Guidelines To Choosing a PreMed Major

Guidelines To Choosing a PreMed Major

Choosing a premed major can be challenging because of the high stakes involved. 

Since PreMed is not a major in itself, you will have to choose a subject that you will study as a major in your pursuit of being a doctor. These subjects will help you with prerequisite classes for medical school and preparing for the MCAT. 

Pre-Med Major Options 

More than half of medical school applicants major in biological sciences, after all, biology is the basis for physiology and other medical principles. But you can get into medical school with other science majors such as neuroscience, physiology, medical science, microbiology, zoology, and biotechnology. Over time, humanities majors have also become common since medical schools increasingly seek well-rounded applicants. So dont arm twist yourself to majoring in sciences.

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Is Biology The Best Major For Medical School

Pre-med students often think majoring in biology will help them do better on the MCAT but according to the AAMC, applicants who majored in biology don’t seem to have any admissions advantage over people from other pre-med majors who have a solid GPA or MCAT scores.

What do Medical Schools Prefer 

Medical schools have different selection criterias but it is important to understand that your major itself might not be the key influencer in the admissions decision. Admissions committees will not necessarily value one field over the other. Even though some majors may be tougher or require more work than others, a lower GPA will not be compensated simply because you pursued a difficult pre-med major.

How then should you choose a premed major?

1. Science or non-science

The first major decision that pops in selecting a major in either choosing a science or a non-science major. As discussed earlier, depending on how you frame your medical school application, having a non science major can be an advantage to you. 

2. Difficulty

Your GPA is a key factor in getting to medical school therefore you must have a fine balance of doing what you love and the difficulty level. 

Before settling on a major, consider doing an analysis of the major and what its classes entail before settling on it. 
Some majors may deprive you of your social life. You have to be prepared for that possibility. 

3. Passion & Interest

Think about it, should you study something you love or something practical? It's a hard choice but passion always wins

You have to choose something that you enjoy doing since it will be recurrent. If you don’t have any real passion for your subject, you will lack the motivation to attend lecturers and completing assignments.

If you are passionate about the arts, be a non-traditional premed and go ahead and major in it. If you click with sciences then go for the orthodox way.

Bottom Line 

Choose what you are confident with (not what you think is best for medical school) and  maintain a good BCPM GPA.  In the end, the most significant thing is how you use your major to show what kind of person you are during the medical school application.

A management major will help you learn how to manage business processes and getting along with your team members or colleagues so as to get the most out of them. If you major in  psychology, you will understand human behavior thus know how to deal with different patients. As an anthropology major, you learn how to appreciate different cultures and how a person's upbringing can affect their values and outlook on life.

Remember, if you are still uncertain on choosing a premed major you can always consult your advisors. 

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by Elective Africa