Hey everybody! I was just wondering if public health is a good major for pre-med? As opposed to something like biology. I just worry about whether it would be too difficult to balance the classes for a public health major while also completing classes for premed. Also- does a public health major look ok/good to med schools? FYI- I’m looking at mostly medium sized universities (UPitt, UMiami, WVU, U of South Carolina, GW, Georgetown, Emory, Lehigh).
This is my first post (y’all do not want to know how long it took me to figure out how to make a post), so please let me know if I made any errors.
My daughter graduated with a double major in microbiology and public health from University of Rochester (a school similar to the ones you’ve listed) a year ago. She had no problem finishing premed pre-reqs and had them done by second semester of sophomore year.
Conventional wisdom (which I agree with based on AAMC stats) suggests that major matters less than GPA and MCAT score when applying to med school.
I am still in the researching phase of my D’s college process. So, my question is not based on experience.
Are you sure major is more important than stats? Everywhere I read, GPA, MCAT, required courses and medical related ECs are the only things that matter and major just does not matter.
You can major in anything and do pre-med, but in my opinion, if your intended school has an undergrad major in public health, it would be a fantastic major. It’s easier to portray yourself as someone who really wants to do something worthwhile with your MD, if you’ve shown the commitment to major in public health. It’s more than lip service. Most public health programs are masters degrees. I wonder if you could submatriculate somewhere to get the BA and masters in 5 yrs, and be applying to med school during that 5th year. I think that would make you an extremely attractive candidate.
You read her post wrong. What she actually wrote is (bolding mine):
Your thoughts are correct. 
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Hi,
Before you get too settled in a major. Perhaps do some more personal research because when I was in college I changed my major 3 times. It’s so hard to know yourself.
You should also do a CareerTest just make sure its research based. CareerFitter is good because it gives you all the job recommendations and has been around a long time.