Major on the premed track?

Question

I want to attend medical school.. for sure..

But I have a few obstacles.. My family has an uncertain status in the US and I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford Med School..

As I understand it.. premed is simply a track of courses and not a major (even though when I search on collegeboard and USNews.com by majors, it gives premed as a major.. why?), I can major in any subject I like?

My dad advises me to major in Allied Medical.. first off.. we're not clear on what exactly allied medical is..

I have keen interests in business and physics, which I would like to major in, with my final goal of still going to medical school..

Basically.. Med School is ambiguous because of money.. so would it be advisable to major in Allied medical?

I dont understand the premed process.. any suggestions?

thx :)

Answer 1

First, you are correct in that "pre-med" is not a major, but an "advising track." This means that while in college, if you wish to apply to medical school, you can see an advisor who will help you make sure you take the classes that most medical schools require their applicants to have taken.

These classes vary by medical school, but often include:
2 years of biology, with labs
2 years of chemistry, with labs, including organic
1 year of physics
1 year of English
1 year of a social science
1 year (or semester) of calculus

The US News and World Report ranking includes "premed" as a major because some few schools designate it as an actual major. Many more schools do not.

Medical school aspirants can major in anything they like. Some of my recent students who are now in medical school majored in Art History, Psychology, Religion, Anthropology, and Music, but more often, students major in biology, chemistry, or physics, because 1) they are taking a lot of those classes anyway, or 2) they have a love for one of those subjects, or 3) they think it will look good on their medical school applications.

In my experience, medical schools are keen on candidates they consider to be well-rounded, and a major outside of the sciences is one way (among others) to demonstrate well-roundedness.

Now, to your question about "Allied Medical." This term is often used by community colleges and vocational schools to designate a major in what are called "allied health professions." These are clinical healthcare professions distinct from the medical and nursing professions, and include:

"athletic training, bioengineering, chiropody, dental hygiene, diagnostic medical sonography, electrocardiographic technicians, hemodialysis technicians, Medical Technologists (MT), Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLT), medical assistants , medical coders and billers, medical secretaries, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, phlebotomy, kinesiotherapy, nuclear medicine technology, physical therapy, radiography, radiation therapy, radiological technology, respiratory therapy, speech therapy, and ultrasound."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_health_professions

If you plan to enter one of these professions, then "Allied Medical" would be a potential field of exploration for you, but NOT if you plan to be a physician.

My best advice to you is to go to the best four-year college (not community college or vocational school) to which you can gain admission, and major in the area you love the most, while also taking the medical school prerequisites.

Even if it should become the case that you are unable to afford medical school (most med students take out substantial loans in order to do so), you will have a bachelors degree in a scientific discipline rather than an associates degree in a career field. In the long run a bachelors degree will open up many more paths to you.

I wish you every success.

Answer 2

Major in whatever you want AS LONG AS you take the required courses needed to get into medical school. Some argue that taking a major thats not premed or biology(which is known as the premed major) makes a person more unique when they apply for medical school.

Personally, I'll be majoring in Neuroscience just because it has a nice sound to it.

Answer 3

I'm in the same boat, buddy.

I am planning to attend a private, four-year college in FLorida and graduate with a PreMedPhysics degree.

Each science degree can be taken alone, or with a pre med label.

The pre med just means "in depth" basically, and will just egt harder as you go until you get to med school.

And its true that if you work at a hospital after you graduate, they will pay for yoiur med school if you work at their hospital



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I've also just learned that "pre med" isn't a major, it's just an outline of specific scouses that you can take that fulfill basic requirement for gettign into med schgool