Selecting a Major Course selection, as discussed above, needs to take into account all-College requirements, preprofessional requirements, as well as major requirements. It is important to emphasize that no specific major is required for admission to medical school. This has been the case for many years. 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 most concerned with the overall quality and scope of undergraduate work.
For most physicians, the undergraduate years are the last available opportunity to pursue in depth a non-science subject of interest, and all who hope to practice medicine should bear this in mind when selecting an undergraduate major. There is some degree of variation in acceptance rates across undergraduate majors. Recent data reveal that although students majoring outside of the natural sciences represent a smaller proportion of those entering medical school than do science majors, the probabilities of being accepted are not systematically different . Moreover, recent studies find that science and non-science majors are not differentiable in terms of performance in medical school or in their careers as physicians. Overall, no one major can be said to provide a big edge in terms of medical school admission.