Well, you know, with the recent trend of kids getting back to live with mom and dad with their degrees in hand, can you really blame us for getting involved?</p>

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<p>Well Kal,</p>

<p>I’m actually a little jealous perhaps, because my parents never held my hand along the way :)</p>

<p>I’m just surprised there’s this level of involvement, which is what I said earlier.</p>

<p>You’ve read into it more than I have.</p>

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<p>I didn’t do much hand holding with D1–she rebuffed my attempts saying she wanted to do it her way. Which I understand and respect–it’s her life. I do however, feed her when she shows up at my house and then send her home loaded up with frozen meals, make chicken soup for her when she’s sick, borrow books from her from my place of employment (medical research library) if she can’t get them at med school, and pay $$ towards her tuition.</p>

<p>D2 is different kind of kid. More willing to let me strategize with her and offer advice (not that she usually takes it!). </p>

<p>I answer questions here because I answer questions for a living.</p>

<p>(Unofficial motto of all librarians: You have questions? Good, because I have answers.)</p>

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<p>Giving advice is pretty intoxicating, I suppose :)</p>

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<p>While I may give advice here, professionally I limit my answers to just the facts, perferably from original sources with as few observational biases as possible.</p>

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<p>most med students are too busy to post on here. Luckily for you (and unfortunately for me), I am addicted to this thing.</p>