PreMedical Advice
Last modified: 08/26/2004
Question:
“I’m interested in Medical School and I’m considering switching from straight biology (BIOL) to molecular biology (MBIO). What do you recommend?”
Answer:
I may hold a different opinion on this matter than what you've heard elsewhere. My opinion is this: I do not think the Molecular Biology major is necessarily the best major for preparation for medical school. In fact, the MBIO major is more limited in some ways, and can produce graduates who are less well-rounded than the straight BIOL major. Why do I mention 'well-rounded'? Consider the following quote taken from a page on the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) website:
Entrance requirements at most medical schools include completion of course work in biology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and English. But keep your undergraduate experience well rounded by also studying humanities and the social sciences. The ideal physician understands how society works and can communicate and write well. Extracurricular experiences also are important. You may want to volunteer at a local hospital or clinic to gain practical health care experience. (emphasis added)
As mentioned above, the number of science courses required to gain entry into most medical school programs in the United States and Canada is a small number. Those courses include the following four core science courses:
1 year of General Biology
1 year of General Chemistry
1 year of Physics
1 year of Organic Chemistry
Other courses, such as Calculus, English, Composition or Psychology may also be required, but the list of those is short too, and nowhere near universal. Additional courses are frequently recommended, including, interestingly, Biochemistry.
The MBIO course of study requires all four core science courses, and in addition a year of Biochemistry. Interestingly, the Biochemistry (BIOC) major also requires all those same core science courses. So if you are strong in, or are interested in chemistry, the BIOC major is a natural (and I think better) fit. If your interests run more to biology, then consider the MBIO or BIOL majors. The BIOL major does not require you to take all four of the core science courses for medical school (Physics and Organic Chemistry are not required, and neither is Biochemistry required), but the BIOL major has enough room to easily allow you to take all those courses. Plus with the BIOL program of study, you are exposed to a wider breadth of topics and issues within the biology field.
Don’t slip into the habit of thinking that you need to be a MBIO major to improve your chances in medical school. In fact, a science major is not required. All the science coursework that is required is to have the four core science courses. Indeed, if you have done well on the MCAT (which the four courses prepare you for), the major is of secondary or tertiary importance. It could rightly be said that a good score on the MCAT trumps the major. According to the AAMC:
The key factors affecting acceptance to medical school include the following:
· Successful completion of required undergraduate courses
· Grade point average
· Performance on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
· Extracurricular activities - especially those reflecting public or health-related service, volunteer work, and other evidence of your initiative
· Letters of recommendation from undergraduate health professions advisors and faculty members as well as physicians and other members of the health professions, community leaders, and other individuals who have employed you or supervised your volunteer experience
· Interviews with medical school admissions committees. Unlike colleges, which hold interviews early in the application process, medical schools arrange them near the end. As they narrow their selection of candidates, most medical schools invite the most promising applicants to interview with faculty and other members of the admissions committee.
This fact partly explains why, among their applicants, medical schools admit non-science majors at a higher percentage than most science majors. That is, according to 1994 AAMC data, of the philosophy majors who applied to medical schools, over 50% were accepted. The comparable admittance percentage for biology majors is less than 40%. So if your interests run in other directions, say English or Philosophy or History, then consider a major in that field. Just be sure to fit in the four core science courses.
One additional word on the MBIO major: in addition to the four core science courses, the MBIO major requires you to take a Human Anatomy and Physiology course, which covers material that medical schools will go over in excruciating detail. Many students think that taking such a course will help them get into medical school. However, the book, "Medical School Admission Requirements," put out by the AAMC, contradicts that idea:
Additional science courses are not required. Students may take upper level science courses out of educational interest or to fulfill the requirements of their undergraduate course of study. The practice of taking additional science courses that cover material taught within the medical school curriculum in the belief that they will be useful in gaining admission to and succeeding in medical school is not recommended. (emphasis added)
I encourage my advisees to stretch their minds while in college, and to take courses that interest them, so long as there is space within their program of study. The BIOL major has a large amount of space for electives (in BIOL, there are some 50 elective hours within the 128 needed to graduate). Thus, some of my advisees pick up history, religion, philosophy, business, or fine arts courses (in some cases enough for a minor or for a second major). Such elective courses, while perhaps not immediately applicable to their program of study or to their career goals, are nevertheless mind-expanding and healthy.
So if you are interested in human anatomy or human physiology, then take the course. In such a case the MBIO major may be a good fit, since Human Anatomy and Physiology is a required course in that major. But don’t get into the habit of thinking that you need to have Human Anatomy and Physiology in your undergraduate training (any more than thinking that you need to be an MBIO major) in order to gain “admission to and succeeding in medical school.”
Breadth of training is also important from another standpoint: contingency planning. I and other advisors at GCC have had advisees who shared the conviction that medical school is where God wanted them to go. However, more than a handful have either changed their minds, or had their minds changed. I am not alone in thinking that the MBIO major can limit your options in such instances because the program can be too narrowly focused. The breadth of material covered in, and the flexible nature of the BIOL major commend it as an alternative.
But don’t take my word for it on these matters. Follow the principle behind the general medical advice and ‘seek a second opinion.’ Discuss these issues with other professors. Talk to physicians you know. Visit medical schools (either in person or via the web). Get the booklet entitled Medical School Admission Requirements put out by the AAMC. The booklet describes all the MD schools in the U.S. and Canada, with their prerequisites. You will also find prefatory comments of general interest to all premed students. You can get a copy of the publication online, or from the Student Affairs office in Crawford, or from Dr. Weber, the premedical advisor.
I hope this document has been helpful. May the Lord bless you in your deliberations.
Dr. Jenkins