If you didn’t already know, “pre-med” isn’t normally a specific major in undergraduate studies; it’s more of a study track that helps prepare you for the medical school itself. There are many helpful pre med majors that you can take, which will help better prepare you for med school courses.

If you’re looking to prepare early for medical school after undergraduate studies, then take a look at these helpful pre med majors.

Here are additional pre-med class recommendations to help your research.

Public Health

Consider the medical field from a policy standpoint.

While becoming a doctor forces you to deal with health in a personal, hands-on manner, public health is a great undergraduate major to help prepare you in a different way.

How? Pursuing public health provides a big-picture perspective that many doctors often don’t possess outside of their specialties. Through classes and internships, you tackle the following kinds of issues:

• Healthcare Policy
• Prevention
• Substance Abuse
• Hospital Management

Tackling medicine from a macro viewpoint only informs your medical school studies, once you’re accepted into a program. You’ll never mistake the forest for the trees.

Environmental Science

Learn how external factors directly affect personal health.

When it comes to assessing a person’s health and how to avoid sickness, environmental science provides undergraduates a thorough understanding of how our physical surroundings affect those factors.

In many environmental science programs, students incorporate concepts from the following subjects:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Earth Science
• Mathematics
• Physics

Common environmental factors that affect public health include:

• Global Warming
• Nuclear Waste
• Pollution

Environmental science is also a great springboard if you are considering research later on, besides becoming a specialist.

Sociology

Sociology majors develop valuable people skills that directly translate to stronger doctor-patient interactions.

Subjects that sociology majors cover include:

• Culture
• Class
• Gender Identity
• Race
• Age
• Human Relations

In addition, sociology programs train students in critical analysis and research skills. These tools become especially helpful if you conduct serious medical research later into your career.

All in all, sociology majors understand how to deal with the public better by examining the societal forces that shape human interactions.

Psychology

Psychology majors have a variety of pre-med options they can pursue after graduation.

Through psychology, pre-med students form a concrete understanding of the human mind and how it affects physical behavior. These insights are valuable in a variety of settings.

Pre-med students who complete psychology undergraduate work can focus on various research options:

• Cognitive Science
• Integrative Health
• Social Health
• Clinical Research

It is also a strong first step in pursuing a career in psychiatry as well. Psychology majors, just like sociology students, are equipped with research and critical analysis skills that are invaluable later on.

Philosophy

Philosophy provides pre-med students with a strong underpinning of critical and ethical standards.

Becoming a doctor is more than learning science; it is also a philosophical calling. Medical doctors adhere to strict guidelines and ethical standards, as exemplified by the Hippocratic Oath.

Philosophy then helps shape future doctors morally to handle the responsibilities their positions create. Philosophy majors also learn critical thinking skills and methodology, which are helpful in research and life.

Don’t underestimate the value of philosophy in a career path that is deeply philosophical at its core.

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