Picking a Major

As I have learned more and more about medical school expectations I am beginning to realize that they really don't care what kind of major you have. They are MUCH more concerned with GPA, MCAT score, leadership experience, volunteer experience, etc.
So what major should a future doctor pick? That is really up to the individual.
I picked this reference off the University of Utah's Medical School site: "The University of Utah School of Medicine does not recommend or require any specific undergraduate academic major. We recommend that students choose a major field for which they have enthusiasm and interest."
Now this doesn't mean that you should be careless about selecting your major. There are a couple of really important things to consider:
1. Some majors take longer than others. In my opinion the quicker you can get to medical school the better so I have chosen to avoid any majors that take longer than 4 years to complete. The quicker I can get into medical school the quicker I can become a doctor. Adding minors also costs time and doesn't seem to be worth it to me.
2. Picking a major also influences what kind of faculty and fellow students you will be associating with and getting to know. Faculty that are well-connected in the science and medical fields will be more likely to help you get into research opportunities that will help you get a feel for what your specific interests are when it comes to medicine.
3. I have also been advised that it is wise to get a major that can stand on its own. One that can get you a job if you end up deciding not to go to medical school when you are in the latter part of your college career. True, you can always change your major if you change your mind about medicine; but switching majors usually costs you time becuase you will inevitably have taken courses in one major that you won't need in another.

PA vs. MD

Any pre-med student will eventually get tempted to go another path: Physician Assistant. For several months last year I seriously entertained this possibility and studied it thoroughly. It can be a very tempting proposition. Why might it be so great? As a PA you would still get to do much of what a medical doctor would do, however you only have to go to 3 years of school. On top of that there is a lot of flexibility in the profession and it is much easier to switch your line of specialty later in life. Plus you still get paid in the neighborhood of 80,000 dollars a year (varies depending on specialty). Sounds great! Not so fast though. Becoming a PA is highly competative. Just to give you an idea: about 1 in 5 in-state applicants to the University of Utah's Medical School will be admitted, while only 1 in 20 in state applicants to their PA school are admitted. That's a big difference! In addition to it being highly competative, the fact that you only need to spend 3 additional years after graduation to become a PA is also decieving. Most PA schools require their applicants to have thousands of hours of patient contact work. As a matter of fact the average accepted student into the University of Utah programs has 8,000 hours. For me that means that after I graduate I would need to spend 2 to 4 years working full time as a medical assistant, CNA, Phlebotomist, etc. in order to acrue the needed hours of experience. So in the end I might be looking at 7 years or more of post graduate work to become a PA. Suddenly the 4 years of med school plus 3 to 5 years of residency doesn't look so bad.
Here are some useful links if you are thinking about making the switch to PA:
http://physician-assistant.advanceweb.com/ Salary info.
http://consusrankings.com/2008/05/05/us-news-best-graduate-physician-assistant-programs-2007/ Ranks PA programs as of 2007
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-physician-assistant.html Article on why PA is ranked one of the most promising careers
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/overrated-career-physician-2009.html Article on why being a Doctor is rated one of the most overrated careers
http://web.utah.edu/upap/docs/upap-demographics-2008.pdf Demographics of PA students at the University of Utah. Notice especially the work-experience section.

This continues to be a decision that causes many people stress. When I originally posted this, healthcare reform wasn't in the picture. I am in MD school now (I feel this was ultimately the best route for me), but I hear rumblings from several MD specialists that things are moving towards better job security for PAs, PTs, OTs, etc. Others say just the opposite. It will be interesting to see where things end up. 

Where I'm at.

I'm off and running. 1 year of college under my belt with 3 to go before...more school. After that...more learning. Thus are the expectations of your average joe Pre Med student. I don't know if I stand out yet but hopefully by the time I apply to med schools I will. I'd say that is something that worries me now. It seems that the course to med school is crowded with a lot of talented people...and a lot of them know it and aren't too shy about showing it. I'd say I'm pretty average. I'm 21. I currently am cramming my brain at the University of Utah. I have a Pre-Medical Physics major (you should see people's faces when I spit that out). 3.8 GPA. It looks like I'll be applying for med schools in 2011 and graduating in 2012. Between now and then I'm going to try to fill my resume with community service, volunteer service, patient contact, physician shadowing, and leadership experiences. Hopefully I can do all that while still maintaining my sanity, having good old fashioned fun, and maybe even find a wife.