I stand corrected.
If I remember correctly in Miami of Ohio premed is comajor. So you cannot use it as a primary major.
Also the whole concept of Comajor at Miami of Ohio is very strange to me. Here is what is listed on the website
The term âco-majorâ indicates that students must complete another, primary major in one of the divisions at Miami University. There is no specific degree designation for the co-major; students receive the degree designation of their primary major.
So you work for that co-major and then it is not even listed on your diploma⊠I do not get it⊠Why even bother?
Pre med is advising and helping students complete the proper courses.
It looks like itâs just formalizing the things you should do - it even says you donât need to do the co major to apply successfully to med school. But it also says of the co major - âThe academic courses required by the co-major are essentially the prerequisite courses needed for admissâ
But itâs an interesting program.
Great! And most successful are Asian malesâŠ
If you are not Asian better think twice according to this dataâŠ
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Wow, 16.5%.
And of those 16.5%, only 40% get into med school.
Thatâs a HUGE process of attrition.
1° we should keep that in mind when students speak of being âpre-medâ on this website
2° Necessary to some extent but perhaps worth looking into to ensure the process doesnât needlessly eliminate students who would make good doctors
(for instance, the process must include ability to process scientific material very quickly but perhaps penalizes students who arenât ready to hit the ground running as freshmen? Iâm sure the AMA is thinking about all this.)
Chronicle of Higher Ed had an article about student resilience, recently: First Gen and Minority students tend to analyze their results differently from upper middle class students.
A C in chemistry freshman year will mean different things for them - âitâs not for youâ v. âkeep pushing, you struggled but now youâve found your footingâ type of thing.
Which reminded me of a 2-part series* about a UT Austin first gen freshman from a low income family whoâd attended a low income school who had been admitted as part of the âtop 6%â rule; early on, as a freshman, she was really struggling and failing math (part 1) and her mother told her âyou gave it a try but perhaps college isnât for youâ (when my instinct would have been to say âgo to the tutoring center, go to office hoursâŠâ) and who, through specific support/mentoring, not only passed, but flourished and became a math major (when my instinct would have been âok, youâre failing math, what major interests you outside STEM?â)
(* sorry, canât seem to find it but will post if I do)
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Unless I am missing something, I actually see it as a positive. It organizes all of the requirements that students need, allows for PD, builds in meetings with advisors etc. Itâs really not another major, itâs an organizational tool and sounds kind of interesting.
A student chooses a major, and the co-major helps keep them on track as a premed student. It is not designed to be another major, so the name can be misleading.
Students do not need to do this, but for some it might be beneficial. I assume there is a lot of overlap for those who major in biology etc.
Most schools do not have a âpremedâ major, but it seems a few do.
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Not sure of the exact article you are looking for, but I think this is the same UT Austin math support program. I agree that there are a lot of students who might make excellent doctors, but get weeded out at the beginning due to poor performance early in college after attending weak high schools. A nurturing program can make all the difference.
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And some proportion of the 16.5% never apply to med school because thatâs not their goal.
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Please move the conversation along from the low rates of applying to med school. Thank you.
I would not worry about this data point, but I would look at the overall picture. I would continue to focus on your student, her strengths, where she would thrive, etc. I would make sure she has a backup plan, and I would keep in mind that she might change her mind as her exposure increases, interests change, etc.
A backup plan might emerge as her exposure increases.
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DD has pack up plan or maybe even several of them. That is why she is not interested in major in Biology (most popular premed major.)
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Excellent 
Your strategy is sound and Iâm sure sheâll have good news sprinkled throughout application season - do return to this thread to update us!
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Hello,
I saw your comment about the type of person or the feel being different at different schools.
Is there any way to find out about this? I and my daughter have no idea besides Fiskes guide. How to tell which schools have which type of student?
Thank you!
Iâm late to this party. . . has she made a decision? Just read the OP and it sounds to me like Muhlenberg fits just about all of the criteria youâve listed.
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Many of the guides have various lists, like most conservative/liberal colleges, most crunchy/preppy, best/worst food, etc. Most importantly, visit and talk to students who go there.
As much as we liked Muhlenberg due to RD and deadlines, it is the very last school DD will apply out of 20 on the list. We actually by now have a bit of reservations about Muhlenberg due to it being very artsy school and DD is not very much artsy person. She actually hated visit to Oberlin. If she will be accepted to Muhlenberg with good scholarship and it will be runner up, we will need to visit again during semester. Last time we visited during spring break and we need to see students and their interactions not one student and administrators like last time.
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It is way too early in the process for final decision. At this point DD is sinking with supplemental essays. Many schools have their own scholarships that are opened to students after initial application. One scholarship she was considering had 8 short essays⊠DD is having Thanksgiving writing marathon. 3 were done today. 7 more essays will be done by December 1st⊠Frankly, we have absolutely no idea what would be final school.
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We visited on a Thursday a couple weeks ago, and it was bustling, kids seemed friendly and not all one type (artsy or anything else).
@momsearcheng - just curious if thereâs an update. Any decisions in, etc.?
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