Should I go pre-med or switch my major? Future Bowdoin student

i_wanna_be_Brown
Sat, 07 Nov 2015 21:55:04 +0000

To clarify, my program is MD/PhD, but I’ve seen the sentiment reflected in MD only admissions too. Honestly, if I had been doing MD only I probably wouldn’t have needed the extra year. Also it’s not so much that I had to do the ECs post grad as much as I needed senior year. A straight through med school applicant applies the summer after junior year. I applied right after I graduated.

Athletics (and music too) are activities that people view as requiring many of the characteristics they seek in physician(/scientists) because they are lifelong pursuits, require constant fine tuning/improvement of skills, and perseverance over adversity (the opponents and musical pieces always get better/harder). Athletics needs to be at least at the club level if varsity is not offered at the school, varsity if it is, music needs to be in an organized, performance based fashion (ie busting the guitar out on the quad doesn’t count, performing in the marching band or some orchestra would).

My MD/PhD class of 11 has me (D1) and 2 club athletes. I guarantee that 1/3 of the MD/PhD admissions pool is not club level or greater athletes.