Medical Education US

What would be the ideal undergraduate degree needed to get into med school to become a psychiatrist?

would it be psychology, biology, or something else?

thank you

When applying to medical school, it really doesn't matter so much what you plan on doing - except that you might get to talk about your future plans during interviews. Obviously, during interviews you want to sound appropriate about the topics of discussion - so you will need to have both realistic expectations and ideas of what the real careers are like.

Regarding the major to get into medical school - you should take what you want to take. You want to take classes that you are interested in, especially considering that you'll get all the necessary medical classes in medical school.

The only other thing to consider is that if you already know you are going to be a psychiatrist, then it is reasonable to be a psychology major. The general information you'll learn as a psychology major may topics that might not be covered in your psychiatry residency, but that knowledge and information will possibly be helpful to you in your career.

Again, in the end, take the classes that seem like they'd be interesting.

Thanks Admin! I was hoping to hear from you on this.

I have not looked into other medical schools, but FSU (Florida State Univ.) requires the following classes before being admitted into their med program:

English
6 Semester Hours

General Biology (For Science majors with Lab)
8 Semester Hours

Biochemistry (required for FSU College of Medicine)
4-6 Semester Hours

General Chemistry (With Lab)
8 Semester Hours

Organic Chemistry (With Lab)
8 Semester Hours

General Physics (With Lab)
8 Semester Hours

Mathematics
6 Semester Hours


According to these requirements, the only undergraduate degree that would fulfill this is a BS in Biological Science.

I really would like to major in psychology, but it would be impossible to take all of these additional classes in addition to the regular course load required for a psychology degree.

Would I be better off with the Biological Science degree, or doing what I love and getting the Psychology degree?

Maybe other medical school requirements are different than FSU's, I might have to look at different schools.

Or maybe I misunderstood the above requirements as being AFTER you get into medical school, but I'm pretty sure it's BEFORE you are admitted...

So it looks as if I need a degree that would best prepare me for the MCAT, right?

Psychology, although something I would love to major in, looks as if it would do little for my MCAT scores, and thus being the wrong choice for my undergraduate degree. Is this a correct assumption?

As of now, I am looking into degree programs that offer more of the above requirements...

Any ideas? Chemistry, Microbiology... There are so many to choose from.

You don't need a degree that will prepare you for the MCAT. The required pre-med classes are all you need to prepare for the MCAT - that's 1 year biology, 1 year general chemistry, 1 year organic chemistry, and 1 year of physics. You can major in most any field - as most majors still allow plenty of elective time.

Having said that, if you take all of the pre-med requirements, you will be close to filling a biology major at most colleges. But, like I said, you can fulfill the pre-med requirements majoring in almost any field.

Also, I would be very surprised if you couldn't take all of the pre-med classes and meet the requirements for a psychology major in 4 years - I don't think there are THAT many requirements for psychology degrees.

[ Edited by Admin on 2004/8/12 21:33 ]

Thanks again for your quick response, Admin. You've been very, very helpful.

I should have explained my position better.

This fall, I will be getting my 2-year degree at my local Junior College. It's an A.A. degree, meaning general education. Because I'll already have 60 credits completed, I'm afraid a degree in anything other than Biology/Chemistry will take too long to satisfy my pre-med requirements.

I'm also afraid that the classes I have taken thus far, although with a good GPA, are going to somehow deny me from entering a good medical school.

So far the only classes related to medicine I've taken are: Intro to Chemistry w/ Lab (received a B), Biology for Non-Majors (also a B), Statistics (A), and College Algebra (B). I have also taken both English Comp I and II (B, and C)

This fall, when I graduate, I should have an overall GPA of 3.5.

My hopes are to transfer to FSU, and get into their Biological Science or Chemistry program. In two years, I should have my batchelors, and be ready to enter med-school. Assuming I get in, that is.

It's already going to be hard enough to complete the required pre-med courses, do you think I should do this in addition to earning a Psychology degree? Would it look better than say, a degree in just Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Biology?

I think my previous two years are going to look very bad on my transcripts. Especially because I have just now began to focus hard on my future.

I want to do all I can to ensure admission into medical school. Do you think I have a shot, and if so, what path would you recommend?

Thanks again,

John

Hi...

I, too, went the CC route before my bachelors and masters degrees. You CAN get to med school from there, you just really want to kick butt in the coming years at FSU.

You DO NOT need to pick any particular major to prepare you for the MCAT. Your class studies alone are not enough to get you ready for that exam, anyway, so if you are excited about psychology as a major, run with it, love it, and wear it out. I was a German major, for Pete's sake, and I still got to med school.

Doc Admin is right... you should have no trouble fitting the pre-reqs into your schedule no matter what you study.

Good luck to you!

The way I figure it, it will take me three years just to earn the required pre-med credits alone. I don't see how I could attain a degree in Psychology in that time.

So far, I'm leaning on Biological Sciences as my intended batchelor degree. I just don't see myself completing those pre-med classes any other way. If I get the Biology degree, I can still earn a minor in Psychology by taking only three classes.

Unless a degree in Psychology is going to make me stand out on my med school application, I don't see the need in getting one. I would much rather skip all of those classes and go directly into med school with a Biology degree. The Biological Sciences degree is basically composed of exactly the classes that med schools require.

As long as I have a degree, , a gpa greater than 3.5, and a good score on the MCAT I'm pretty much a shoe in..right?


John

As long as I have a degree, , a gpa greater than 3.5, and a good score on the MCAT I'm pretty much a shoe in..right?

I wish it were that simple (as do most people). Depending on your state school, that may be true - I know that University of Illinois pretty much bases acceptance on GPA and MCAT scores (at least they did when I applied around 10 years ago). Most other schools will also base your INTERVIEW on GPA, MCAT, application essays, and letters of recommendation. If all of that is up to their standards, then you will be invited for an interview. I think interviews are more of a formality and many schools, and you'd have to really stand out one way or another for it to make much difference on your acceptance. At some of the higher tier schools, though, I think they do put a lot of weight on the interivews, but that's just a subjective sense I have.

Doc Admin is right -- GPA and MCATs don't necessarily shoo anyone into medical school. We had one of the Deans of my school telling future applicants the other week that they take "the applicants who seem to be the most promising future physicians," and that they sometimes reject people with higher scores but less impressive personality traits or experiences.

Obviously, get the very best grades and MCAT scores that you can, but don't forget that your interview and individual experiences will also go a long way toward becoming a medical student, and eventually, a physician.

Best of luck!

Thanks Admin and Corpsman!

You both have given me excellent advice. Well, I have decided to go for it! I want to see just what I am capable of. My last semester at junior college is going to be tough, with Chem 1, Bio 1, College Algebra, etc. Along with that I'm also volunteering at my local hospital in the Neurology ward. I can't wait to start FSU this spring, and try to stand apart as a dedicated student working toward his goals.

Thank you again for all of your help. This site has helped me start my path into what will be the most trying times of my life, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Good luck to everyone in their endeavors!

I will be back (with a registered username, heheh)!

John

John

Go get 'em, bud!

Have a great term, and if you apply to school up this way let me know. We're really friendly and we give great tours... even to people from FL.

Enjoy school and the Neuro Ward. Sounds like an interesting term!

All the best...