Is a kinesiology major a smart choice for a student doing premed?

Question

I am a senior in highschool and im thinking about what i want to major in.
My ultimate career choice is medicine. I'd like to do really good durring my undergrad get a good score on my mcats and get into med school. God forbid, if this doesn't happen I dont want to get stuck sitting in a lab for the rest of my life with a degree in bio.
I've narrowed down my second career pathway to Physical Therapy...I learned that the prephysical therapy requirments are almost the same as the ones for premed so if for any reason med school didn't work out I would probably only be taking 1 or 2 extra courses and that wouldnt waste too much time.
So, because my ultimate goal is to become a doctor but the reality is that not everyone makes it...is choosing kinesiology or movement sciences as my major a bad idea? I know that healthcare is what interests me however I dont want to major in biology or chemistry or physics. Everyone says that med school looks for a diversity of majors.
What should i do?!

Answer 1

Only if you like it.

Major in whatever interests you. Enjoy college, and do well. You're more likely to do well if you're studying something you like.

I majored in psych. I have colleagues that were engineers before going to medical school, and I know a neurosurgeon who used to be a school teacher.

Learn how to learn, develop excellent study habits, and get a degree in whatever you enjoy. If you're nothing but a walking biology book, you won't be a very interesting (or well educated) person.

Good luck with your career, wherever it may take you.

Answer 2

While it is true that the prereqs for PT school & med school aren't particularily extensive, I think a bio major will prepare you better for either career. Officially, neither school cares about what you major in as long as you have the prereqs. If PT is your preferred career goal, the kinesiology is probably OK. However, I would definately recommend against kinesiology for a premed. You simply don't get the detailed information on how the body works in a kinesiology major. That's not a slam against the kinesiology major, it's just that the emphasis is different. Probably the best preparation for med school are majors in biology (esp. cell & molecular biology), biochemistry, or chemistry. There's quite a bit of chemistry lurking on the MCAT, & chem majors often do well on the test.

Answer 3

I think that it would be an excellent choice as a major, but I would do a minor in biology. Understand that there is no requirement for you to take any courses, you could have a degree in Engineering and still apply to Medical School. The MCAT is what is going to determine it more than anything else, but I will also add that most Medical Schools are going to look at the total person and not just what he studied. My son has a degree in Biology and did super on his MCAT. All Medical Students are among the very top of their graduation class from college. One of the things that they liked about my son was that he went to one University and worked part time at another University. He worked in a aging study doing necropsy's on rats. He is now a MD but also he is a Medical School Professor

Answer 4

Kinesiology encompasses human anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, exercise physiology, exercise psychology and sociology, history, and philosophy of sport. The relationship between the quality of movement and overall human health is also studied.

Kinesiological information is applied in such fields as physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, kinesiotherapy, massage therapy, ergonomics, physical education and athletic coaching. The approach of these applications can be therapeutic, preventive, or high-performance. The application of kinesiology can also incorporate knowledge from other academic disciplines such as psychology, physiology, sociology, cultural studies, ecology, evolutionary biology, and anthropology. Related interdisciplinary fields in motor skills, skills research are graphonomics, i.e. the study of handwriting movement control and the study of motor control in speech.

There are some professional physical therapists who are also fully credentialed as "Registered Kinesiologists." The general difference between the job of a kinesiologist and a physical therapist is that a kinesiologist will assess movement, or problems in movement with regard to physiology, anatomy and biomechanics, while a physical therapist will actually assess and apply therapeutic techniques to correct the identified problems.
Good choice