I’m a highschooler currently thinking about going pre med in college. However, premed is definitely a challenge and I’ve read that less than half of all applicants get one MD acceptance so I want to make sure I won’t be screwing myself over in the long run. I want to major in Chemistry due to a combination of interest and going pre med, but Chemistry is not a very employable major in case I don’t get into med school. So, I was wondering if it would be advisable to major in Chemistry and if after Sophomore year (and taking Orgo or what not) if I don’t have a med school worthy GPA to switch to a more employable major?
Your strategy seems sound. Yes, for the first year in college, you don’t really need to declare a major, it is an opportunity for you to explore all your potentials. You could test water in all aspects of your inner strength and make a decision of your future employment target.
Thanks for replying, Med school is the goal but if I don’t get in I just want to have an out.
Can anyone else input their advice please?
why not just major in the other thing and take the pre-reqs?
Since you mentioned (in your other post) that you’re AA/native American and you play football, AA male is a very desirable URM for med school admission. As long as your GPA/MCAT are above average, you should not have a problem getting into at least one med school. Don’t worry about Chem major too much. I’d suggest if you found Chem major is too tough at your college, just switch to any easy major and finish all pre-med courses. Med school admission don’t really care what major you’re in. Your GPA/MCAT are the determining factor for passing the initial screen. After that, it is up to your ECs and your URM.
Native American males are the most underrepresented group in med school.
If you are 25% or more Native American and maintain some sort of affiliation with your tribal heritage, you’re eligible for the Indians Into Medicine programs at U North Dakota, U South Dakota, U Arizona and U New Mexico.
The [Association of American Indian Physicians](https://www.aaip.org/programs/student-programs/) runs summer programs & workshops for Native American college students interested in medicine.
I also strongly suggest you apply for [Summer Health Professions Education Program](https://www.aaip.org/programs/student-programs/). This summer program provides shadowing, internship and research opportunities for student from under-represented in medicine ethnicities.
Well @iwannabe_Brown my other focus would be engineering so wouldn’t that make it harder to maintain a high GPA?