Pre-Med Major

College Majors Science Majors
1

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I'm a high school junior and I'm wondering what are the major differences between a pre-med, biology, and a more obscure science major like microbiology or cell/molecular biology? I'm looking into med school after undergrad.</p>

2

<p>Pre-meds can do any major. Majoring in biology is common, due to the convenience of the major including most of the pre-med course requirements, but about half of applicants and matriculants to medical school have undergraduate majors other than biology. Note that biology majors tend to have relatively weak job and career prospects at the bachelor’s degree level if they do not get into medical school (only about half of pre-meds who apply to medical school get into any, and many pre-meds abandon the idea before applying after getting insufficiently high grades or MCAT score).</p>

3

<p>The trick is to do an easy (for you) major that inflates GPA,take your pre reqs with good grades (your pre reqs are your “science GPA”),and get great MCATs</p>

4

<p>“Pre-med” isn’t a major, it’s a set of courses you take that allows you to meet the pre-requisites for most medical schools. Some colleges actually do offer a pre-med major, but you should avoid that like the plague as it qualifies you to do nothing–not that a BS in biology is much better.</p>

<p>Microbio and cell bio are not obscure. They’re just biology.</p>

5

<p>Hello,
Im a high school senior who plans on going to a community college then transferring into a 4 year. I want to become a pediatrician. Im looking for a school that has majors that can help me and prepare me for medical school, but I’m not really sure what those are. Im not entirely sure, so if anyone could help me that would be awesome. With what majors i should look for? or what schools are great for what I’m looking for.</p>

6

<p>You can be pre-med with any major, but if you major in a STEM-related field it is usually easier to get the pre-reqs into your schedule and have a solid grounding for the MCAT and medical school. On a similar note, pretty much any reputable university will provide you with the background that you need for medical school. The common advice for pre-med students is to save your money. Medical school is really expensive, so pick an affordable college for undergrad so that you still have money left to pay for medical school.
There are also some stickied thread on the pre-med forum that can also provide some useful advice: <a href=“Pre-Med Topics - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;