Selection of an undergraduate major Stolen from the 1999 AAMC Official Guide to Medical School Admission Requirements. |
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"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. SELECTION FACTORS Decisions about the undergraduate academic program can be made more realistically if the student is aware of the medical school selection process. Admission committees do not seek a stereotyped, ideal combination of characteristics in all applicants; diversity within an entering class is considered highly desirable. 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. These qualities are measured by college grades, particularly science grades; recommendations from undergraduate faculty, including premedical advisers; Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores; interview assessments; an applicant's personal statement and application; and occasionally the use of psychological tests of educational development, mental aptitude, and nonintellectual qualities. College grades are perhaps the most important single predictor of medical school performance in the first two years. Medical schools recognize that grading policies may differ from one college to another or even within departments of the same institution. Most first-year medical students have achieved undergraduate averages of A or B, and in 1996-97, 0.6 percent of the applicants accepted to the first-year class had grade-point averages (GPAs) of equal to or less than 2.5. The mean undergraduate GPA of first-year entrants for the 1996-97 entering class was 3.54. In recent years those individuals admitted with less than a 3.00 GPA have either achieved strikingly improved performances in their later years of college or demonstrated other characteristics deemed desirable for medicine by the various medical school admission committees. It is also important for students to demonstrate an understanding of course content in ways other than by grades achieved. For example, the student who undertakes special projects or independently investigates questions raised in course work may provide evidence of ability that is not reflected by grades alone. Medicine demands superior personal attributes of its students and practitioners. Integrity and responsibility assume major importance in the classroom and research laboratory as well as in relationships with patients and colleagues. Medical schools also took for evidence of other traits such as leadership, social maturity, purpose, motivation, initiative, curiosity, common sense, perseverance, and breadth of interests." Table: Subjects Required by 10 or More U.S. Medical Schools, 1998-99 Entering Class
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