Planning a Curriculum and Major

Most students who enter college with an interest in medical school will alter their career choices by their senior year. Thus, the selection of a college major that reflects their true interests is, by any criteria, the correct choice. In addition, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, "...students should not major in science simply because they believe this will increase their chances for acceptance..."

The Pre-Medical Advising Committee has compiled a series of tables that suggest four-year schedules for pre-medical students with interests in a wide variety of fields. These schedules demonstrate that it is possible to gain strong pre-medical preparation while majoring in almost any field.

Arts -- Art, music, theatre
Humanities -- American studies, history, English, philosophy
Languages -- Chinese, Greek, Latin, French, German, Spanish
Social Sciences -- Economics, international relations, political science, sociology
Math/Sciences -- Computer science, mathematics, physics
Life Sciences -- Biology, chemistry, biochemistry, psychology

The following information applies to the schedules
Each schedule is only one of the many possible ways to achieve the particular major. They list courses necessary to fulfill degree requirements at Knox, pre-medical courses which might be required at a typical medical school, and electives.

Courses from the major that are numbered (e.g. English 331, Political Science 321) may be specifically required for the major or they may be only one course from a sequence or group of courses, any one of which may be used to satisfy the requirements of the major. Check the Knox Catalog, the Registrar or faculty adviser to verify details. Courses in the major listed as elective can probably be chosen from any course in the department with consideration given to appropriate course level (i.e., 1xx courses are usually intro-level). Again, see a faculty adviser for more information.

The science courses suggested for first-year students, sophomores, and juniors are, in our opinion, the minimum necessary to successfully take the New MCAT Exam.

Many medical schools will be satisfied with the two-course sequence of physics offered at Knox (141, 142). However, some schools insist on a full year of physics; consequently, we suggest that students interested in those schools might want to take Physics 167 or another course of interest, in addition to 141 and 142 or 141C and 142C. Because of the current winter/spring physics schedule, students who feel capable should strongly consider attempting physics in their sophomore year.

Many medical schools specify an English requirement. In most cases completion of First-Year Preceptorial and/ or Advanced Preceptorial will meet this requirement.

All schedules implicitly include one or more "pre-professional" (i.e. additional science) electives during the senior year. These courses are only necessary for non-science majors who definitely plan to attend medical school. Consult a Pre-Medical Adviser for specific information.