- Today, I'm going to answer the question:
"What are the best premed majors
to prepare for medical school?"
The competition to get into medical school
is notoriously high.
If you're like many premed students,
you'll take any way to increase admissions odds.
You already know in order to be a competitive applicant
you have to earn a strong GPA, get a high MCAT score
and acquire relevant research experience.
But how will your premed major affect your chances
of getting into medical school?
If you ask around, you might hear some answers
based on misconceptions and rumors.
Maybe you've been told you have to be a biology major
or you might've heard that English majors
have the best medical school acceptance rates.
What should you believe?
I am Dr. Pranjal Gupta,
medical school admissions expert
from Shemmassian Academic Consulting.
In this video,
I'll go over med school acceptance rates by major
to explain which majors have the greatest success and why,
so you know what the best premed major is for you
and how to maximize your admissions odds.
Let's get started.
According to the AAMC, there are a few premed majors
that have higher med school acceptance rates than others.
In 2019-2020, the three groups of majors
with the highest acceptance rates
were physical sciences with 48%,
math and statistics with 47% and humanities with 46%.
Biological science majors
which included over half of med school applicants
had an acceptance rate of 41%
followed closely by social science majors
with a 40% acceptance rate.
Before we move on,
let's define the different major groups that I just listed.
The physical sciences group
includes chemistry, physics, earth sciences
and astronomy majors.
The math and statistics group is straightforward.
The humanities group is broad,
but covers majors like English, philosophy, history
and foreign languages.
The biological sciences group
includes different focuses on biology
like microbiology, neurobiology and even zoology.
Lastly, the social sciences group includes psychology,
sociology, political science and economics.
Now that we're on the same page,
let's get back to the data.
At first glance
you might be tempted to switch your premed major
to physics or philosophy,
but looking only at the acceptance rate by major
won't give you the whole picture
or point out the actual best premed major for you.
Let's go over GPA and MCAT score by majors
since these are the two biggest factors used by adcoms
to evaluate applications.
For both physical science
and math and statistics major applicants,
the average science GPA was 3.56.
Humanities majors had an average 3.44 science GPA,
and for bioscience majors, it was 3.49.
Social science applicants had an average 3.38 science GPA.
It's important to know that the science GPA
isn't a perfect correlation
to acceptance rates by premed major.
Physical science and math and statistics majors
have the highest GPAs,
so their high acceptance rates make sense.
But the average humanity science GPA
is lower than the average biological sciences GPA.
You must be wondering how could humanities majors
have a higher acceptance rate with a lower science GPA?
Science majors can get quite indignant about the subject,
but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
We've only looked at the average science GPA.
Medical schools consider cumulative GPA as well.
So let's review those numbers next.
Again, physical sciences and math and statistics majors tie
with the average highest cumulative GPA of 3.61.
Humanities applicants had an average 3.58 cumulative GPA.
For biological science majors,
the average cumulative GPA was 3.59.
And for social science majors, it was 3.52.
We see the GPA gap between humanities
and bioscience majors getting smaller here.
So even with a lower science GPA,
humanities majors are able to earn high grades
in their major coursework
to make their cumulative GPA competitive
with science majors.
Now, you might be understanding the chip on the shoulders
of many science majors.
It doesn't seem fair
that they follow a more challenging course of study
performed slightly above humanities majors
but still get accepted at a lower rate.
But before we agree that their complaint is justified,
we need to look at MCAT scores by major.
The highest applicant MCAT scores
belong to math and statistics majors.
Next were physical science and humanities majors
followed by biological science and social science majors.
So this is the area
where we see the humanities majors
have an edge over the bioscience majors.
And maybe that surprises you--
shouldn't biological science majors do the best on the MCAT?
After all, half of the test is focused on science.
Hold that thought,
because we'll talk about the MCAT in detail
a little bit later.
Does the data point to a specific premed major
that makes it easier to get into medical school?
Well, the numbers show us that high MCAT scores and GPA
are the most predictive factors of med school acceptance.
The two majors with the highest acceptance rates,
physical sciences and math and statistics,
both had the best average GPA and MCAT scores.
And even though humanities majors
had a lower average science GPA
than biological majors did,
they scored on average two points higher on the MCAT.
So setting aside the influence of GPA and MCAT scores,
no premed major by itself
can guarantee your acceptance to medical school.
I mean, certainly adcoms
aren't accepting English majors with a 3.2 GPA
and 500 MCAT scores solely because they studied humanities.
And conversely, bio majors with similar stats
will be met with the same decision.
Med schools are quite clear about not requiring
or preferring certain premed majors from their applicants.
Most programs purposely cultivate a diverse mix of majors
in their incoming classes.
For example, Harvard Medical School
states they prefer applicants
with a well-balanced academic backgrounds
especially exposure to humanities and social sciences.
This doesn't mean science majors are at a disadvantage
when applying to medical schools.
However, 70% of Harvard Med School's incoming class in 2019
were science majors.
This shows it's possible
to achieve the desired academic balance
through minors or elective courses.
So what we've learned
is that there isn't one best premed major for everyone
but there are majors that might make it easier
to earn a high GPA, receive a strong MCAT score
or showcase a well-balanced academic background.
Many students believe
that premeds have to major in biology or another science.
After all, the required major coursework overlaps closely
with medical school prereqs
making it easy to build a comfortable class schedule.
In addition, science majors have close access
to research opportunities within their academic departments.
But remember, biological sciences majors
didn't perform better on the MCAT.
While the MCAT does assess scientific knowledge,
it also evaluates problem-solving skills, critical thinking
and understanding of social science concepts.
The applicants that perform best
in the critical analysis
and reasoning skills section of the MCAT
are math and statistics majors and humanities majors.
This is because students in those fields
are trained in that kind of critical thinking
that helps them be successful on the MCAT.
And don't forget they've taken the same premed prereqs
as everyone else.
So they have the necessary science knowledge
to be successful on the scientific sections of the MCAT too.
But on the other hand,
there seems to be a critical thinking skill gap
in the required bioscience major coursework,
leaving bio majors with lower scores
in humanities and math and statistics majors.
But don't be discouraged
if you want to major in one of the biological sciences.
You can take the initiative to pursue your own opportunities
to develop critical thinking skills
and boost your score in the section of the MCAT.
Alright, let's get back to finding which premed major
is best for you.
In light of all the data and the major insights,
how should you go about choosing
the best premed major for you?
Above all, prioritize the requirements needed
to get into medical school.
You have to succeed in the premed school prereqs,
this includes biology, gen chem, organic chemistry,
biochem, physics, stats, calculus and English
plus a few courses in arts, humanities and social sciences.
That's a lot of classes to complete,
so make sure they fit alongside the major that you choose.
You might need to take summer classes
if your premed major doesn't overlap with these prereqs.
As you've seen all the data,
you need a high MCAT score
to increase your med school admissions odds.
Prepping and studying for the MCAT requires a lot of time.
So make sure your major coursework won't be too intense
in the months leading up to when you take the MCAT.
Research experience is an unspoken requirement
because med schools want to graduate doctors
who can engage with scientific literature
and possibly publish their own groundbreaking research.
It makes the med schools they want you look good.
You can acquire research experience
if you're not a science major,
but you might have to advocate a little harder for yourself
to secure a coveted research assistant position
when competing with science majors
who might be able to lean on their connections
in the science departments.
And don't forget the letters of recommendation
required for your med school applications,
including one from a science professor.
If you're a science major,
you might take multiple science classes
from the same professor,
giving them ample material
to write a strong recommendation letter.
If you choose a non-science premed major,
you'll need to be persistent
in getting to know your science professors
and making a strong impression.
Obtaining great letters of rec
stresses out many med school applicants,
but it doesn't need to.
Check out our definitive guide
for getting the best letters of recommendation--
link's in the description box below.
Reviewing these med school application requirements,
it's easy to understand why half of all med school applicants
choose to major in biological sciences.
Applying to medical school as a non-science premed major
requires additional legwork and initiative.
So if you want to go that route,
make sure you're up for the challenge.
However, for biological science majors,
the prereqs, research opportunities
and relationships with science professors
you need for your medical applications are more accessible.
There's less risk
of missing an important med school requirement.
You'll just take additional challenging science classes
along the way.
But many students prefer choosing this well-traveled path
especially if they have a strong aptitude in the sciences.
The truth is the best premed major for you
is one that highly interests you.
Don't choose a major because you think it's the right one
or the safe one.
If you spend four years in classes
you find unmotivating and unengaging,
your grades will suffer.
Instead, select a major
that both excites you and challenges you
and you will be naturally driven to do well.
On the other hand, don't pick a harder premed major
only because it will look good on your applications.
Adcoms will cut you any slack for having a low GPA
regardless of how tough your major is.
So even though math and statistics majors
have one of the highest acceptance rates,
if you find that field difficult or uninspiring,
you'll likely struggle and hurt your admissions odds
if you choose it.
If science is your interest,
that's great, major in biological or physical sciences.
Those are the best premed majors for you.
Remember to add a non-science minor
or take non-science electives to give you academic balance
and develop your critical thinking abilities.
If you're passionate about philosophy
or literature or psychology,
go ahead and choose that as your premed major.
As long as you fulfill med school requirements
and earn high stats,
you'll be a highly competitive medical school applicant.
In summary, medical schools
aren't looking for a specific major.
They're looking for high achieving,
academically balanced students
with developed interests in self-awareness.
So when you choose your premed major,
the best way to increase your admissions odds
is to balance meeting your med school requirements
with pursuing your genuine interests and passions.
If you found this video helpful,
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If you'd like to learn more
about the medical school admissions process,
check out our comprehensive guide below.
While you may be a year or two out
from applying to medical school,
now's the time to start planning and preparing.
The strategies in this guide
are the same ones our team uses
to routinely help students get into schools
like Johns Hopkins, Harvard and UCSF.
Alright, thanks again for watching!
See you next time.