<p>I'm starting college this fall. I am going to take the pre-med "requirements" for med school admissions. My actual major will be a B.A. in psych. I love psych, so I figured it'd be an easy major to have to keep my GPA up. I also realize there's not really much I can do with a psych major without going to a grad school if I don't get into med school. Because of this, I've been considering double-majoring by adding on criminal justice. I've always had a strong interest in it, almost as strong as my interest in becoming a doctor. Is it possible to major in psych and criminal justice, just in case I don't get into med school? I don't want to get to my senior year, not get accepted anywhere, and then realize I can't do anything if I just stay a single-major with psych.</p>
<p>You are going to have to plan your schedule very carefully to make sure you can fit the double major plus the increased med school pre-reqs into a do-able plan.</p>
<p>if your criminal justice major requires an internship during your senior year–then med school applications could play havoc with your scheduling. (Interviews for medical school are spread out from Sept thru March–and no, you don’t always get to choose your interview dates. Most med school applicants plan on missing multiple days of classes senior year.)</p>
<p>I would suggest getting your college’s course catalog and list of the required classes for both majors and all pre med-requirements*, then mapping out 4 years of classes to see if your plan will work. Remember that some classes have pre-reqs you must complete first so sequencing will be important.</p>
<p>*Please be aware that the content of the MCAT is changing in 2015 and there will be additional course requirements (biochem, stats, psych and sociology) beyond those currently required.</p>
<p>Is a criminal justice major so much more employable than a psychology major? If not why complicate things, especially considering your concern regarding maintaining a high GPA?</p>
<p>The key to this decision is your personal interest(s). Forget about Med. School for a moment and ask yourself, what do you want to pursue at college to satisfy your personal desire to have certain exteriences and skills during your UG years. No matter what you do late, this opportunity will not be there for you, you will get much busier. If you are really interested in certain filed(s), it will naturally produce good grades. Most of my D’s pre-med friends graduated with some combo of major(s)/minor(s) and all are currently at various Medical Schools. Many had unrelated area of interests (Music, Art, Spanish) and one graduated with triple majors. You do whatever you wish, pursue whatever as long as you are interested, work hard. Even there is a potential there to lower your GPA, it was worthwhile for my D. Yes, she ended up with A- in singing classes of her Music minor, she was challenged, she never had a voice lessons, in fact, she did not even sign in chorus anywhere, and yes she had to sing duets with incredible voices of Music Majors. So what? The unintended benefit - developed a very nice voice herself, well paid for it with 3.98 vs perfect 4.0, but had other unforgettable experinces that she will never forget, like recording her music in a real recording studio, having her peice played in a concernt by Music major. Overall, she said that it provided great R&R away from very challenging science classes of her Major and kep her in toudh with music.<br>
Go for it, but be prepared to work hard no matter what you decide to take.</p>
<p>^indeed, one of the things that many pre-meds seem to overlook when planning their undergrad years is that you will never again have such easy access/freedom to study whatever you want regardless of your career.</p>