<p>A hypothetical question, but suppose if I was to major in English and want to go to Med School. To increase my chances of being admitted, scientific research is recommended right? So now suppose I go apply for a research position at a lab and they ask me what I'm majoring in and I tell them "english", wouldn't they be like "so *** are you doing in a lab?"</p>
<p>Would majoring in english reduce my chances of being accepted as a researcher at a science lab?</p>
<p>Since professors prefer people majoring in the sciences, yes. Of course if you dazzle the prof with an A+ in orgo, that’s another situation altogether…</p>
<p>I don’t think it would be appropriate for a non-science major to be doing scientific research unless that person is actually interested and talented enough to be majoring in hard sciences. If you can show the professor that you are competent in relevant areas of study (physics, biology, what have you) and willing to learn, you might have a shot. However, I suspect that professors will still prefer science majors, since they absolutely need research experience to prepare not only for graduate school but also their career. </p>
<p>At least I think that is the reality. Also, for your own sake, your extracurricular involvement should be a byproduct of your true interests, not just some part of a resume-padding plan. Research requires a genuine passion and motivation. If you want to conduct scientific research, you should go in with the right mindset and for the right reasons (ie. you are curious about a certain problem, or you want to explore research as a possible career, etc).</p>
<p>If you are planning on attending medical school, I’m guessing you’re planning on taking the standard pre-med science courses (bio, orgo, etc)? Doing well in any of those classes would certainly help you. Professors might be more willing to provide research opportunities if they know that you intend to go into medicine. To make my point clear, I don’t think being an English major would hinder you if you’re taking science courses with the intent of attending medical school.</p>
<p>A lot of professors don’t want premeds working in their labs, regardless of what you’re majoring in.</p>
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<p>While I’m sure professors would prefer people who are actually passionate about science, a lot of them due seem to know that pre-meds make good research grunts. And they’ll do it for free, too.</p>
<p>A few of my pre-med friends actually do some research, though some of them not at Cornell.</p>
<p>a friend of mine who is now at med school did research as a grunt i guess…</p>
<p>he said the PI sucked…and that his lab supervisor or w/e treated him like *****</p>