Students interested in medicine are encouraged to research the wide variety of jobs available in the health professions, to discuss the nature and demands of medicine with a pre-medical advisor or health professional, and to ask a lot of questions before embarking on the application process. The selection of an undergraduate major area of study should be a carefully considered decision. Students should select a major area of study that is of interest and that will provide a foundation of knowledge necessary for the pursuit of several career alternatives. Students who select a major area of study solely or primarily because of the perception that it will enhance the chance of acceptance to a school of medicine are not making a decision in their best interest. A science major is not a prerequisite for medical school, and students should not major in science simply because they believe this will increase their chances for acceptance.
Medical schools are concerned with the overall quality and scope of undergraduate work.
Students need to do well in the required premedical courses to ensure adequate preparation and favorable consideration by admission committees. For most physicians, however, the undergraduate years are the last available opportunity to pursue in depth a nonscience subject of interest, and all who hope to practice medicine should bear this in mind when selecting an undergraduate major. While there is some variation at the national level in the acceptance rates of applicants from different major fields of study in liberal arts programs, those majoring in certain areas of the humanities, for example, fared as well or better in gaining acceptance to the 1996-97 entering class as applicants majoring in certain scientific disciplines. These data also show, however, that students who concentrated in such professional fields as medical technology, nursing, and pharmacy were less successful in gaining admission to medical school that year. Medical schools seek candidates with high levels of scholastic achievement and intellectual potential, as well as the motivation and humanistic concern necessary for success as a physician.