In addition, you may add courses in a foreign language, writing, or English, as well as a first year student seminar, in either semester. Consequently, your non-science courses should include those which hone your abilities in critical reasoning and expository writing. No major is inherently more appropriate than any other as preparation for a career in medicine. The field is so broad that individuals with many different personalities and interests make excellent candidates. Primary care pediatricians, pathologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, medical scientists, hospital administrators, and international health specialists may have M.D. degrees, but their work is very different, and different abilities are needed for each.
Specialization occurs during residencies after the first four years of medical school.
If you are considering law studies after graduation from Johns Hopkins, you should plan a program that fits your personal talents and interests. No formal, structured program of prelaw studies exists. Beyond the baccalaureate degree, law schools generally have few specific academic requirements for admission. If you follow a program for engineering with the intention of going into law, you should be sure that a reasonable portion of your studies is in the social sciences and humanities. Prelaw education should develop basic skills and insights, effective oral and written communication, critical understanding of human institutions and insights through a variety of means, but each program should include some background in history, economics, and political science.