Pre-Med 101: Is there a premed major?

 

Welcome to our Pre-Med 101 series! Here we will go over all the basics it means to be a premed , answer common questions, and debunk premed myths.

Todays question is : Is there a premed major?

This happens to be a common misconception about being a premed. Many people think that you have to major in “premed”. But actually the term premed simply refers to your intention to go to medical school, it doesn’t say anything about what undergraduate major you are pursuing. In fact you can major in anything and still be a pre-med! Being a pre-med does require you to take certain classes and take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). These are whats known as the general premed requirements because almost every medical school requires them for admission. No matter what major you are you must still fulfill all of the premed requirements before applying to medical school. So what are the general premed requirements?

1. English (2 semesters)
2. Biology (2 semesters)
3. General chemistry (2 semesters)
4. Organic chemistry (2 semesters)
5. Physics (2 semesters)

These are the courses you need to apply to medical school. However, some schools may also require you to take biochemistry, calculus, genetics, or some other class. But the classes mentioned above are standard for almost all medical schools.

You can be any major as long as you take those classes. And sometimes being a non science major can be beneficial to your medical school application. It helps make your application standout and shows diverse set of interests. Medical schools want applicants that are well rounded. On the other side of the coin, being a science major gives you an edge for the MCAT and might better prepare you for the rigors of medical school. Whats important to know is that you can be any major you want and still apply for medical school! Just make sure to take the required pre-med classes and complete the other aspects of the application (volunteering, shadowing, MCAT, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, etc.).

I hope this helps! If you haven’t already click here to sign up for our free membership and download our e-book , “The Pre-Med Beginner’s Guide” and get our comprehensive list of medical school rankings! Sign up and download your free ebook now! We post new content regularly, so make sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date! Thank you for reading! Check back later for more content to help you on your journey to medical school!