What To Major In If You Want To Attend Med School

If you're interested in applying to medical school, the good news is that you don't have to major in biology or a science-related field to get in. It may surprise you that medical schools don't actually care about your major. In fact, an unusual major may actually make you stand out. Medical schools primarily focus on your GPA and your scores on the MCAT, which you should aim to take by the end of your junior year.

However, there are certain prerequisites that you should take to be ready for the MCAT, including biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, ethics, calculus, and possibly microbiology, biochemistry, or genetics. It's also important to engage in both clinically-related and non-clinically-related volunteer work, such as community service and research, and have meaningful activities to which you have devoted substantial time. Finally, the road to becoming a medical doctor is long, and attending a prestigious undergraduate and taking more rigorous courses may make it more challenging to achieve a high GPA. Medical schools will not take your undergrad profile or the rigor of your undergraduate major into consideration when looking at your GPA.

To summarize, you can major in whatever interests you, but you must complete the required courses and have a high GPA, great MCAT scores, and a strong track record of volunteering, research, and community service. Of course, a lot more goes into it, but when applying to college and thinking about your major, keep the long-game in mind!