Exactly how much does being a science major help on the MCAT?

[Gallix23]

Hey everyone,

Once again I am going through an internal struggle with what I want to do with my life I got accepted into college as a Bio major, mainly because my main goal is pre-med and I figure it'd help me the most with everything.

However, I have been playing music my entire life; I'm a guitarist, a drummer, and I sing here and there. I've taken music classes in high school and aced them just for fun to break up my day, and it just donned on me that I could major in music in college. It'd give me something to fall back on in case med school doesn't work out, and it would make me stand out from the applicant pool...right?

That's one side of my thoughts, and then the other side is battling back saying I need to stick with bio and focus on science and everything to give myself the best shot at the MCAT and everything else. At my university, Music is a very flexible major, so I shouldn't have a problem fitting in science classes. My uni has a built in co-op program as well, so I'd be able to co-op in both the hospital and music related places.

Do you guys think that switching my major would be a good idea? I'm so torn and stressed right now it's horrible, so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ksmi117]

All the stuff on the MCAT is covered in the pre-reqs. The upper level classes may help but they definitely aren't necessary. I'm not a "science" major, and I was able to understand all the material. It may take a little bit more effort in your prep, but it's definitely not enough of an advantage to force yourself into a major you don't want to do.

Do what major would make you happy. I've heard music's a pretty tough and subjective major, but if you love it, go for it.

 

[Gallix23]

Luckily I'm naturally pretty good at science, and it is my favorite academic subject in school, so studying and everything won't be a problem. I'm just really torn because I don't want to make any mistakes.

I'm actually not that familiar with what a music major incorporates, I'll have to look into that as well but hopefully it'll work in my favor in terms of my strong suites.

 

[tennisball80]

0.02% since last survey.

 

[Salvorix]

Luckily I'm naturally pretty good at science, and it is my favorite academic subject in school, so studying and everything won't be a problem. I'm just really torn because I don't want to make any mistakes.

I'm actually not that familiar with what a music major incorporates, I'll have to look into that as well but hopefully it'll work in my favor in terms of my strong suites.

At most schools when you major in music you can either focus on performance, composition, or history. At my school major requirements for all music majors include Music Theory I-IV, a couple of music history/culture classes, and one performance-related class.

 

[Brandqn]

redacted

 

[seelee]

Hey everyone,

Once again I am going through an internal struggle with what I want to do with my life I got accepted into college as a Bio major, mainly because my main goal is pre-med and I figure it'd help me the most with everything.

However, I have been playing music my entire life; I'm a guitarist, a drummer, and I sing here and there. I've taken music classes in high school and aced them just for fun to break up my day, and it just donned on me that I could major in music in college. It'd give me something to fall back on in case med school doesn't work out, and it would make me stand out from the applicant pool...right?

That's one side of my thoughts, and then the other side is battling back saying I need to stick with bio and focus on science and everything to give myself the best shot at the MCAT and everything else. At my university, Music is a very flexible major, so I shouldn't have a problem fitting in science classes. My uni has a built in co-op program as well, so I'd be able to co-op in both the hospital and music related places.

Do you guys think that switching my major would be a good idea? I'm so torn and stressed right now it's horrible, so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I think you are the first person who as ever referred to a music career as a "fall-back career". From what I understand, music is very time intensive. People I know are practicing 6-8 hours a day. As far as changing your major, everyone is going to say "just do what you love". That's mostly true. But their is something to be said for being a science major and having that stronger background than someone who goes into the liberal or fine arts. If you had said that you were not particularly interested in biology, but were only doing it for pre-med then I would say that is a mistake.

My personal advice would be to seriously consider Biochemistry. If you want a major that will both prepare you for the MCAT, and give you other good career options besides medicine, then that would be the one. General biology degrees are becoming more and more useless, and a biochemist can do research in any area of biology, molecular and cell, genetics, genomics, proteonomics, etc.

 

[Rendar5]

I was a chemistry major. By and large the extra science classes I took were useless on the MCAT and useless in med school *edit, the same holds true for all science classes including bio and biochem*. I took it because I like chemistry a lot, however, and don't regret it. Having been through med school already, I can only say major in what you enjoy, and make sure you still work hard on your prereqs since that's where the MCAT comes from. And take a PR or Kaplan course or something to help you on what you were missing. Now if you really like bench science research or translational research *bleagh to both*, then go for a science major since the extra stuff you learn in classes is useful and can translate into a career in research if you find you're not interested in medicine. Music has its own fallback careers including teaching.

 

[Algophiliac]

I think you are the first person who as ever referred to a music career as a "fall-back career". From what I understand, music is very time intensive. People I know are practicing 6-8 hours a day.

A temporary fall-back plan as you reapply, yes. Permanent fall-back career? Well, much much more difficult and probably not likely. However, if this is really your second-favorite career choice (with third place being something you positively hate) and you work hard at it, then why not music? Anything is possible.

If you want to do music, do music. If you don't mind practicing several hours a day, then I honestly see no problem with taking this route. Don't do a major just for its marketability, although this may be something you need to take into consideration if you ever decide medical school might not be for you.

MCAT-wise, the consensus is that yes, upper-level classes help, but they are not worth sitting through for an entire semester just to maybe get one extra question right on the MCAT. It is a thinking test, and the memorization aspect beyond pre-reqs is simply not a great cost-benefit ratio.

 

[Gallix23]

A temporary fall-back plan as you reapply, yes. Permanent fall-back career? Well, much much more difficult and probably not likely. However, if this is really your second-favorite career choice (with third place being something you positively hate) and you work hard at it, then why not music? Anything is possible.

At my school, there is Music History, Music Technology, and Music Industry. I'd probably major in either Music Technology or Music Industry, and the Co-ops guarantee you (95%) a job right when you get out of school. That's why I was referring to it as a "fallback" option, because I would already have a job reserved for me after I graduate in the music field if medicine didn't work out. I wouldn't exactly perform unless I join or make a band as a fun side project from what I actually do. But yeah, that's what I was referring to when I said a fall-back.

As I also said, I do love science as well, I just didn't know if it would be overkill since the rest of my life will potentially be science. I know that with a biology degree I can't do much, and if I do end up sticking with biology, I'd probably tweak it to get a Marine Bio degree because I love Marine Bio as well. I thought about Biochem, but I wouldn't want to jump into a major that I know little about and end up doing horrible, so I'm a little worried in that aspect.

 

[Algophiliac]

At my school, there is Music History, Music Technology, and Music Industry. I'd probably major in either Music Technology or Music Industry, and the Co-ops guarantee you (95%) a job right when you get out of school. That's why I was referring to it as a "fallback" option, because I would already have a job reserved for me after I graduate in the music field if medicine didn't work out. I wouldn't exactly perform unless I join or make a band as a fun side project from what I actually do. But yeah, that's what I was referring to when I said a fall-back.

As I also said, I do love science as well, I just didn't know if it would be overkill since the rest of my life will potentially be science. I know that with a biology degree I can't do much, and if I do end up sticking with biology, I'd probably tweak it to get a Marine Bio degree because I love Marine Bio as well. I thought about Biochem, but I wouldn't want to jump into a major that I know little about and end up doing horrible, so I'm a little worried in that aspect.

I would go with the fall-back plan then! Would you consider reapplying after several years of job experience, or would you call it quits and move on with your new career option? If it's the latter, then marine biology might offer some interesting opportunities. As for music, I'm really not sure how far you can go with it, but you seem pretty certain you can make a decent living. And why not just take a few biochem classes and see if you like it? The unknown can be fascinating.

 

[Gallix23]

I would go with the fall-back plan then! Would you consider reapplying after several years of job experience, or would you call it quits and move on with your new career option? If it's the latter, then marine biology might offer some interesting opportunities. As for music, I'm really not sure how far you can go with it, but you seem pretty certain you can make a decent living. And why not just take a few biochem classes and see if you like it? The unknown can be fascinating.

Hahah yeah I'll hopefully dabble in a few things to figure out what I actually want to do before I make any changes. I just hate sitting here with 17 days of high school left an still being unsure about a TON of things, know what I mean?

Med school is my first choice by far, and part of me wants to just set my mind on it and not accept failure, but then the other part of me wants to have a nice fall back option in case things don't end up working out. Ahh, if only these choices were easy

 

[Algophiliac]

Hahah yeah I'll hopefully dabble in a few things to figure out what I actually want to do before I make any changes. I just hate sitting here with 17 days of high school left an still being unsure about a TON of things, know what I mean?

Med school is my first choice by far, and part of me wants to just set my mind on it and not accept failure, but then the other part of me wants to have a nice fall back option in case things don't end up working out. Ahh, if only these choices were easy

Oh totally, I can't stand that feeling! Having no set, full-speed-ahead plan almost makes me feel like I"m not doing anything worthwhile, but I'll have to just deal with it and enjoy the opportunities I'm presented with!

It's stupid not to have some kind of fall-back option. A considerable part of the admissions process is reportedly random and not completely under your control--so it's a good idea to have other interests in mind. Not to mention medical schools value well-rounded individuals.

 

[bkpa2med]

Being a science major is useless unless you are genuinely interested in that field. I would advise anyone who is interested in medical school to pick a major that interests them in order to maintain a high GPA. Regarding the MCAT, I'd advise people to be a philosophy major because the amount of reading that you will do will prepare you for the verbal section and that truly is the most critical section. To master the MCAT you need to understand what you're reading and what is being asked.

 

[NonTradMed]

I was a chemistry major. By and large the extra science classes I took were useless on the MCAT and useless in med school *edit, the same holds true for all science classes including bio and biochem*.

I disagree. I did NOT take biochem in undergrad but eventually took it when I was trying to get into med school years after graduation and I found it immensely helpful in med school. I also found some smattering of cell bio and the undergrad genetics class I took pretty useful too.

I think the difference here is that I'm not a 'sciency' person. Some people have a nature aptitude for chemistry and biology so getting by with the minimal prereqs will be fine for med school. But for those that have to struggle to learn the material, coming into med school with that background *really* helps. The volume of material means that although everything will be covered, you will need to grasp it very quickly. Having a background in certain classes will help those students that do not grasp certain concepts quickly enough.

As for what major to take, I would say focus on a major that is marketable and can be used as a 'fallback' plan.

SDN gives you people a skewed view of the premed population. MOST people who enter as premeds do not exit college as medical students. As a result, you need to make sure those four years of college will be on training you find a job or other graduate school.

If you have time, take a fun major, but your priority should be med school and fallback major for job. If music is something you truly feel you can make a living out of, then choose that. But it's probably more practical to get a degree like business, engineering etc. However, the end game is you do not want to graduate with neither an acceptance into graduate school nor a real job.

 

[Rendar5]

I disagree. I did NOT take biochem in undergrad but eventually took it when I was trying to get into med school years after graduation and I found it immensely helpful in med school. I also found some smattering of cell bio and the undergrad genetics class I took pretty useful too.

Well, I look at it this way, I took no biochem at all in college as I was into physical chemistry and not organic. I had to suffer through 8 weeks of stuff related to biochem and oh did it suck. It got reduced to pure rote memorizing. I learned maybe 3 disease processes from it. The biochem portion that was part of the disease process just faded eventually when I learned my clinicals. My chemistry major did make learning pharm a bit easier during my 1st year. And that maybe translated into 4 questions I got right on step 1. Did not translate into anything by the time I hit the clinical years. Step 1 had maybe 1-2 biochem-related questions at most. Clinically, I've never had to explain any biochem to a patient. I don't need to know the nature of the B12 pathway to know to order an MMA. In my neurlogy rotation there was a conference in which peds neuro was called to help dx an infant with an inborn error of metabolism. While biochem was at the heart of the diagnosis, by and large the answer came from the established differential dx of "smelling like wet socks".

Now that's not to say biochem isn't vitally important to the advancement of medicine. I just find that it's not vitally important to patient care at the level of the doctor. So I guess to say that the sciences can help make some minor stuff easier to deal with in teh preclinical and they may help ur personal understanding. I just don't think it's going to make a significant difference in the long run.

EDIT: I"m sleepy so don't mean to make a diatribe against you since I do by and large agree with your post.