I’ve wanted to become a physician since I was nine years old. When it came time to apply to college, I decided that the natural major to apply under was Biology. As a senior in high school, I wasn’t very familiar with the medical school application process. When I quickly found out that there wasn’t a specific pre-med major, I flailed and put down Biology. This is super common for pre-meds. After doing some more research online, I ended up changing my major to Sports Medicine before I even arrived on campus. And here’s the advice I followed to make that choice…
1. Choose a Major You’re Genuinely Interested In Regardless of Your Goals to Become A Physician
I love physical fitness and sports. Having been an athlete in high school, this was a natural interest for me. I saw the opportunity to learn more about the science behind one of my passions and took it! I know no one wants to hear this, so ignore it if you want. A lot of people change their minds about going to medical school. When I was a freshman in college, I took a first year seminar course called Becoming A Physician. By the end of the semester, only four of the twenty of us still wanted to become physicians. Others decided to go into different areas of healthcare and a good amount made a switch to something completely different. So my advice is to pursue a degree that gives you more value than becoming a physician. Pick something that will enhance your passions or lay a good foundation for a career if you choose to go down a different path.
So my advice is to pursue a degree that gives you more value than becoming a physician.
2. Don’t Choose the Major You Think Admissions Committees Want You to Choose
First of all, there is no major they want you to be. Let’s just get that out there. Committees are looking for a diverse group of students with a variety of majors. Something that I constantly tell pre-meds when it comes to advice in any area along this journey is to be yourself, not who you think admissions committees want you to be. You will perform better in classes that you are interested in, than those you feel are a “checkbox” to get to medical school. I will write more about this in another post but one of your main goals in undergrad should be to get good grades. While stats are not the only factor in admissions decisions, they are a foot in the door. Focus on getting good grades by taking classes you want to succeed in.
3. You Do Not Have to Choose A Science Major
Some people say you have to be a science major in order to impress the admissions committees. I really don’t think that’s true. I have a lot of friends who majored in subjects in music or languages that have successfully matriculated into health profession schools. You should know that science majors will in general demand more time from you. This is because core science classes in your major will have a lab component (and no, most of the time you do not get extra credits for these labs!). So for example, I took an upper division Spanish course and Sports Medicine course, both of which were worth four credits. My Spanish class met for four hours per week while my Sports Medicine class met for six hours between both lecture and lab components. With that being said, if you choose a science major you will have to give more of your time to that major in addition to any prerequisites you need to take that are not included in your major. If you choose a non-science major, you will have to make room to take science classes or take them over the summer as you won’t get the convenience of having some overlapping prerequisites and major requirements. This is definitely manageable! I will write in a later post how I balance my premed requirements, major courses, minor courses, and general education classes across four years. Another thing to note is, don’t choose a major because it is “easy.” I’ve seen really bad advice out there suggesting that premeds should choose non-science majors so they can get high GPAs. First off, I don’t think it’s fair to call some majors easy over others. I know personally I would really struggle in some non-science majors as evident by some of my general education courses. Additionally, if you show no passion for it anywhere else in your application, it will be pretty clear to admissions committees that your interest isn’t genuine. I have gotten asked in interviews why I chose Sports Medicine. So be prepared to answer the same!
Remember you will constantly be learning in any career, especially in the medical field. Don’t rush through anything, don’t just do something to do it.
So what’s the best pre-med major of them all? It honestly is the one that you’re most passionate about and interested in. Pick something you will succeed in. Pick a major you will value even after you become a physician. Some people see undergrad as something you have to just get through to get to medical school. I loved college, and a lot of that was because of my major. I met a lot of great friends, many of us who work in healthcare or are going back to school to become health professionals. We bonded over similar interests and formed a lot of great memories! Remember you will constantly be learning in any career, especially in the medical field. Don’t rush through anything, don’t just do something to do it. Love this journey and make it your own!
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