Please stop! There is no “pre-med major”!
Updated: Jan 11, 2020

Now that classes are back in session, it’s time to address a common misconception… the “pre-med major.” For anyone who is thinking about becoming a doctor or for any parent who’s child is thinking about medical school, this is a post that you definitely want to read. The most basic thing to understand is that there is no such thing as a “pre-med major.”
What does it mean to be pre-med?
Being pre-med simply means that a student desires to be a doctor and is taking the classes required to apply to medical school. Those classes are:
Biology (2 semesters)
General chemistry (2 semesters)
Organic chemistry (2 semesters)
Physics (2 semesters)
English (2 semesters)
These are the only classes you need to apply to most medical schools. A few medical schools also require calculus, biochemistry, or genetics. You might see the term “pre-med track” used for biology or chemistry majors. Don’t be confused by that. If you’re not a science major, you can take the necessary classes as electives.
Any major can be pre-med?
Yes! A college student of any major (business, art, history, psychology, etc…) can be pre-med. You will graduate with a degree in whatever you major. Since there is no pre-med degree, there is no pre-med major.
Being a science major does not necessarily mean being pre-med, since some science majors might want to be scientists, grade school teachers, college professors, etc… Thinking back, maybe I might have been a theater or psychology major because I enjoyed those classes as electives.
So, being pre-med or being on the pre-med track just means you want to be a doctor and are taking medical school requirements.
Hopefully, this clears things up! If you have questions about choosing a major or being pre-med, leave me a message below. Thanks!