If your kid wants to go to med school, what are they doing as an undergraduate major?

[Anonymous]

My kid is double majoring in Biochemistry/Econ, Econ is the plan B. Applies next year so we shall see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with history is the tremendous amount of reading and paper writing. If you are also taking difficult weed-out intro science courses to fulfill the pre-med requirements, the workload could be unmanageable.

I also think — just speculating — that a kid who prefers history to science may not actually end up happy practicing medicine. I have several physician friends from college looking to pivot now to the most random alternative careers, and I can’t help remembering how all along I was surprised they wanted medical school so badly when their true interests seemed to lie elsewhere.

from my kid's circle, the ones who regret are MD/PhD pathway kids. all med school kids are generally happy but MD/PhD kids regret their PhD commitment. they forget their education is "free".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:major in something you can maintain high GPA. difficult majors don't get bonus points.

OP here. This was my thinking. I thought DS should major in something he truly enjoys, get As and also take all his science requirements to apply for med school.

I know many guys who did not act very hard chem or engineering classes and never made it to med school.

If you don’t truly enjoy biology and chemistry, then medicine is not for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For pre-meds the go to major seems to be neuroscience. In my day, it was biology. I was a biology major that went to medical school.

Everyone who was pre-med in my SLAC were chemistry, biology or other science majors.

[Anonymous]

The most popular premed major at Hopkins is public health. It's known as the easiest and great if you want to double major. My DD is a senior there (planning to apply to medical school in the next two years) and has enjoyed her time as a public health major because it's very related to medicine and health. Lots of support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:major in something you can maintain high GPA. difficult majors don't get bonus points.

OP here. This was my thinking. I thought DS should major in something he truly enjoys, get As and also take all his science requirements to apply for med school.

I know many guys who did not act very hard chem or engineering classes and never made it to med school.

If you don’t truly enjoy biology and chemistry, then medicine is not for you.

+1 Some of these comments are puzzling to me.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely NOT engineering. No matter the major, be prepared to also look at DO schools.

[Anonymous]

Biochem seems to be a good foundation for med school. I read somewhere that med schools like to see some philosophy or even religious studies as these classes help physicians process suffering and death. Psych might also be helpful. Clinical experience is very important, too, so I would suggest getting in some volunteer hours at a hospital. We know a kid who trained and worked as an EMT as an undergraduate, and she was accepted straight to a very good medical school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:major in something you can maintain high GPA. difficult majors don't get bonus points.

OP here. This was my thinking. I thought DS should major in something he truly enjoys, get As and also take all his science requirements to apply for med school.

I know many guys who did not act very hard chem or engineering classes and never made it to med school.

If you don’t truly enjoy biology and chemistry, then medicine is not for you.

OP here. My son loves both chemistry and biology. He also loves history and political science. I thought it would be easier to gain admission to a good college as a history major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely NOT engineering. No matter the major, be prepared to also look at DO schools.

How about biochemical or biomedical engineering? I would think that background would be quite an asset to certain areas of medicine.

[Anonymous]

Further to the discussion about engineering, Colorado School of Mines, an engineering-oriented school, offers a new premed program called Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering. More about it here: https://www.minesnewsroom.com/news/pre-med-mi...cal-school-now-paved

An excerpt: "The program is focused on modern biological applications with emphasis on quantitative and computational tools that will not only prepare you for medical school but also the future of medicine where gene editing and personalized medicine based off your genome will be commonplace,” said Josh Ramey, teaching associate professor and director of the Undergraduate Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering program."

With computation and AI playing an increasingly large role in every field, this and similar programs might be worth a look. I know Colby offers a major in computational biology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would focus on schools with excellent med school placement like Wash U or Davidson. I would talk to them about what are the majors they suggest and go from there.

Ew. Are there other schools that have good placement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Further to the discussion about engineering, Colorado School of Mines, an engineering-oriented school, offers a new premed program called Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering. More about it here: https://www.minesnewsroom.com/news/pre-med-mi...cal-school-now-paved

An excerpt: "The program is focused on modern biological applications with emphasis on quantitative and computational tools that will not only prepare you for medical school but also the future of medicine where gene editing and personalized medicine based off your genome will be commonplace,” said Josh Ramey, teaching associate professor and director of the Undergraduate Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering program."

With computation and AI playing an increasingly large role in every field, this and similar programs might be worth a look. I know Colby offers a major in computational biology.

That sounds pretty interesting!

[Anonymous]

Just do psychology and get a 3.8+

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely NOT engineering. No matter the major, be prepared to also look at DO schools.

How about biochemical or biomedical engineering? I would think that background would be quite an asset to certain areas of medicine.

Yes but impossible to maintain 3.8+ GPA in engineering