Please stop! There is no “pre-med major”!

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:

1. Biology (2 semesters)

2. General chemistry (2 semesters)

3. Organic chemistry (2 semesters)

4. Physics (2 semesters)

5. 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!

#premed #major