What Are the Best Majors for Medical School Applicants?

Research indicates that music majors have the best chance of being accepted into medical school. The level of discipline required to earn high grades with music and art classes indicate the ability to concentrate on and assimilate details, which is important to medical studies. Many medical schools place more emphasis on the applicant's grade-point average (GPA) than on his or her major. This means that majoring in biochemistry or biology will not necessarily improve a student's chances of being selected over an economics major.

More facts about medical school applications:

• According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, prospective medical school students submit an average of almost 14 applications apiece. In 2010, 42,742 medical school applicants in the United States submitted a total of 580,304 applications.


• Extracurricular activities can enhance the possibility of getting into medical school. Volunteering at a local hospital or some type of medical clinic is said to help the application to stand out.


• The number of females applying for admission to medical school in the U.S. reached an all-time high in the 2007-2008 school year. A total of 20,735 women applied for admission during that year.