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Top Ten Reasons for pre-meds to Major/Minor in Earth Sciences

 

  1. Physical science majors have a higher acceptance rate (42.5%) than biological science majors (36.0%) for medical school. Source: Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
  2. Understanding mineralogy is helpful for health sciences because bones and teeth are made of minerals, as well as the mineral deposits on teeth and organs.
  3. Some pre-meds are fascinated with the study of ‘the body’. Consider a major in which anatomy, physiology, ecology are all studied (paleontology).
  4. A med school wants to know about you as a reliable and dedicated student.  Nearly all Earth Science majors know ES faculty well enough to get detailed and personal letters of recommendation
  5. Publishing primary literature scientific papers is an advantage for getting into health post-graduate programs. The small number of Earth Sciences majors means you will likely get to do primary scientific research and potentially publish with a world-renowned researcher.
  6. Med school admissions are touting the ‘well rounded’, ‘globally aware’, and ‘big thinker’ applicant. Recent Earth Sciences undergraduates have had research experiences in Morocco, Spain, Indonesia, Argentina, Peru, Sierras, Cascades…
  7. Imaging (MRI, x-ray, etc.) is important in the health fields. With an Earth Sciences major, you will learn about tomography and seismic wave function analysis.
  8. The greatest global human health issue facing students today involves the impacts of climate change. As an Earth Sciences major, you will learn deeply about climate change.
  9. Making an important measurement, understanding what that measurement means, is highly important for people in health fields.  Earth Scientists make a lot of sophisticated chemical measurements and learn these skills.
  10. Many of the core Earth Science prerequisites (Chemistry, Physics, etc.) overlap with courses required for med school.
  11. The Maymester courses in Alaska or Greece are required for Earth Sciences majors, so you can have a study abroad experience while graduating on time.
  12. Earth Science teaches a systems level approach, considering all aspects and scales, much like diagnosing and treating illness in the human body.

Learn More

Please contact Student Services Advisor, Darlene Garza, at garzadar@usc.edu to learn more about our Earth Sciences majors and minors.

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