At many schools it's the most common major for pre-meds to take because it focuses heavily on many of the subjects you'll study as a med student. You'll take classes in a variety of subjects, but the focus will be on the human body and human health. You may take classes in genetics, human physiology, and neurobiology, among other areas. Many pre-meds major in psychology, especially those planning on becoming psychiatrists. However, psychology is a useful major regardless of what type of doctor you want to be since every medical professional can benefit from studying how humans think, make decisions, and react to different situations.
The biological sciences are most popular with pre-meds, but you'll also need to know a lot of chemistry as a pre-med and a med student. There's an entire chemistry section on the MCAT, so it's definitely an important subject to know. Although it's not a hard science, a strong knowledge of philosophy can be very helpful to pre-meds.
You'll learn about ethics and how to think critically, both of which are important for people in the medical field. Philosophy is a good choice if you want to be prepared for medical school but also get more of a liberal arts education. There are no official pre-med majors; instead students who are pre-med can major in whatever subject they want and just take the classes needed to apply to med school.
There are multiple pre-med requirements needed to get into med school. The most important of these are the classes you take. Each med school has its own requirements, but you can expect to take at least one year of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics all with labs , along with biochemistry, math, and English classes. There is really no "best" pre-med majors, but there are some majors that are more popular with pre-med students and make it easier for you to reach pre-med requirements.
These include human biology, psychology, biology, and chemistry. Want to know what you should be doing right now to prepare for pre-med programs? Check out our complete guide on how to prepare for pre-med in high school. We also recommend the 7 books every pre-med student should read in this article. Worried about the extra years of school being a doctor requires? Get tips on how to finish college early so you can start med school early. If you're still figuring out whether a career as a physician is right for you, think about getting some hands-on experience.
You may not think there's much you can do as a high school student, but there is! Start by shadowing a physician , and check out our guide to 59 great med programs for students in high school. What's after med school? Check out our guide on the seven steps to becoming a doctor to see what you'll need to do once you're pre-med.
We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:. She has taught English and biology in several countries. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.
How to Get a Perfect , by a Perfect Scorer. Choosing a college major as a pre-med can be very intimidating—especially because there are so many options, and the stakes feel high they are! While a great many pre-meds choose biology or a related science as their major, there is nothing wrong with selecting something further afield, such as English or a foreign language.
As medical schools increasingly seek well-rounded applicants, humanities majors are becoming more common. Regardless of what you choose, you will probably have two advisors: one from the pre-professional office to help you with pre-med course selection, and one specifically for your major. At least theoretically, all of the options for major fields of study at your school are available to you.
That said, most pre-meds tend to opt for a relatively narrow range of majors. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges AAMC , more than half of medical school applicants, as well as matriculants, major in the biological sciences. Many universities offer a variety of science majors such as neuroscience, physiology, medical science, microbiology, zoology, and biotechnology. Any of these will likely have significant applicability to your medical school pursuits—so feel free to pursue your passions!
Having an entirely science-based curriculum can lead to burnout. Plus, taking non-science courses will give you training in other disciplinary modes of thinking. Often, non-science courses can serve the double function of fulfilling your core course requirements—while also broadening your studies. You might also want to consider picking up a non-science minor. This can offer a way to make your application stand out while also allowing you to focus primarily on the area most applicable to medical school.
Spanish is an excellent option for a minor. Many undergraduate service opportunities include volunteering or working in Spanish-speaking countries, so this can be a great way to obtain a meaningful clinical experience. In addition, knowing Spanish will likely be useful in your future practice. A sizeable number of medical school hopefuls major in the physical sciences. Like biological sciences, these offer training that is often directly applicable to medical school curricula.
Completing the coursework for a major in physics, chemistry, or a related field will also enable you to fulfill many of your major and pre-med requirements at once. While math and statistics majors make up a small percentage of medical school applicants and matriculants less than one percent , as a group they have the highest mean overall MCAT score and mean GPA. About ten percent of medical school matriculants come from social sciences majors. Some of these, like economics, may have requirements that overlap somewhat with your pre-med curriculum.
Others, like anthropology, political science, or sociology, are likely to overlap just a little if at all —so you will likely need to use your electives to ensure that you complete all of your pre-med requirements. The following sequence of science courses will prepare you to take the MCAT and apply to medical school at the end of your junior year:.
You do not have to follow this schedule exactly, so long as you complete these courses by the end of junior year. However, you should plan ahead so that you are taking two laboratory courses per semester. For example, if you start the Chemistry sequence your sophomore year you might also take Physics sophomore year — otherwise you will be taking Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Physiology, all with labs, concurrently in your junior year.
Of course, you will also have to take additional courses to meet the requirements for your major. Many students choose to wait one or more years between college and medical school to pursue other interests or to further prepare for medical school.
If you want to do so you can spread the courses listed above over four years. Be aware, however, that if you take the MCAT in your senior year you will not be able to start medical school until one year after you graduate. For a Biology major you will need to: 1 complete the Biology core, including Genetics 2 take the Biology junior seminar course, 3 take a senior capstone course, and 4 take at least 13 hours of or level Biology courses while still meeting the requirements described above.
The following plan of study is just one example of how you can meet these requirements and be prepared for the MCAT exam at the end of your junior year:. Accept check. Advancement Staff GC Journeys. The most important step to getting into a good medical school is going to the right college.
Choice of Major It is important to realize that requirements for medical school are not the same as requirements for a Biology or Biomedical Sciences major.
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