Phi Beta Cons

Med School Without the Science and Math Background?

Here is a New York Times piece on a program that allows students who haven’t taken the typical pre-med curriculum with lots of science and math, and haven’t taken the MCAT, to enter medical school.

I’m not automatically inclined to criticize this. I’ve heard the case made that good doctoring rarely involves knowledge of hard science and advanced math. Smart students who haven’t gone the pre-med track can no doubt learn what they need to in those areas as they proceed with medical studies. I suspect that somewhat more of the non-pre-med students will decide that med school isn’t for them, but if so, that’s the school’s problem.

It’s possible for someone to become a good lawyer without taking a single course in the typical pre-law curriculum. (It’s also possible to become a good lawyer without going to law school at all.) Maybe it’s equally possible to become a good doctor without pre-med undergraduate studies.

George Leef is the the director of editorial content at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. He is the author of The Awakening of Jennifer Van Arsdale: A Political Fable for Our Time.
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