With sophomores in the process of declaring a major (and first-years exploring their options), pre-health underclassmen may feel uneasy about the major selection process.
But, there is no “right” major. For pre-health students at Middlebury:
- About 1/3 are either non-science majors, or have a second major in the humanities or social sciences
- About 40-50% are science majors and non-science minors (with Global Health being the most popular non-science minor, and a language – particularly Spanish – a close second)
- The recent applicant pool shows that there are Political Science, Gender Studies, Religion, Anthropology, and English minors as well
Insight from two upperclassmen and their major selection path provide some insight:
Upon coming to Middlebury, did you know what you wanted to major/minor in?
Zack: I knew that I wanted to major in music before I got to Middlebury, but I didn’t know that I wanted to minor in global health.
Ellie: I knew I wanted to major in something biology-related and that I was pre-med, but I didn’t know I’d also want to major in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (GSFS).
How did you choose your major/minor? Were you considering other majors/minors?
Zack: I started playing guitar at about 6, so music has been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember. It seemed like college would be the last time in my life that I could formally study music, so it seemed like an easy decision. I considered double majoring with BioChem because it covered most of the Pre-Med requirements, but I realized that I would have less space to take other classes I was interested in or that were out of my comfort zone, both of which are fundamental to the liberal arts experience. One of these classes led me to a minor in global health.
Ellie: I chose MBBC over biology because the requirements matched up better with the pre-med requirements, and I was more interested in the MBBC required classes. And I was originally planning on minoring in GSFS, since I am very passionate about gender and racial justice, and I want to study women’s health. But after my plans to go abroad were cancelled, I realized most of the other classes I wanted to take were gender studies ones, so I decided to double major.
Did you find it difficult balancing the premed requirements with your major requirements?
Zack: While it was physically exhausting to run back and forth between the MAC and BiHall (with the hills and all), it was mentally refreshing to alternate between two different but equally important ways of thinking. It helped a lot with avoiding burn-out.
Ellie: No, I did not find it difficult because the premed requirements line up really well with MBBC requirements. And because I picked up the double major during my junior fall, I had already completed many of the pre-med requirements so I had room for the extra GSFS classes.
Looking back, would you have done anything differently regarding your academic path?
Zack: Nope 
!
Ellie: I think I would have tried to take more biology classes I was interested in earlier on. I was very focused on finishing pre-med requirements and had a few semesters where I was taking physics and chemistry classes that I wasn’t very interested in, and no biology classes. This made for a few tough semesters where I wasn’t as interested in my academic work, however completing these requirements early did allow for me to double major with GSFS.
Are you involved in any student organizations on campus relevant to pre-med? What does your organization do?
Zack: I’m the Vice President of the Pre-Health Society. We organize informational and recreational activities to educate, support, and promote social cohesion between Pre-Health students. We also serve as a line of communication between Health Professions at the CCI and the Pre-Health community. Please, email me if you would like to be on our email list to get notifications for upcoming events. I’m also the president and founder of Middlebury Musical Outreach (MMO). We’re a program in the music department that promotes community wellness through music-based volunteer outreach. We currently serve the communities of EastView (a memory-care/assisted-living facility) and Project Independence (an adult day center) but intend to scale. To participate, check out the sign-up page on our website (https://middleburymusicout.wixsite.com/musicoutreach).
Ellie: Yes! I am the co-president of Women in Health Sciences. Our org is open to anyone of any gender expression, and we focus on supporting and promoting women in any health science field. We bring in speakers from all sorts of fields, and help mentor underclassmen with academic advising and internship advice when we can. Anyone can get involved by emailing womeninhealthsciences@middlebury.edu to be added to our email list!