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Health and Wellness

10 Things Only Pre-Health/Pre-Med Humanities Majors Will Understand

For all the Hu-meds and Hu-Healths out there.

Justine Ramos

Apr 03, 2019

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UCLA

247

10 Things Only Pre-Health/Pre-Med Humanities Majors Will Understand

https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-getting-his-blood-check-1350560/

Yeah, I get it. We get a bad rep. Nobody understands what you're doing and it's so difficult to explain to other people (ahem especially family members) why you're doing it this way. People within your major judge you. People in your pre-med/health classes judge you. EVERYBODY is judging you. They'll laugh at your face, give you a funny look, maybe even snicker behind your back. But hey, you're not alone in this and WE ARE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU.

1. Your class schedule is a little bewildering.

Justine Ramos

"So what are your plans today?"

"i have to do a 10 page essay on William Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell and then I have to go study for practical exam for anatomy, then I have to finish up a 400 page Romantic novel in between finishing my O-Chem Lab"

2. "What are you planning to do with that humanities degree?" "Go to med school." " Oh, so you're doing the cowards way out."

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Let's see you try and bust a 3500 word paper and do 45 sets of physics problems on the same night.

3. Condescending Aunt @ Thanksgiving: "If you don't study something like Biology, then no patient will ever go to you."

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Me: If you don't study that cook book then nobody will ever eat your casserole

4. You're the essay checker among your STEM friends.

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Let's face it, STEM majors can't write a 500 word essay on the impact of ice cream in the world to save their lives.

5. "William Carlos Williams was a Pediatrician AND a Poet"

William Carlos Williams Reading at Columbia 1942

6. Now, this is the tea SIS.

https://www.zippia.com/advice/med-school-major/

7. You have a pretty good grasp of the Social-Cultural Context of health care that many pre-med/health students lack knowledge of.

Giphy

Ok REAL TALK. Surprise, surprise, there's discrimination, inequality, and oppression in health care services. Race, gender, sexuality, cultural background and etc. have a huge impact in someone's health. Looking through the narrow medical model is sooooo 100 years ago. Yet, this is something a lot of STEM students can't grasp.

8. At family gatherings, you just choose to say "I'm studying to become a Doctor, PA, OT, PT, etc" instead of saying your major to avoid THAT conversation.

Giphy

Please don't ask any more questions. Let's talk about YOUR kid, instead.

9. Inviting your Pre-Med/Health Friends and your Humanities Friends For Your Birthday.

https://twitter.com/Mozambique_1/status/1103364816767500290

10. Having the best of both worlds.

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I know it's a struggle. But hey, there are SO many good reasons to do this and it's not that uncommon to find people majoring in humanities but looking into the medical/health fields. Take this piece advice from a graduating medical student at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

" I majored in English with a Minor in Neuroscience. A lot of my Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, and Bioengineering friends all made fun of me. They said I couldn't claim any of the "street cred" that STEM majors go through. I took the same pre-med classes as them (and cough I got better grades) yet they still didn't see me as a real pre-med student. When it came time for applications, they gave me a very sarcastic "good luck...English major." When acceptances started rolling in, I was the only one in my friend group to get into UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine."

Now that's what I call a COMEBACK.

" I'm not an 'underdog,' I'm not lucky, I'm not a 'coward.' I took the same classes. I did similar internships and volunteer work. I had a great GPA. I had time in my schedule to study hard for a high MCAT score. I stood out in piles and piles of typical STEM majors. I showed that I was capable of succeeding. I showed that I was balanced. I showed that I had the ability to communicate effectively with my future patients. I showed that I can consider the social and cultural as well as the biological. I showed that I wasn't just great in pre-med science courses but also in other areas."

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