What's your major, and does it matter to admissions?
Hi all! If you haven’t seen me around, I’m Madison, a rising fourth year medical student in the Northeast. Most of my life now is electives, research, studying for Step 2, and making sure my cats don’t cause indescribable chaos – which is a fair bit different from how things were in undergrad!
Today, I’m going to talk about undergrad. Specifically, I want to discuss a common topic that comes up quite a bit in pre-med circles: your major, and whether there’s a “correct” major to choose.
“What are you majoring in?” was a common icebreaker for pretty much all the pre-med student gatherings that I’d attended, and for the most part, you’d get your expected answers. Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, maybe a Physics or two. You might occasionally see Psychology or Mathematics, depending on the group. Why is that?
Well, first things first, it’s a matter of convenience. Most of the required pre-medical coursework overlaps with a Biology or Chemistry major, and the vast majority of people end up picking one of those two due to that overlap. If you know you’re going to take most of the required Biology courses, it only makes sense to choose that as your major. However, I’ve found that there’s also a bit of a myth that medical schools have a list of preferred majors, and people who don’t fit neatly on that list are at a disadvantage.
That couldn’t be farther from the truth! In my class alone, we have people who majored in the arts and performed professionally, people who took over a decade off and got master’s degrees, and people like me, who majored in German. In fact, my German major came up a lot in my medical school interviews as a topic of conversation. I’ve sat in on admissions committees, and I can tell you that medical schools like to see that students have excelled in the sciences, but you don’t need to have a Bachelor of Science to get a medical degree.
Undergrad is a busy time, but it should also be fun and exciting. Major in what interests you, not what you think admin will be interested in seeing. If you want to major in Biology, Anthropology, Viticulture, or Bakery Science, go for it! Pursue your passions. Medical schools want to get to know you and see that you’ve taken the time to learn about what you find interesting. Don’t be afraid to major in Amusement Parks and minor in Comics – now is the time to explore your interests, learn what you love, and love what you learn. Medical school will always be there afterward.