I’m aware that i should choose the major that i think i find most interesting so that i do well on it as well as excel in pre med, so theres two majors that I’m interested in (stats and psych) and im just curious how the workload/lifestyle differ. Has anyone went through one of these process and can let me know how they managed their major courses along with pre med pre requisites? Thanks
that answer is going to depend a LOT on the school you choose. At most CA colleges, a major change/add is a pretty simple process.
I am not aware of any schools that will take a freshman as a double major so, just pick one and follow your interests from there.
What are your stats and which schools are you looking at?
Many successful premeds graduate college with a double major. It makes it easier if one’s major is, say bio, due to course overlap as one is completing most premed reqs and satisfying major reqs at same time. With a stats/psych double major you’re going to have to find a way to fit in year long sequences (eg bio, chem, physics, and their labs) into your schedule. In addition you should have completed all premed reqs before taking MCAT. Applying to med school is a year long process. If your goal is to start med school right after graduation, you’ll need to have taken MCAT no later than end of junior year, meaning you’ll probably need to start premed sequences on day one of college trying to fit in double major reqs into your schedule somewhere (or after completing premed reqs).
Alternative one, you could wait until you graduate to apply, take gap year. This would give your more time to meet premed and double major reqs. Alternative two, you could pick one major, say stats, and just take some psych courses as your schedule permits. Also consider which major is a Plan B as most that start premed change their career goals. Good luck.
How much do you like math? Statistics is obviously heavily math based, although psychology will apply statistics and math to some extent.
Major-related job and career prospects may differ between the majors if you do not go to medical school.
I applied for ED at UM. I have a 3.5 UW GPA and a 4.3 W GPA and 27 ACT. I asked stats because im a senior taking ap stats right now and im doing well in it, understanding all of the concepts. I wasn’t necessarily asking about double major, since im not the type of student that can focus on anything more than two things haha, but i may just look into that, since the other guy who replied said many graduates succeeded in getting into med school by double majoring.Your response was helpful, thank you.
@Chrsspy
My bad, I misread your post. I’m not saying that people who double major succeeded into getting into med school simply because they double majored. They succeeded because they have a competitive application in all respects (eg GPAs, MCAT, etc) even with the demands of a double major. Don’t “look into” double majoring thinking it will give you an edge.
You biggest issue will be finding room in your schedule to fit in the 10+ med school pre-reqs. Once you know what university you’ll be attending, look at the course catalog and makes a spreadsheet that includes all required classes for your potential major (psych or stats), all pre-med requirements, and university graduation requirements (writing, foreign language, GEs)
If you plan to apply to med school after your junior year (so you’ll matriculate into med school the fall after graduation), you’ll need to start the required 5 class chemistry sequence as a freshman.
Using your spreadsheet, see which major is easiest to fit in all the necessary coursework, or requires the fewest extra summers/semesters.
The difficulty of a stats major will depend largely on your aptitude for mathematics. You’ll usually be required to take 3 semesters of calc plus semester of differential equations as a stats major as well as coursework in set theory and probability. The latter two are very theory-oriented and require the ability to do rigorous mathematical proofs. You also need to comfortable with both writing computer code and using software data analysis packages as a stats major. If you don’t already program, plan on taking at least 1 intro CS/programming class.
(Both Ds were math majors. One was an applied math & biological neuroscience double major. Both went to med school and are now doctors.)
FWIW, biostats is a hot field right now with good employment opportunities (which makes it an excellent Plan B career–which every pre-med needs since only about 15% of freshmen pre-meds actually make it into med school.)