When we talked about the best pre-med majors, we came to the conclusion that one major does not give you a significant advantage over another for getting into medical school. Rather, each major has its own advantages and disadvantages and you would be much better off focusing on these three things:

1. Your GPA
2. Your MCAT
3. Being a well-rounded applicant
   

That being said, one of the main advantages of picking a more “unique” major, is that it helps you in the “well-rounded” category.  More than that, a lot of these majors have practical applications in the medical field.

So in this post, we will be taking a look at a few of those majors, what advantages they give you and how you can use them down the line in your medical career. 

Economics

Economics falls under the “social science” category, meaning economists still think about problems in a very scientific way, but you will be working with more numbers than the average bio major. 

With an economics major, you will use quantitative analysis to attempt to understand how the economy works. These can be used to learn how things like government policy and the lack thereof can help or hurt economies at the macro and micro levels. 

How does an economics degree help you to get into medical school?

With an economics major, you will have to learn how to think critically and apply the concepts that you learn. Both of these skills will come in handy when you are taking your MCAT and could result in a higher MCAT score.

How can an economics degree help you as a doctor?

With an economics degree, you will gain a greater understanding of economic systems. With healthcare expenses being a hot-button issue, you can use the intersection of your economic and medical perspectives to work with public policy to make healthcare more affordable.

If attempting to make healthcare as effective and affordable as possible is important to you, then an economics major may not be a bad place to start. 

Management

With a management degree, you learn how to manage business processes. Part of this is learning how to manage people and get the most out of them.

How does a management degree help you get into medical school?

Since you will eventually have to collaborate with other doctors, medical schools care about your ability to work with others. With a management degree, you will learn how to work on a team. You can use this training to differentiate yourself from other candidates in medical school interviews.

How can a management degree help you as a doctor?

If you plan on opening up a practice or have other doctors under you in some way, your ability to manage people will allow you to get the best out of other doctors and other operations in the practice/hospital. If the doctors and operations of a hospital are at their best, that means better care will be provided. Proper management can literally save lives.

Psychology

With a psychology major, you will learn how the brain and human behavior work. You will ask questions like:

• Why do people react the way they do to certain stimuli?
• What are the best methods to treat mental health?
• When do people develop their behaviors?
  

How does a psychology degree help you get into medical school?

Psychology is still very rooted in science so a lot of the information that you learn will be applicable to the MCAT. This will also help you when medical school comes around and you’re are neck-deep in biology material.

How can a psychology degree help you as a doctor?

With mental health issues on the rise, you can be a part of the solution. There is still so much that we don’t know about mental health and the brain, making this a particularly challenging field.

The knowledge that you gain with your psychology major can send you down the path to help curb our current mental health trend.

Anthropology

As an anthropology major, you learn how cultures affect people, gaining a greater appreciation for how a person’s upbringing can affect their values and outlook on life.

How does an anthropology degree help you get into medical school?

Anthropology falls under the “humanities,” a category that scores particularly well on the CARS section of the MCAT. 

Anthropology majors will also understand how to be sensitive and appreciate different cultures, another thing medical schools are looking for to serve an ever-diversifying patient population.

How can an anthropology degree help you become a better doctor?

An anthropology major can help you provide better care.

For example, you could have a patient that is against a certain type of treatment based on religious beliefs. Even if this treatment is the best option, your anthropology background would help you understand that arguing too much for it could push the patient away, leaving them with no treatment. 

You could provide them with an alternative treatment that works within their belief system. Even though it may not be as effective as the original treatment, something is better than nothing.

What Is The Point Of This List?

Don’t be afraid to think out of the box and take the road less traveled.

If you are someone who has a clear vision on what they want to do in medicine, pick the major that best supports that vision. If you are not that person, don’t be afraid to pick what feels right for you. 

In all reality, this list could have been made up of 4 different “unique” majors, and each would have their own advantages. Whatever major you pick can have very practical applications in the medical field. 

This list is just a way to get you to think differently about how you pick your pre-med major.

College is a time to explore! So be curious and learn as much as you can about whatever may interest you. Become that well-rounded individual that medical schools want you to be.

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If you want to learn more about different majors that you can pick, be sure to check our post on the best pre-med majors. This can give you some more ideas on the advantages and disadvantages of all different types of majors. You will also learn how to combine majors and minors to make you appear well-rounded and give you the best shot on the MCAT.